Boxing knocks out other sports this fall

I know for the next month, everyone will be talking about playoff baseball.
Also this fall, NFL and college football will rule headlines, with both the NBA and college basketball sprinkled in come November.

But this week, I can’t help but turn my attention to a sport that receives very little respect and notoriety – boxing.

As a true boxing fan, I’m constantly staying up on who’s who in the sport and all of the fights.

I know that this can be hard to do because I’ll be the first to admit boxing is a crooked sport. I’ve witnessed fighters who have dominated a fight, only to lose because of a couple of inept judges.

Another obvious problem is the lack of organization within boxing.

There are so many “alphabet” belts and titles that it’s almost impossible to keep up with who is the champion of whatever division.

But negatives aside, if you’re a fight fan at all, this season is tailor-made for you. HBO, Showtime and ESPN will be airing almost all of the top fighters.

Some are legends attempting to cement a spot in the sport by going out on top while others are continuing a rise to stardom.

Showtime will kick off the action on Saturday with light-heavyweight titleholder Antonio Tarver squaring off against undefeated rising star Chad Dawson. A win for Dawson will earn him the big money fights he’s been waiting for.

On Oct. 18, HBO will show the best American boxer today. Youngstown, Ohio’s own Kelly Pavlik will compete against boxing legend Bernard Hopkins.

Then on Nov. 8 on HBO, one of the greatest fighters of all time, Roy Jones Jr., will step into the ring to fight the world super-middleweight champion Joe Calzaghe. This fight will rock Madison Square Garden and is a must see.

Keep your TV tuned in to HBO the following weekend for a showdown between the popular Jermain Taylor and the 24-1 Jeff Lacy, an important bout that likely will dictate the remainder of both fighters’ careers.

Another highlight: Paul Williams against Antonio Margarito. HBO will also pit Manchester, England’s beloved Ricky Hatton against challenger Paulie Malignaggi,
But those fail in comparison to Oscar De La Hoya versus current pound-for-pound king, Manny Pacquiao. It is expected to be De La Hoya’s final fight. Catch the fight on HBO on Dec. 6 and contribute to the $100 million this fight is sure to gross.

While you may think boxing is full of you-know-what, I urge you to give it a try. Big, exciting fights are promised and important titles are on the line. Pay Per View will be booming and missing a second of the action could be a colossal mistake for sports fans.

Just in case you’re not sure these fights will live up to their hype, take a look back at the Margarito versus Miguel Cotto fight this past July.

After Floyd Mayweather Jr.’s retirement, it was one of the most-anticipated fights in boxing history. A boxing rivalry featuring Mexico’s and Puerto Rico’s best fighters, it more than exceeded expectations. Underdog Margarito KO’d Puerto Rico’s boxing prince.

So have faith in boxing. It’s not likely to disappoint for the rest of the year.