By Dave Sholler

The next great American heavyweight is probably grabbing rebounds right now. Standing 6’5 and weighing 220 pounds, the 16-year-old freak of nature is probably using his long, muscular arms and athletic frame to dominate other high school sophomores. Like a young Dwight Howard, he likely records double-doubles on a nightly basis.

If he’s not on the basketball hardwood, the next American heavyweight champion is likely sacking a quarterback in a high school state finals game right about now. Quick, explosive, and calculated, the baby face is probably knocking out QBs left and right. Similar to Joey Porter, the budding star is apt to pounding the opposition each time they touch the ball.

As we prepare for American Hasim Rahman’s quest to upend Wladimir Klitschko for the heavyweight title this Saturday, it is becoming abundantly clear that the future of United States boxing over 201 pounds has no such prospects. Other than a few potential stars – abdominally-challenged Cristobal Arreola, light-punching Kevin Johnson, and too cool Chazz Witherspoon – the red, white, and blue heavyweight landscape does not look promising.

There are no Evander Holyfields on the way, nor are there reincarnations of Mike Tyson heading in our direction. Even rebirths of James Toney-like characters seem unlikely. And forget about an American emerging from another weight class a la Roy Jones to save the heavyweight division. To be blunt, there’s just no one from the states quite capable of doing so.

But why are we so hard-pressed to find American heavies? Why does it seem like local gyms are crowded with tons of fighters under 200 pounds, but no big boys?

The answer seems to be clear. Big kids play big time sports. And when we say “big time,” we mean football and basketball, where they can use their God-given physical talents to earn boat loads of cash. You see, the American dream is no longer to wear heavyweight gold. Nor is it to become Muhammad Ali or George Foreman.

For the youth of today, the dream is to become LeBron James or Reggie Bush. The fantasy is to sail from the foul line toward the hoop in custom-made basketball shoes. The vision is to elude linebackers with poetic grace, flowing from hash mark to hash mark with such poise that advertisers can’t resist your appeal.

Thanks to endless marketing efforts on behalf of the major professional sports organizations, the athlete that may have once considered boxing as an athletic outlet no longer sees a reason to enter the ring. For starters, top heavyweights are no longer household names like they used to be. Think I’m wrong? Ask your local high school junior varsity basketball team if they’ve ever heard of Tony Thompson or Ray Austin. When they say no, follow up by asking them if they’ve ever heard of Tony Gonzalez or Ray Allen. Bet you they know the Kansas City Chiefs tight end and Boston Celtics sharpshooter. Good luck with them knowing fringe boxing contenders like Thompson and Austin.

Moreover, athletes in other major sports are presented to consumers in ways that create almost mythical personas. Kobe Bryant is not just a basketball player anymore. He’s a GQ model; a larger-than-life spokesperson for life lived rich, famous, and successful. Even someone with a next door neighbor personality like Brett Favre has become a Brad Pitt-like figure. Playing in New York, Favre graces billboards and blue jeans commercials like an advertising prostitute. He pushes more products than one of those “designer” bag sellers on a New York street corner. Boxing’s American heavyweight champions used to be such celebrated characters. Now, they just seem forgotten or non-existent.

With that said, it’s hard for young athletes to even consider boxing when they don’t see its heavyweight stars in the mainstream. Just for memory’s sake, when is the last time you saw Eddie Chambers in a Coca-Cola commercial? Likewise, how long has it been since you saw Arreola on the cover of Men’s Journal? Don’t worry, I’ll wait for your answer…

While the blame for lack of heavyweight exposure can partially be blamed on promoters, managers, and network television, it’s hard to solely put the full heat on those individuals. Again, there are so few good American heavyweights that spending advertising dollars on these tweeners doesn’t seem worthwhile. After all, does the NBA market stars that get garbage time in meaningless games? Does NFL commissioner Roger Goodell send third-string special teams players to be league ambassadors? Abso-freakin-lutely not.

So how do boxing executives make boxing appealing to the big kids again? It is a question that is hard to answer. If Rahman can pull off the major upset Saturday, maybe the slightest bit of heavyweight hope can be restored. But let’s be honest. Rahman has been a champion before and hardly anyone in mainstream America noticed. He just didn’t have the pizzazz that the Tysons, Holyfields, Alis, and Foremans had. Rahman is no “Smokin Joe” either. Therefore, we can’t hang our hats on Rahman.

In the end, the onus is on local gym owners, trainers, and boxing-types to convince young bulls to enter the squared circle. Without a doubt, boxing offers the same, if not more, of a sense of personal accomplishment than any other sport. Instead of letting the neighborhood monster try out for the AAU basketball team, we need to get him near a heavy bag. Rather than let our baby giants take to the gridiron, we need to show them the speed bag.

We need to show the youth of American that boxing is where the big boys play. If the children are our future (thanks Whitney), then at least one of them needs to restore the faith in United States heavyweight prizefighting. Otherwise, the world titles will continue to keep their homes in foreign countries.

Dave Sholler is a columnist for newspapers across the country. Reach him at shollerholla4@hotmail.com