By Sergio Martinez

Photo © Ed Mulholland/FightWireImages.com

As Pink Floyd’s classic tune, “Comfortably Numb” so eerily asked: “Is there anybody out there?” so too should boxing’s community regarding our youth. One after another, young fighters carrying this era’s “Golden Boy” moniker have fallen and displayed that they were more a matter of style than real boxing substance.

 

Not one young “prospect” out there has managed to capture the attention of the mainstream media and it is hurting the sport as a whole because without mainstream attention, growth cycles are retarded.

 

Where is our Muhammad Ali, “Sugar” Ray Leonard, or Oscar de la Hoya?

 

Why does there seem to be a substantial talent gap between the super prospects of yesteryear and our current harvest of younglings?

 

Although I am one of the current few in our sport who do not believe that boxing is a sinking vessel, I must admit an air of concern regarding the next half decade, because at the present time there is not one legitimate, commercially viable young fighter who is making the kind of waves needed to assure that boxing remains a formidable force in the world of sports today.

 

The lack of a young marquee fighter diminishes the demand for recognized sponsorship; therefore, because of this continuing trend, terrestrial television dates are no longer available. Cable television is the only arena left to showcase our sport and those limited slots are not held for the development of a fighter.

 

How is “Status Quo” supposed to get to know our sport again and really get behind a young boxer if we are not able to capture their excitement through broadcasts to the public at large?

 

There are many contributing factors to this problem and solutions do not seem to be at the forefront of anyone’s mind as, it would appear that the current promotional power structure is in full cannibalization mode with the two top companies - Golden Boy Promotions and Top Rank - entrenched in all-out warfare.

 

The aforementioned powerbrokers have decided to one-up each other by focusing their energies on contracting the latest fad fighter and securing established fight veterans while completely disregarding the development of young, talented studs and ensuring their exposure to the populous.

 

Time and time again, we see the potential “future” brought before the world stage, only to be exposed as promotional smoke-and-mirror jobs leaving audiences disappointed. Names like Vicente Escobedo, Joel Julio, Kermit Cintron, and Jason Litzau are prime examples of this assessment. To the lay-fan, this is affirmation that boxing is no longer a sport to be taken seriously.

 

Another alarming trend is the lack of knowledgeable teachers available in the sport today. There are too many self-proclaimed trainers who believe that a set of focus pads and a towel are the only prerequisites needed to get involved in boxing.

 

The most crucial time for a young fighter is at the beginning, as that is when the basic fundamentals of professional prize fighting are to be taught and boxers should learn correctly the skills which are necessary for success in the toughest of professions.

 

The transition from the amateurs to the paid ranks is a monumental task which requires true knowledge and aptitude, both of which are severely lacking in most modern-day teachers.

 

All one has to do is listen in to the instructions given in corners to know that the vast majority of trainers today are amateurs at best and are relying too much on perceived knowledge, videos and books. Being a boxing aficionado does not make one a qualified, competent trainer.

 

An unlikely but definite source of the problem is the growing list of “celebrity/part-time” trainers who use their well-established names to get involved with the most lucrative - or potentially lucrative fighters - disregarding the determent their actions may cause.

 

As good as trainers the likes of Emanuel Steward, Freddie Roach, and James “Buddy” McGirt are perceived to be, there is no “one size fits all” when it comes to training.

 

As the axiom in boxing goes: “You are either all the way in or all the way out. If you are in-between, then you are in no-mans-land.” Just analyze the current landscape regarding “celebrity” trainers and you will quickly realize that they are in that proverbial place of warning.

 

The good news is that time does have a way of sorting everything out and in due time wars will end and new breeds of teachers who are truly qualified will begin to reveal themselves. The only hope is that this time is near, because although boxing will continue to thrive as always, waiting several years can still do serious damage that our beloved sport cannot afford.

 

For the sake of boxing, let us hope that this new era will find the chosen one before boxing’s icon of the nineties, Oscar de la Hoya, decides to call it a career.

 

Contact Sergio Martinez at srg_mrtnz@yahoo.com .