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Skimming the surface
No court of law dictates public opinion.
The Holyfield vs. Lewis affair seemed to have set off a cursed domino effect of dissapointment and bad publicity. The De La Hoya vs. Trinidad bout had redemption written all over it, but failed miserably. In retrospect, expectations were too high, and the narrow shoulders of the welterweights couldn't carry the overwhelming burden of correcting a heavyweight mess. This past weekend Prince Naseem Hamed defeated Cesar Soto in an ugly, uninspiring exhibition of octopus clinches and body slams. Mike Tyson reaffirmed all on a full mooned Saturday night.
On the surface things aren't good.
Beneath the surface, however, lies the true heart of boxing. Don't be fooled by the beautiful woman with the heart of stone. The guy in the Porsche whose wealth masks his loneliness. If you look beyond the surface you'll see a sport that's thriving, breathing, alive. The perfect example of this can also be extracted from what may have been perceived as a failed weekend of boxing. The undercards of the Hamed and Tyson bouts both featured potential "fights of the year". Wayne McCullough and Erik Morales did everything that Soto and Hamed didn't. Roberto Garcia and Diego Corrales put it all on the line with a stirring performance that featured jarring punches, good ring generalship, and a splash of drama.
Is a Mike Tyson fight really the barometer with which we should measure the state of the sport?
Boxing, unfortunately is considered a marginal sport by many. Most wouldn't spend the time to watch two unknowns fight their hearts out. And so they merely skim the surface. Sports like Football and Hockey have a great advantage. Fans religiously watch such sports throughout the season. Then, when a big game flops, it's no big deal. I've seen many Super Bowls that have had the sedative effect of a NeoCitron and double whisky. The Stanley Cup final is often the worst series in the playoffs. Fans, however, have done their homework, and they know that the state of the sport shouldn't be determined by one game or series.
Everyone knows that Mike Tyson is shot as a fighter. He will not suddenly find his 20 year old form. Why then was the Tyson fight Showtime's highest ranked program for 1999? Because the majority of us are superficial creatures. We fall for the hype, the movie stars and casino's. We can't see past the flash. It takes a little bit of effort to realize that that ordinary looking girl beside you is the woman of your dreams. We're not programmed that way.
So, boxing will continue to be judged by those who merely skip a few stones on the surface of a great body of water. If your one of them, you should be looking towards Lewis vs. Holyfield II, the place where all the trouble seemed to begin in the first place.
If your among the enlightened, you may have already found the woman of your dreams.
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