Opinion: Boxing’s Terrible Start to 2016

Editor’s note: The views and opinions expressed below are those of the author and do not necessarily reflect the views of Sherdog.com, its affiliates and sponsors or its parent company, Evolve Media.

It’s no secret that boxing has had a terrible start to 2016; and with the Ultimate Fighting Championship continuing to put on fights that interest the public, boxing is going to need to do something to prevent from hemorrhaging fans who are growing increasingly frustrated with the lack of competitive showdowns.

Ever since Floyd Mayweather Jr. and Manny Pacquiao destroyed all records with their underwhelming bout in May, the sport has been scratching and clawing to find its next big star and deliver compelling fights that will keep the fans interested. Thus far, we’ve seen the likes of Gennady “GGG” Golovkin, Saul “Canelo” Alvarez, Sergey “Krusher” Kovalev, Roman Gonzalez, Terence Crawford and Deontay Wilder rise in an attempt to become boxing’s Next Big Thing. However, unlike the UFC, boxing has struggled mightily to put its top names in fights about which the general public cares.

Let’s be honest: The fights that are currently scheduled aren’t exactly going to set the boxing world on fire. Sure, Alvarez is a big star and his May 7 showdown with Amir Khan should fare well on PPV, but in terms of competition, many see this as a gross mismatch. Pacquiao will ride off into the sunset with a third fight against Timothy Bradley despite “beating” him twice -- one official victory and one the judges completely screwed up. Pacquiao should be going out with much more fanfare, but pitting him against Bradley again hasn’t done much to get the boxing world buzzing. We’re all hoping for a Golovkin-Alvarez showdown this fall, but we’re talking about boxing here. Nothing is ever a sure thing.

To make matters worse, a series of injuries have derailed several upcoming cards. Keith Thurman’s car accident has postponed his fight with Shawn Porter and led to Porter having to livestream a sparring session on the Facebook page of Premier Boxing Champions. Guillermo Rigondeaux’s return bout after a dreadfully paced fight against Drian Francisco in November has been nixed due to Visa issues. Julio Cesar Chavez Jr. was supposed to make his return against The Money Team’s Badou Jack, but a heel injury has put those plans on the shelf. Lucas Matthysse was preparing to be featured on the undercard of Pacquiao-Bradley 3, until a lingering eye injury forced him to withdraw from the fight.

It’s not like boxing hasn’t been in this position before. Every time the sport’s biggest stars decide to hang up the gloves, the calls that boxing is dead are heard from just about every casual fan. The only difference is that the UFC is beginning to swallow up the mainstream following with the big-fight atmosphere. What was once reserved for boxing’s biggest pay-per-views, where the reach extended beyond the casual fan and swept up a crowd of people who rarely watch sports, is no longer in the kung fu grip of the Sweet Science.

Boxing always managed to put on a “Super Bowl”-type of event where you could throw a party and everyone would show up whether they knew who was fighting or not. As long as they were familiar with a name like Tyson, De La Hoya, Pacquiao or Mayweather, it was must-see television. Now the UFC has struck gold with its own mainstream stars in the form of Conor McGregor, Ronda Rousey and Jon Jones; and without putting too much value on win-loss records, these fighters have maintained a significant cache with the audience, meaning fans will tune in no matter what.

Boxing, on the other hand, needs to put its big names in fights people care about. A Golovkin- Alvarez fight would be big enough that the UFC wouldn’t even attempt to try to dupe the audience by suggesting boxing was “trying to build up the fight.” Kovalev-Andre Ward has to happen before the end of 2016. However, there are so many things in play that cause the big fights to be held up. Whether it is a promoter beef or some nonsense in which a champion is unwilling to fight at the weight at which he won a world title, the fact of the matter is that fans could not care less about such reasons.

Nobody wants to see Danny Garcia continue to fight a bunch of overmatched opponents. Golovkin shouldn’t have fighters ducking him any longer. Crawford might be the best young talent in the sport, but watching him beat up Hank Lundy won’t be acceptable anymore.

Boxing needs to get it together. For those of us who love the sport, it’s becoming harder and harder to defend it. If the best face the best, those concerns can be alleviated.

Andreas Hale is the editorial content director of 2DopeBoyz.com, co-host of the boxing, MMA and pro wrestling podcast “The Corner” and a regular columnist for Sherdog.com. You can follow on Twitter for his random yet educated thoughts on combat sports, music, film and popular culture.