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Home Boxing GO EAST, NOT-SO-YOUNG MAN
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GO EAST, NOT-SO-YOUNG MAN

 

usa-boxing-fanThe United States boxing fan has seen the writing on the wall for some time, in so much that the future of boxing would not be confined to our borders.  It never really has been.  It just seemed that way during the cold war, when the two meccas for the fight game were well within our borders.  Madison Square Garden from the 30's through the 70's was THE place for big fights.  In the 80's and 90's, that had shifted to the Las Vegas strip.  However, as early as 1990, when the Soviet Union fell, boxing was becoming a more international sport.  The former soviet bloc nations were ill equipped to hold big fights, however, so the talent pool was the only thing that had broadened at first.  Indeed, the big fights that took place in the 1970's in other countries (Zaire, Phillipines, Venezuela, Jamaica, Malaysia, etc.), came from US promoters, and with shopped out American heavyweight talent.  That trend began to reverse at the turn of the millennium.  

Floyd Mayweather hangs on as a rare born-and-bred American talent, and while many may be figuring out how to grow the next Floyd, promoters have already moved on.  The emergence of Manny Pacquiao took the boxing world and the financial world by surprise.  The Klitschkos dominating heavyweight boxing is seen largely as a negative to American fight fans, due to their often unscintillating styles, and foreign citizenship.  This is said, even though both brothers clearly have charisma and personality.  Pacquiao is not a great interview, says nothing groundbreaking in press conferences, and while he comes from a proud boxing country, the Phillipines was not a market that historically translated to US dollars.  

PacMan made it strictly on his amazing abilities, his winning smile, and excitement that comes with his attempts to branch out to the worlds of entertainment and politics, while still being an active boxer.  The Pacquiao era is coming to an end, but what was learned about the Asian market will not go to waste.  Even American Brian Viloria has been able to defend his titles in his blood-line home country more frequently that in his native USA.  In much the same way promoters and sanctioning bodies are opening up the Middle East after the successes of Prince Nassem Hamed and now Amir Khan in drawing power, the Far East is making more stars.  The Beijing Olympics made every sport a priority for medal-ing in China.  When they had success in boxing, suddenly a country that had never had much interest, became a major player.  When amateurs grow up, there is only one place left to go: professional.

Top Rank leads the charge, although credit must be given to Don King.  He was opening up Asia many years ago, but it could never be said he was entirely doing it right.  Passing off Bert Cooper and an aging Mike Weaver as a Heavyweight title fight was no way to open up China.  It never really took off, and after a few cards, the China experiment did not continue.  However, fighters who have traveled to Japan and China have always commented how well one is treated over there.  It could be a 12-1 club-fighter against a 17-7 journeyman for a low-level belt, and the celebrity big fight treatment usually comes with it.  When Macau first opened up, this is the type of match-up they were treated to.  Even recently, Macau hosted Chauncey Welliver vs. Sherman Williams.  The future did not look bright.  

However, with the signing of recent gold medalists Zou Shiming of China, and Ryoto Murata of Japan, the home grown talent also has an east meets west flair.  These men do not need to choose between leaving their homeland, having a US promoter, and building their international fan base slowly, or staying at home to win belts, hoping the rest of the world notices... which we usually don't.  They will have both.  These men will turn pro with the US promoter, and the Asian fan base already intact.  Macau is the new Vegas.  Tokyo has always been a boxing player, and with the IBF finally making their belts available to the Japanese fighters, it will expand further.  Singapore is likely getting into the mix.  Japan is even attempting to make it's own heavyweight stars!  

The USA will still be a right of passage for international boxing champions, despite what those being hidden in Germany for big dollars may lead you to believe, but don't be surprised is the reverse begins to happen.  That would be fighters born and bred here, becoming bigger stars abroad.  Viloria is one example, and even one of his former victims, Giovanni Segura, found Mexico more accommodating to his championship reign than the country that raised him.  That can be chalked up to ethnic pride, however.  With Macau, there will be an international fan base, waiting to adopt their own foreign boxing stars, in much the same way we have here.  Germany has already done so, adopting many Eastern European and Middle Eastern fighters as their own.  Our dollars are not the only things being more appreciated in other countries these days.

Chris Strait
www.convictedartist.com

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