King Kaufman's Sports Daily
Mayweather-De La Hoya didn't save boxing. Neither will anything else. Plus: Roger Clemens' me-first comeback. It's a good idea.
Read more: Sports, Boxing, Baseball, NHL, NBA, Basketball, Football, Major League Baseball, NFL, Ice Hockey, Roger Clemens, King Kaufman, Sports Daily, MLB
May 8, 2007 | Floyd Mayweather Jr. beat Oscar De La Hoya by split decision in Las Vegas Saturday in the biggest boxing match in years, one that figures to be the most successful pay-per-view match ever once the counting finishes.
Time magazine and others have been asking if the big fight, which was an artistic as well as a box-office success, not an all-time classic but an entertaining bout, could save boxing.
It's the silliest question of the year.
Asking if Mayweather vs. De La Hoya could save boxing is like asking if the snazzy 1912 models could save the buckboard industry. It's like asking if the spring white sale at Smidley's Department Store could halt inflation. It's an absurd underestimation of what has happened to boxing.
Boxing has been in decline for a half-century because of historical forces too great and varied to be affected by one fight, no matter how intriguing the matchup or exciting the delivery.
We could fill up a few hundred pages talking about what those forces are, but a ridiculously abbreviated, spectacularly simplified list would include a severely shrunken talent pool caused by increased opportunities, sporting and otherwise, for poor kids; changing tastes; greater entertainment options, including more sports; unaddressed safety concerns; corruption; and the lack of a governing organization to guarantee good matches and recognized champions.
And really, I can't emphasize enough how abbreviated and simplified that list is.
Here's an even simpler illustration: Wherever you are right now, go to the nearest crowded place. Ask out loud who the heavyweight champion is. The heavyweight champion: That is, the person -- now persons -- who for most of the last century was the single most important figure in sports. Keep asking till you get the right answer. You'll probably have to look it up yourself beforehand. Note how much time passes before someone gets it right.
You might want to bring a sandwich.
If I had to bet on one thing and I could have my choice of propositions, including where the sun would rise tomorrow and whether a dropped brick would rise or fall, I would bet on boxing not making a comeback.
