By Dar Mead
The heavyweight unification bout between WBA champ David Haye of Great Britain, and Ukrainian IBF, IBO, WBO champion Wladimir Klitschko is almost here, this is the biggest fight in boxing and the most important heavyweight fight in many years.
The interest for this fight in America is somewhat dismal, mainly because of the lack of interest in the heavyweight division and also the two champions rarely fight on U.S. soil. When a fighter fights mainly in the United States like Floyd Mayweather Jr. and Manny Pacquiao, they will generate a larger fanbase and name recognition, as opposed to someone strictly fighting over seas like Klitschko and Haye. Internationally this heavyweight unification bout between David Haye and Wladimir Klitschko is going to generate hundreds of millions in revenue and will be broadcast on Radio and TV in over 100 countries, making this the biggest boxing event of 2011.
The Manny Pacquiao vs. Floyd Mayweather superfight may never happen, but we get the next best fight with the two best heavyweight champions of recent years fighting against each other. For a long time boxing has been carried by the heavyweight division, but for the past several years the division has lost its excitement, with no American heavyweights, and most contenders looking out of shape, Americans have lost interest. The lighter weights always shined when the heavyweight division was still the premier division, now the welterweights like Floyd Mayweather and Manny Pacquiao are keeping the sport alive and generating heavyweight numbers on pay-per-view. But what’s missing in boxing is the heavyweight division, all of the other weight classes are oozing with talent, just not the heavyweights. It doesn’t help when the majority of heavyweight contenders look more like they are entering a 12-week weight loss challenge rather than a prize fight.
On Saturday night, it’s either a hit or miss, it could be a dud or blockbuster fight, but the interest is there, and with David Haye promising to deliver an exciting fight and Klitschko genuinely pissed off by Haye’s antics, it has the makings of a great one. Even if it doesn’t live up to the expectations, at least the two best guys in their division are fighting each other, and we’ll have some clarity in the heavyweight division with the winner unifying the titles.
I highly suggest American fight fans tune into HBO on Saturday, July 2, 2011 at 4:45 PM ET/1:45 PM PT to watch Haye vs. Klitschko the biggest heavyweight title bout in years.
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