Can Andre Ward Excite Boxing's Bored To Death Fans?

Let's face it, this hasn't been a thrilling year so far

So yeah, there hasn't been much boxing since before last Christmas. That's right, Christmas. It's almost Easter. Showtime supposedly has some good things lined up for the spring. Who knows if the network will lose interest in boxing again after that, though. At this point, the smart money would probably be on fans being denied regular broadcasts from summer through the late fall.

Not to get too bleak here, but it is what it is. I keep learning of boxing fans leaning towards MMA these days. Honestly, I doubt boxing's power players care. Again, it is what it is. So long as boxing's overlords have fans that will pay, they'll just keep squeezing that orange, the very picture of indifference.

Is there a bright spot in all of this? Well, there's ALWAYS a bright spot. It's why we keep tuning in. At this point, though, it's worth wondering just how bright that bright spot can be...and when the hell it will shine. The next few weeks don't look promising, but perhaps something promising will come from them.

This weekend we've got Andre Ward and Sullivan Barrera. The week after that we MIGHT have Adrien Broner and Ashley Theophane, provided Broner's legal problems don't prevent the fight from happening. The week after that we've got Manny-Tim, part three. I know, I know, it's beyond sad. Still, frowns can be turned upside down in the blink of an eye.

Call me crazy, but I have a feeling Ward may impress this Saturday. Seriously. I just have a feeling he'll make a statement and put Barrera away. The only thing more surprising than that might be to see Barrera win. That's unlikely, though. Ward is simply too talented.

Back to Ward, should he impress it would get fans, wait for it, EXCITED. For a big throwdown with Sergey Kovalev would then become a MAJOR throwdown. The biggest thing that plagues fans at the moment is that there's nothing to anticipate. While MMA nuts have UFC 200 to look forward to, boxing nust get to look forward to Canelo-GGG marinating some more (I get the feeling the marination process has just started).

Truth be told, however, I've always found Ward-Kovalev more interesting than Canelo-GGG anyway. Canelo is a star. Ward is a great fighter. And therein lies the difference. Let's hope Mr. Ward - or maybe even Mr. Barrera - heats things up for this slumbering fan base. It's been way too long.

Vasyl Lomachenko Makes The Fight World Take Notice

Loma has everyone's attention

First things first - I cannot tell a lie. The truth is that I'm not entirely sold on Vasyl Lomachenko yet as a fighter. Oh, he's good. Make no mistake about it, the guy has talent and a pedigree to burn. Is he great, though? The truth is he hasn't had nearly enough fights to qualify as being anything even close to great at this point.

In order for the man to earn the credit some are already giving him, he's got to take on solid opponents. Nicolas Walters, of course, is just such an opponent. A fight between the two men is something that I and a lot of other fight fans would love to see. And here's where it's time to give Loma props:

He wants the fight to happen, too.

Word on the net, however, is that Walters is asking for too much money for the fight to happen. In other words, the guy - rightly or not - may be pricing himself out. Loma, though, has presented a solution of sorts. He's offered, on Twitter of all places, to give Walters 300 thousand dollars should Walters beat him. There's a name for that sort of thing my friends...

...it's called balls.

And balls is what boxing desperately needs right now. While guys like Canelo are making public utterances about catchweights, MMA athletes like Conor McGregor are fighting bigger men on just a few weeks notice - and without hesitation. In other words, boxing's looking bad my friends. Loma deserves some credit for bringing some much needed electricity to the sport right now when it's really required.

Then again, could this all be a ploy on the part of Loma? Are we singing the praises of a trickster here?

After all, one could rightfully ask whether or not Loma could have quietly offered a cut in his own pay so that Walters would get extra money regardless of whether he won or lost. Would it be fair of anyone to make such demands of Loma, though? Honestly, I don't know. I don't want to fall for a publicity stunt, but I also don't want to demand fighter pay cuts, either.

What I do know is that the man's shaken things up a bit during a very quiet time for the sport.

