There was a time in American boxing history when Saturday’s fight at Madison Square Garden, between Teofimo Lopez and Shakur Stevenson, would have been a very big deal.
In the Eighties and Nineties, a succession of great American fighters dominated the sport, filled arenas, made millions of dollars and were popular; those glory days for the American business are long gone. The appeal and worth of both American boxers and the boxing business stateside have been diluted – by the arrival and dominance of fighters from the Eastern Bloc and, during the last three years, the opening of Saudi Arabia’s deep chest of gold.
