Boxing is like Religion... It's Time to Spread the Word!

Boxing is like religion. 

Word of mouth is its best form of advertisement and its followers are the sport’s best promoters.  Now boxing doesn’t have a so-called bible to refer to, but its history is as strong as any sport to date.  What makes the sport so enticing is its ability to produce and endless amount of spontaneity. Within any second of a 36 minute fight, the match can end at any moment. 

Now is the time for us “followers” to endlessly promote this fascinating sport we call boxing. 

I’ve chastised boxing fans tremendously for trying to sell the sport on Floyd “Money” Mayweather.  The premise isn’t a bad one by any means, as he is easily boxing’s biggest star and his skill set is second to none at the moment.  But he does not capture the essence of what the sport is truly about.     

Boxing is passion… emotion… and challenging the depths of greatness. 

It’s time for us boxing purists to celebrate our sport and become missionaries.  The world needs to realize that boxing has an influx of fighters that are captivating and worth watching!

 

What better way to introduce how strong boxing is at the moment then promoting the sport in its strongest four months in recent memory?!  It’s all laid out for you.  Month by month from March to July… Big fights with the sport’s top fighters… Now is the time fight fans.

 

Spread the word about how exciting the March 1^st,  Julio Cesar Chavez Jr. (47-1-1,32 KO’s) – Brian Vera (23-7,14 KO’s) rematch will be… not to mention the up-n-coming superstar, Vasyl Lomachencko (1-0,1 KO) , fighting for the featherweight championship in only his second pro fight. 

Build on that excitement by promoting the March 8^th,  Saul “Canelo” Alvarez (42-1-1, 30 KO’s) – Alfredo Angulo (22-3, 18 KO’s) pay-per-view event that is sure to be a war!  The card also features Jr. Featherweight Champion Leo Santa Cruz (26-0-1, 15 KO’s) defending his title against Cristian Mijares (49-7-2, 24 KO’s), Lightweight title holder and exciting Omar Figueroa (22-0-1,17 KO’s) defending against Canelo’s older brother Ricardo Alvarez (23-2-3, 14 KO’s) and undefeated Jermall Charlo (17-0,13 KO’s) facing off against Carlos Molina (22-5-2,6 KO’s). 

Two weeks of big time matchups and big time fighters!  The world needs to know!

Does it stop? No… and neither should the promotion. 

March 15^th on Showtime, Danny “Swift” Garcia (27-0,16 KO’s) puts his continued dominance of the jr. welterweight division on the line against a game Mauricio Herrera (20-3,7 KO’s) in a fight that may pave the way for a possible match-up with Mayweather Jr.  The card also showcases Heavyweight prospect Deontay Wilder (30-0,30 KO’s) vs. Malik Scott (36-1-1, 13 KO’s) and an exciting rematch between heavy hitters Juanma Lopez (33-3,30 KO’s) and Daniel “Ponce” De Leon (45-5,35 KO’s) . 

We’re missionaries… and the only way this sport will continue to grow is by our word of mouth.  The world needs to know of the destructive machine better known as Sergey “Krusher” Kovalev (23-0-1, 21 KO’s) and on March 29^th in Atlantic City on HBO, they’ll get their chance… but it’s up to us to promote him. 

And that’s just the beginning!

April 12^th, on HBO PPV, Manny Pacquiao (55-5-2, 38 KO’s) vies to redeem not only the loss he suffered to Timothy Bradley (31-0,12 KO’s), but the respect of the boxing world.  He’s been labeled as a fighter declining and not possessing the same killer instinct he once had.  Bradley’s talking a good game and vows that this fight will be easier than their first match-up and will be much more decisive.  It’s a show and prove fight that will tell us whether Manny Pacquiao is still the most dynamic and explosive fighter in the world or if Timothy Bradley truly is a top pound for pound fighter.  It’s a fight that NEEDS to be seen. 

We as boxing fans watch, tweet, give opinion and in some cases write about this great sport… but if we do not do our job as followers and promote the sweet science, then we’re doing an injustice to greatest sport ever created.

 

There shouldn’t be a sports fan on earth that hasn’t heard of Gennady Golovkin (29-0,26 KO’s) aka “GGG”…. and if there is by any chance, it’s imperative we get them to tune in to his April 26^th bout on HBO.  He is the future of the sport and is soon to be a pay-per-view star.  His mixture of power and technical boxing skills are second to none.  He’s a marvel to watch… A once in a generation fighter that needs to be seen by all generations. 

So now, as you’ve hooked the casual or non-existent boxing fan… it’s time for Floyd. 

Make no doubt about it… Floyd “Money” Mayweather Jr. (45-0,26 KO’s)  is one of the greatest fighters of this era.  He is the ultimate fighter’s fighter.  His defense is magnificent… He still possesses impeccable hand speed… and his athleticism defies logic for a fighter of his age.    Most importantly, he’s undefeated. 

Floyd’s not the selling point for boxing… but he’s the pinnacle of the sport.  No event is bigger than a Floyd event and that won’t change until he retires.  That’s why it’s imperative for us boxing fans to take advantage and promote the fights NOT involving Floyd…

Then the masses will know that boxing is not Floyd Mayweather Jr... and Floyd Mayweather Jr.  is not boxing.

 

His May 3^rd bout will either be against Amir Khan (28-3,19 KO’s) or Marcos Maidana (35-3,31 KO’s).  Either way, it will be huge and even though the general consensus believe that neither fighter can beat the pound for pound king, the intrigue is always there.  It’s the type of intrigue that can’t be duplicated in any other sport. 

Just as boxing does not begin with Floyd… it doesn’t end with him either. 

There’s a very good chance that the intrigue of the Floyd bout will be trumped by his dominance in the ring, leaving the casual or non-existent boxing fan yearning for more.  It’s a formula we’ve seen far too many times, but luckily the sport is filled with entertainment. 

On May 31^st, Carl Froch (32-2,23 KO’s) will go to battle with George Groves (19-1,15 KO’s) in an epic rematch.  These are the type of fights that create boxing fans for life! The moments that capture all the passion and emotion that makes the sport amazing! 

Two fighters that want nothing more than to impede the forward movement of the other… Embrace it… better yet, extract it to the world. 

After all of these tremendous fights, we save the best match-up for last.  

On June 7^th at Madison Square Garden in New York, two of the most prolific prizefighters in the world square off in a match-up sure to define the legacy of the victor. 

Sergio Martinez (51-2-2, 28 KO’s) vs. Miguel Cotto (38-4,31 KO’s) is a fight that defines what boxing is all about.  Two fighters who represent what it means to be dedicated to the sport.  The passion each fighter displays in the ring…  The challenge of chasing greatness…  The obstacle of moving up in weight to define a legacy…   It’s all here wrapped up in a 12 round package guaranteed to provide an immense amount of entertainment.  Consider this bout the first communion for newly founded fight fans…

Boxing is like religion.

We as fight fans need to understand and relish our responsibility of promoting the sport.  It’s our time to spread the good word about the sweet science and bring boxing back to where it should be… on top of the sporting world.  No other sport encompasses the passion… excitement… emotion and spontaneity of boxing. 

HBO and Showtime are not enough, just like church and the bible are not enough. 

In order for boxing to capture the mind, body and soul of sports fans around the world… we must be missionaries to the knowledge deprived.  Without us, boxing would cease to exist… and without them, boxing will never be where it once was, and more importantly, where it should be.