One, two! One, two! This basic combo is similar to a baby learning how to walk, it is the basic’s of developing a boxer. This is an art, rather than two individuals trying to cause the most damage to each other. A boxer’s training regimen requires a lot of dedication and commitment. People train their whole life and sacrifice everything just to make it out of the amateurs. Boxing is not the same as it was back in the days of Muhammad Ali and Mike Tyson. Back then, boxing was a common sport to talk about like basketball or baseball. Today, the hype has certainly died down as the rivalries and action disappeared. What happened to the Ali vs. Frazier rivalries in boxing? These guys were fighting in their prime, unlike Floyd Mayweather who waited until the end of his career to fight Manny Pacquiao. Imagine if these two have fought in their prime, boxing would have taken off and we possibly could have had one of the best rivalries in sports history. Instead the world watched Mayweather run around the ring with Pacquiao, to make an insane amount of money. Ridiculous. This is why I enjoy watching fighters who are up and coming because they have to fight at a different level in order to make a name for themselves. This doesn’t discredit Mayweather, as he did fight his way to the top; however, I am disappointed that we did not get more nail-biting fights out of him as he got older. Professional fighters Andre Ward and Danny Garcia are fighters who have the potential to bring life to the sport of boxing once again.
Andre Ward (29-0) has all the characteristics of a great fighter. He is a hard-hitting, patient, orthodox boxer who has not lost since the age of 13. Recently, Ward fought the main event on HBO against Sullivan Barrera. This fight was his debut into the Light Heavyweight, as he usually fights at the Middleweight level. Ward holds multiple titles at the Middleweight level and is now ready to prove he can dominate the Light Heavyweight division. In the fight against Barrera, Ward had total control, as Barrera could not manage to land any hits. Ward’s defense was phenomenal. Throughout the fight his defense would transition into offense that usually shook the cranium of Barrera. Ward won the fight by unanimous decision. Ward is now on track to take on boxing’s unified Lightweight titleholder, Sergey Kovalev, this fall on PPV HBO. This will be one of the most anticipated fights this year as it can go both ways for both fighters. Ward has the heart to compete, however, Kovalev is one of the hardest hitters in boxing today and if he manages to land one hit on Ward, he may turn off his lights.
Philly’s own Danny Garcia is making a name for himself too. The current North Philadelphia star is 32-0 and currently holds the Welterweight title. Before fighting in the Welterweight division he fought in the Light Welterweight division. His last fight was against Robert Guerrero, in which he won by unanimous decision. It was an extremely close fight as Garcia won 116-112. Garcia’s combination of punches were precise and showed he has the talent to compete with the best of the Welterweights. I would love to see Danny Garcia take on Timothy Bradley. Bradley is one of the top boxers in the Welterweight division after Pacquiao, his rival. Bradley will be taking on Pacquiao for a third time in April. However, Bradley should take on Garcia, as I can see it being an amazing fight.
There are plenty of fighters that are thirsty for the opportunity to fight on the big stage. I am looking forward to the next few months, as HBO will be hosting several fights. Hopefully the boxing world takes a turn for the best.