Boxing got TKOed thanks to Saturday's fight

Sports Commentary

Nick Greene
Sports Editor

I paced my way through work on Saturday, like a little kid waiting to open Christmas presents.

See, to me and sports fans alike, Saturday was Christmas.  Not only was it Cinco de Mayo, but Saturday offered a five-course meal of sporting delight.  The filet mignon being the fight to end all fights, Oscar De La Hoya slugging it out with Floyd Mayweather.

Watching the clock tick by at work, I waited with anticipation.  Many started calling in asking where they could catch the Pay-Per-View event, wetting my pallet even more. 

The sporting gods shined down on us on this holy of Saturdays, giving us a perfect lineup.  The Yankees at 3 o’clock, the Kentucky Derby at six, Boston versus my Minnesota Twins at seven and the grand, finally, the fight that was going to single handedly save boxing, with the first punches ready to be thrown around 11.

Come about 9:30, I was parked in my living room, $55 less to my name and a case full of beer, ready to watch boxing. 

Had any fight in recent history received so much pre-fight hype?  None that I could remember since Mike Tyson.

That’s what made this night special; it was bringing in everyone – the boxing fans, casual sports fans, even people who have no interest in sports at all wanted to see what was going to happen between these two men once that bell sounded.

Everything lived up to the hype until the two fighters actually got into the ring.  Mayweather got your blood flowing quickly, coming out of the dressing room donning Mexican colors and a sombrero.  Whether you liked it or not, you felt that it was going to lead to a hateful battle. 

It didn’t. 

The Golden Boy and the Pretty Boy pranced around the ring for 12 rounds sharing a couple of so-so punches.  They left the outcome to a judges’ decision and basically accomplished nothing. 

Maybe true boxing fans saw some great technique being used, but the casual fan, the people like me who spent $55 wanted to see a fight -- not sparing. 

I said before the fight I just prayed that for all the money fans are spending that someone doesn’t get knocked out early.  I am now retracting that statement.  Not only did neither get knocked down early, neither of them hit the deck once. 

There was no blood, swollen eyes or broken noses.  There weren’t even big punches thrown.  This was supposed to help rejuvenate America’s love for the sport; instead, it just dug another foot of its grave.

Boxing has lost its popularity to the likes to Ultimate Fighting Championship over the years. According to one report, nearly every major UFC pay-per-view match has had more viewers than the recent “big” boxing matches.  That’s why this match was so important.  That’s why this match needed to be climatic.

We want to see knockouts like Mike Tyson gave us in the early ’90s. Now it appears he might have ruined the sport for good.  Everyone became so accustomed to seeing Iron Mike lay his opponent out that it has become an expectation of what makes a good boxing match.  That’s what we expect, what we pay top dollar for and that is what we were robbed of on Saturday. 

Mayweather “won,” but De La Hoya stood opposite of him without a scratch.  How is that winning a fight?  It’s time to change the rules of boxing.  After 12 rounds, let the fight go on if there is no clear winner. 

Make extra rounds like extra innings in baseball.  After the 12th the first person to hit the ground losses automatically, making the other the victor.

This fight could have saved boxing had in brought back the casual fans.  Boxing has lacked name recognition for years now, but this should have changed all that.  But unfortunately neither name proved to be worth watching again.    

It was supposed to be a special day and night for sports fans.  While the appetizers were nice, our piece of meat, the fight, was overcooked and had to be sent back.  Never again will I pay $55 for a fight when I can just go to a local bar and see more action.