Dying sport can be blamed on lack of boxing greats still in ring

Saturday night, there was a heavyweight title bout, and no one cared. Well, no, I shouldn't say that. I'm sure a couple people cared. Like the fighter's parents and all the people Don King pays to care. But that is about it.\nOK, well maybe I'm overstating things a little bit, but the fact is that boxing has seen better days. While in truth the golden age of boxing has been long gone, it would be better if things could even return to how they were during the late 1980s early 1990s when Mike Tyson was still known more for his ferocious punches and not his out-of-ring antics and penchant for nibbling on ears.\nMost experts would agree the best time for boxing was during Muhammad Ali's time, which professionally spanned from 1960 until 1981, when he officially retired. Ali was an athlete and an entertainer, but it's hard to tell which one he was better at. When he wasn't busy destroying opponents in the ring, from Joe Frazier to George Foreman, he was offering up clever anecdotes, belittling whomever he was training to fight. Yet, ever since his retirement, boxing has been left looking for someone to take over Ali's place at the top.\nDuring the late 1980s, it looked like Tyson might take the crown. He certainly could fight well enough to dominate the heavyweight division. But he didn't have the personality that Ali did. Sure, it would be hard for anyone to measure up to Ali -- he was unique -- but Tyson never seemed comfortable in the spotlight and in the end didn't handle all the attention very well. Now he is left fighting second-rate fighters in other countries, as he is not even allowed a license to box here in the United States. As for any other options for the top spot -- well, there aren't really any. Evander Holyfield is old and should retire, Lennox Lewis doesn't have much of a personality to electrify potential fans, and Hasim Rahman, the former holder of two of the titles, might just be a one-fight wonder as was demonstrated by Lewis knocking him out in the fourth round in the title fight.\nLewis now holds two of the titles in his possession, with John Ruiz holding the other one. Eventually the titles might be united, but the next fight for Lewis looks to be Tyson, which would prevent unifying the titles for some time. Yet, this isn't even the problem. The storylines in boxing these days just aren't as interesting, and none of the fighters creates interest in the fan base that could be there. \nAnyone who might have an interest has a few choices to turn to that are worthy of their interest. There is Roy Jones, but it has been a long time since he has fought a worthy opponent that presented a challenge. Oscar De La Hoya provides a good combination of skill and personality, but he has suffered some difficulty in fights lately as well as injuries, leaving his status a little up in the air. \nRight now there are a few options for people who have an interest. There are few good fighters out there, and it seems as if athletes are more inclined not to go into boxing. The best bet for the few boxing fans out there is to turn into ESPN Classic and catch footage of old Ali fights or just watch "Rocky." Now there was a man who could box.