Sports

What’s left for the casual boxing fan to care about post-May 2?

Image
Deontay Wilder is one to watch.

Floyd Mayweather Jr. walked into a conference room at the MGM Grand to talk with the media after his victory last September against Marcos Maidana, took his spot behind the podium on the stage and grabbed a sip of water. Sporting sunglasses and a grin from ear-to-ear after another victory, he knew what everyone wanted to talk about. It never changes.

Most reporters weren’t concerned about the fight that had just ended. Rather, as in every post-fight interview for the past five years, dialogue focused on when the undefeated Mayweather would fight Manny Pacquiao. And the same scenario has played out with Pacquiao, who’s been bombarded with questions about a mega-bout with Mayweather.

Saturday, finally, we get it, the welterweight showdown that’s considered the fight of the decade. As expected, the prefight hype has reached insane levels, with six-figure ticket prices and more than 3 million homes expected to purchase the pay-per-view in a sign these fighters have our attention. But what happens next, not just for Mayweather and Pacquiao, but for boxing itself?

Mayweather and Pacquiao are the sport’s two household names, the only fighters your average non-boxing fanatic would consider paying to watch. They’re the fighters you’d recognize at the mall or the grocery store. But each is in his late-30s, with time winding down on both careers. Mayweather has one remaining fight on a contract with Showtime and promises it will be the last we see of him.

The two men picked up the torch of boxing relevance from Oscar De La Hoya, who followed Julio César Chávez. In the ’90s, there were plenty of heavyweight fighters—Mike Tyson, Evander Holyfield, Lennox Lewis—fans knew all about. And in the ’80s, we had Sugar Ray Leonard, Marvin Hagler, Thomas Hearns and Roberto Duran, battling it out with epic results.

And now? There are talented fighters poised to be the next great draw. Canelo Álvarez, a Mexican heartthrob who’s just 24, combined with Mayweather to sell more than 2 million pay-per-view buys when they fought in September 2013. He’s especially popular with Hispanic fans, who account for significant gate and television revenue. And there’s American heavyweight Deontay Wilder, the WBC champion who packs a powerful punch and is entertaining to watch. He picked up the bronze medal at the ’08 Olympics and is undefeated in 33 professional fights, winning 32 by knockout.

The next great fight could actually come if Wilder fights Wladimir Klitschko, who has dominated the heavyweight division for most of this century. At best, though, that’s still 18 months away.

In the meantime, let’s cherish this weekend.

Share
Photo of Ray Brewer

Ray Brewer

Ray Brewer, a proud local, has been part of Greenspun Media Group since the mid-1990s. He’s covered high school and ...

Get more Ray Brewer
Top of Story