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By Don Colgan - By any measure, the succession of high profile championship bouts over the past nine months, beginning with Mayweather-De La Hoya through Mayweather’s overpowering 10th round stoppage of Ricky Hatton last December, there is no question that boxing has experienced it’s most exciting and successful year since the early 1990’s.
Interest in boxing, that all important chatter in the barbershops and luncheonettes, is back.
The stellar quality of the matches, combined with the aura surrounding Floyd Mayweather, Jr, has combined to revive this great sport. The Tyson era, and the destruction it wrought upon boxing, has finally faded and the emergence of superb young battlers and marquee clashes have resulted in booing’s return to relevance in the sports world.
However, for boxing’s recovery to be sustained, and ultimately completed, a heavyweight championship unification must take place, and the upcoming February 23rd clash between Wladimir Klitschko and Sultan Ibragimov is an enormous stride in that direction.
Klitschko remains a formidable champion and, by merit of his ring achievements, should be one of the most recognizable figures in sports. He is not a marginal champion who stumbled into the championship by virtue of an accidental cut or timely wallop. For the past two years, he has been, without a shred of doubt, the most dominant and destructive force in the heavyweight division. He has crushed one challenger after another, registering devastating stoppages over Chris Byrd, Calvin Brock, Ray Austin and Lamon Brewster. [details]
Interest in boxing, that all important chatter in the barbershops and luncheonettes, is back.
The stellar quality of the matches, combined with the aura surrounding Floyd Mayweather, Jr, has combined to revive this great sport. The Tyson era, and the destruction it wrought upon boxing, has finally faded and the emergence of superb young battlers and marquee clashes have resulted in booing’s return to relevance in the sports world.
However, for boxing’s recovery to be sustained, and ultimately completed, a heavyweight championship unification must take place, and the upcoming February 23rd clash between Wladimir Klitschko and Sultan Ibragimov is an enormous stride in that direction.
Klitschko remains a formidable champion and, by merit of his ring achievements, should be one of the most recognizable figures in sports. He is not a marginal champion who stumbled into the championship by virtue of an accidental cut or timely wallop. For the past two years, he has been, without a shred of doubt, the most dominant and destructive force in the heavyweight division. He has crushed one challenger after another, registering devastating stoppages over Chris Byrd, Calvin Brock, Ray Austin and Lamon Brewster. [details]
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