As the decade of 2010 began, I realized that boxing and the fights I watched had changed for me, especially on HBO. I still tuned in to watch a bout from time to time, but my favorites had disappeared. Lennox Lewis was gone, as were Oscar De La Hoya, Evander Holyfield and George Foreman. While I enjoyed seeing Miguel Cotto in the ring, it wasn’t the same anymore. I became a boxing fan in earnest in 1979, and the sport had changed dramatically over the span of 30 years. Closed circuit had been replaced by pay-per-view, and the USA network of coverage, which was great, ended in 1998 as well. ESPN still carried boxing, but there weren’t any bouts to get excited about. HBO, the leader in broadcasting fights, had nothing good left to me either.
I had a huge VHS tape collection of fights I had taped over the years, and I simply stopped taping bouts by 2005. The Klitschko brothers ruled the heavyweights, but they were both from Ukraine, and just didn’t have enough charisma between the both of them to carry a dying sport to me. To me personally, the glory days of boxing were behind me, and I found myself more and more frequently watching bouts from the past on my VCR and DVD player.
When my beloved mother died in July of 2012, it was a blow to my heart that took years to recover from. We were extremely close, and for a good 2 or 3 year period, I could have cared less about boxing. I was simply trying to survive emotionally the best I can, in what was the most difficult period of my life, bar none.
As my depression cleared, a red headed Mexican named Canelo Alvarez started to get my attention. Each time he stepped into the ring, I tuned in, and for the first time in forever, I had a new favorite to root for. He is still my favorite active boxer by far, and I have the t-shirts and caps I wear to prove it.
HBO officially stopped it’s coverage of boxing on December 8, 2018, after 45 years of impeccable coverage of professional boxing. It was very emotional for me to watch Roy Jones Jr., Max Kellerman and Jim Lampley make heartfelt speeches to close the show. HBO was simply the best, and no one would or could ever cover boxing like them. I spent countless hours watching their live broadcasts, and taped fights as well, and the enjoyment it brought to me, simply cannot be measured. As my favorite fighter Canelo Alvarez says “No Boxing. No Life”. Those are my sentiments exactly, and as a boxing fan for 40 plus years, it has been a constant friend. That continues today as I write about ‘Old-Time’ boxing in my blog daily, and talk about it on my daily podcast on Spotify as well.
Thank you to all that read my blog, because I appreciate it from the bottom of my heart. My goal is to get paid for this folks, and with God’s help, I will. No man is an island until himself, so again thanks for reading, and I hope to entertain you for many years to come. God bless you for your time.
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