What has happened to boxing?

Boxing, the sweet science, is a sport that I adore. I grew up watching fights with my father, and still discuss matches with him today. But, it is a complete travesty what is happening to the sport.

On December 20th, WBA heavyweight, Nikolay Valuev will “defend” his title against Evander Holyfield who is not only 46 years old, but he is way past his prime. The fact that this fight is being discussed, not to mention sanctioned, is bordering on criminal.

I have never been a Holyfield fan, even during his heyday, but at the same time, I find it ridiculous to see a man be allowed to jeopardize his health like this. Boxing regulators need to look no further than Muhammad Ali, who fought one too many fights. Now, look at him. And Holyfield is clearly on his way. His speech is slurred to the point that now you damn near need subtitles when he speaks.

Even if Holyfield was in his prime this fight would be a mismatch. Valuev is 7’1 and approximately 320 pounds. Holyfield stands at 6’3 and comes into the ring around 220. That is a huge disparity.

I understand the fact that Evander has some financial difficulties. His 105 room house was almost foreclosed on, and he has to pay child support for his 11 children. Still, this fight amounts to nothing more than a public execution.

It truly speaks to the said state of the heavyweight division when a boxing manager can say with a straight face that Holyfield is the best competition available. I remember the days when the heavyweight champion of the world was one of the most recognizable figures in the whole world. Even people who never watched a boxing match a day in their lives knew who the champ was. That is clearly not the case now.

Mismatches of recycled opponents are only one of the problems boxing faces. The networks, corrupt promoters, and lack of exposure have all played a significant role in the decline.

The world of MMA has jumped at the opportunity to fill the void. While, I truly feel it is a substandard product, the people behind the scenes clearly understand how to market it to the masses.

There is something about the brutality of hand-to-hand combat that attracts people.

Boxing once knew how to satisfy that desire.

Now, the powers seem to be more concerned with greed rather than the survival of the sweet science.

The Wizard has spoken.