Another slap in face for pugilism

Boxing is desperately in need of a hero. However, all it got at the weekend was being pushed against the ropes, slapped, spat upon and bloodied.

Not since "Iron Bite" Tyson decided to chow down on Evander Holyfield's ears in 1997 has the once noble sport sunk to such depths, well - in the heavyweight class at least.

On Friday, British challenger Dereck Chisora got the circus of the bizarre rolling by slapping WBC heavyweight champion Vitali Klitschko during the weigh-in for their title fight in Munich.

Pre-fight on Saturday, as the Ukrainian champ was being introduced to his adopted home crowd, Chisora walked over to Vitali's heavyweight champion brother, Wladimir, and spat in his face.

Then a beaten Chisora played his third vile card of the weekend at the post-fight press conference where he turned on fellow British heavyweight David Haye, who was acting as a guest commentator at the event. Punches were thrown and blood spilt as the media scrambled. Ultimately, Chisora and his trainer were arrested.

If this is what boxing has become now, heaven help us.

Sure, there's always the potential pound-for-pound championship showdown between Manny Pacquiao and Floyd Mayweather on the burner (lol forgive my mirth). But those two ring greats and their handlers have danced around each other like Thunderbird marionettes with a few strings cut for so long now that even if that mega-fight does come off they will both be past their prime; and if they do eventually get to exchange physical instead of verbal shots, what comes after that?

The sport needs heavyweights to do the heavy lifting if it is ever to get among the elite of games people play again, but Klitschko Inc dominates that division and the brothers will never fight each other thanks to a promise they made to their mommy many moons ago.

Toss in the fact that they are both about as interesting as dishwater outside the ring and you see a sport in a terminal spiral.

It's not their fault that they are good fighters in an era of few worthy challengers or that they don't have the gift of the gab or personality of the man all boxers are measured against, Muhammad Ali.

They both showed the utmost class and restraint during Chisora's three-ring circus in Germany, but boxing needs more than that now - a whole lot more.

It needs a heavyweight rivalry the Klitschkos can't deliver or a transcendent fighter like the young Tyson to lift it from its malaise.

Sadly, I don't see one coming any time soon and the sport just looks to be waiting for a knockout punch.

Tym Glaser is a senior sports copy editor who believes the last great heavyweight fight was Vitali Klitschko vs Lennox Lewis in 2003. He can be contacted at tymothyg@hotmail.com