Sports By Garth McLennan, Sports Editor Basins was once known as “the noble sport.” It was called “the sport of champions.” The world heavyweight championship was known throughout the world as the most revered of all titles. Now, boxing is in shambles. No way around it. Do you know who the world’s current heavyweight champ is? That’s a trick question, as there’s now, like, four heavyweight champions. So, what can be done to repair boxing? I’ve come up with a few things boxing could do to get itself back on its feet. 1) Take some fights off Pay-per- view Probably boxing’s biggest problem right now is that all of the major fights are on pay-per-view for $50. I guess that was okay when you had the superstars like Tyson, Holyfield, Bowe, and Lewis, but those guys are gone now. Most people won’t plunk down $50 on the credit card to watch what may not be a good fight. Also, because all of the worthwhile fights are on pay-per-view, all that we get to see on regular cable are the ham-and-eggers. I’d rather watch ESPN Classics and watch some of the greats. In order to rebuild its fan base, boxing needs to put some big fights back on regular TV. 2) Unify the boxing councils Another huge problem is that there are far too many different boxing councils. The IBF, WBO, WBC, and 16 How to repair “For years boxing has been infamous for corruption.” WBAall have their own weight divisions and champions. Each has approximately 17 weight divisions (I know, 17, but I'll get to that later) so right there, that’s 68 different champions. 68! No one knows who the champions are any more. It’s next to impossible to determine the real heavyweight champion, because there are four champs! Plus, it’s almost impossible to develop real rivalries between fighters. It’s also extremely difficult to know not just the champions, but also the contenders. Because of the many councils, boxing’s talent pool is diluted. The superstars have no problem with the bums they face. Bringing the separate boxing councils together would institute a following; it would ascertain who the best fighters really are. 3) Streamline the weight divisions In the major boxing councils, there are 17 separate weightdivisions. These include everything from heavyweight to ‘strawweight’. Almost all of these divisions are separated by three or four pounds. Now, the boxing councils say that this division is needed to make the fights fair, but is it really going to make a difference if you are fighting a guy three pounds heavier than you? I don’t think so. Now, to a certain degree, weight class separation is a good thing, but having 17 weight classes is going overboard. There should be heavyweight (200 lbs+), cruiserweight (170- 200 Ibs), welterweight (150-170 Ibs), and lightweight (150 Ibs and under). Honestly, do you really care who the noble sport” the IBF Junior flyweight champion is? Streamlining the weight classes would really put the champions in the public eye. People would actually know and care who all of the different fighters are. 4) Bring back the flow In boxing today, many bouts are snooze-fests. You often have to remind yourself not to reach for the clicker during round after boring round. Many rounds drone on, with lockups lasting more than the actual fighting. Sometimes a fighter will land a few good combinations, but they are few and far between. Another problem with flow is that the good fighters hardly ever fight. The paycheques are so huge, a champion will have one bout and then not fight for another year. That needs to change. 5) End the corruption For years boxing has been infamous for being plagued by corruption. But I guess when you have guys like Don King running the show, that’s bound to happen. Champions often face guys who are nowhere near the top of the standings, or else they got there by being placed there. In some cases, such as Bob Arum, fighters have been told that they have to pay to move up the standings. Don King in particular is notorious for getting his fighters title shots, whether they deserve it or not. He’s also been linked to several fight-fixing scandals. If boxing does away with the guy who’s been convicted of killing two people they will get their respectability and credibility back.