By John-Paul Wolfe
It is hard to imagine two fights more juxtaposed than Mayweather v. Pacquiao and Canelo v. Kirkland. The closest thing these fights had in common was their date, being separated by only a week’s time. For the majority of viewers “The Greatest Boxing Event of All Time” fell short of expectations, and the aftermath left little interest of future matchups for either combatant. Counter that with the 3 round slugfest and KO of the year candidate turned in by Canelo and Kirkland and we are reminded of the ‘jump off the couch and scream’ type of excitement that only pugilism can offer.
The most asked questions following the Mayweather-Pacquiao bout were ‘will there be a rematch?’ and ‘if so, would you buy it?’ The general tone of post-fight observers seemed to match the paced, calculated rhythm of the fight itself, and was equally lacking in emotion. Now contrast that with the frenzied anticipation of ‘what happens next?’ following Canelo’s masterful dissection of ultra-aggressive James Kirland and the future suddenly looks a little brighter for the sport often referred to as ‘dead’ or ‘dying’.