Why Quality Should Come First In Boxing

Cherry picking excites no one

So the other night a strange thing happened - I found myself watching a UFC match. Boxing had just had a pretty good night for itself, it was late, and I wasn't ready for bed (my wife was finishing up a movie), so I decided to check out McGregor-Diaz. And guess what? It was really entertaining. Sure, it was a bit sloppy for my sophisticated boxing taste (I'm so high end, don't ya know?) , but - hey - it was exiting as hell.

To my point - McGregor, the darling of the media - got beaten down by the far less heralded Diaz. It was nice to see since, from my largely objective viewpoint, McGregor is the kind of white, mouthy fighter the UFC has been building up lately for an adoring media. My suspicions were somewhat confirmed later in the weekend when I saw a clip of Diaz on camera saying that McGregor had pretty much gotten special treatment from the UFC.

The takeaway - MMA, which one would think from listening to people is the savior of combat sports,  is a lot like boxing in some regards. Yet there's another takeaway here, one that differentiates MMA - or at least the UFC - from boxing: popular MMA fighters like McGregor, whether they receive favored treatment or not, challenge themselves. McGregor supposedly moved up in weight for this fight, what's more, he fights all the time. Could the same be said of Canelo Alvarez?

Keep in mind that these words are being written by a boxing writer, not an MMA writer. Not only that, they're being written by someone who doesn't even want to write about MMA unless it pertains to boxing. In short, they're coming from a boxing fan, not an MMA fan. Yet the truth is the truth, and
the truth is this:

Marketing trumps sportsmanship when it comes to boxing.

And that's not a good thing.

I just read this morning that Billy Joe Saunders is about to face an opponent no one's heard of. He could have faced Gennady Golovkin for tons of money. Billy Joe knows, however, where more steady income can be found. The same may go for Canelo, who, let's face it, seems to want, at the very least, to cash in some more before facing Golovkin in the ring.

This sort of thing hurts the sport, my friends. Sure, McGregor, despite his boasting, won't be earning what Canelo will, but there's something unseemly about easy - or, rather, easier - money. At least that's true when it comes to professional athletes.

Look, boxing is neither dead nor dying. It's not in a great place, though. The modern world, with it's current technology, makes cherry picking harder and harder to do. What's more, the technology is only going to improve, so market based sporting careers are only going to continue to take heat.

And that, frankly, is the good part about all this.

If Only Adrien Broner Boxed Like He Talks

It's hard to imagine Broner playing to packed houses at the rate he's going

So I was watching Conor McGregor today step up to face his last minute opponent (I'm not really an MMA fan, so I don't know what the guy's name was) and I was once again struck by how bold the Irishman is. While it's true I think McGregor comes across like a Euro Mayweather, there's no doubt the guy brings energy into a room.

Again, I'm no MMA fan, but I know who McGregor is and the attention he's getting. Truth be told, McGregor had better be half as good as he's being hyped as or he's in some trouble. Ronda Rousey is a case in point. Then again, so is boxing's own Adrien Broner.

Ah, Broner.

Remember how just over two short years ago he was the next Mayweather? The pound for pound kingpin? The very future of the sport? Yeah, it's becoming hazy for all of us. Thing is, it's kind of too bad Broner didn't live up to expectations.

Had he been all he was hyped up to be, boxing might be in a more exciting place than it is right now. Seriously, we're at a point where fans are jumping up and down over two guys who aren't even the best of their respective weight realm (yes, I'm talking Frampton and Quigg).

Of course, there's still a chance Broner can prove himself, but people are rightfully starting to have their doubts. Perhaps he'll never live up to his potential. Or perhaps he already has. One thing is certain, however. Had Broner boxed like he talked, fans of the sweet science might well have been spared the psychological hibernation they now find themselves in. It's all too bad, really.

Oh well, at least there's Tyson Fury to take up the mantle of pound for pound loudmouth.