It’s a great time to be a fight fan.

This reality was driven home recently when Las Vegas saw two massive upsets in the Ultimate Fighting Championship, the biggest mixed martial arts organisation in the world.

Elsewhere, boxing’s heavyweights have kicked into life and a slew of fighters in lower weight divisions are looking to replace Floyd Mayweather as the sport’s main man.

Claims that boxing is dead, a common refrain every few years, are more than a little exaggerated.

In America, Al Haymon’s Premier Boxing Champions promotions have shaken up the boxing game and in Europe record crowds are packing out cities in Germany and Britain.

Former champion Tommy Oosthuizen may have blown his chances, having recently spent a weekend in jail on an attempted murder charge and been turfed out by his promoter, but there are half a dozen outstanding prospects ready to take his place in South Africa.

UFC had long enjoyed Conor McGregor’s larger-than-life persona. He was the poster boy for MMA and came closer than anyone to transcending the sport thanks to his charisma and fighting style. The trash-talking Irishman is a fierce competitor and was on a formidable winning streak, but his decision to jump up two divisions was a brutal mistake which he paid for heavily. He was crushed in three rounds by Nate Diaz, a workaday pro who was just doing his job.

The suggestion that McGregor is an overblown hype job has some validity, but the fight itself and the frenzied aftermath painted the sport in a vibrant light. New York still has a ban on UFC in the state, but the rampart will soon come down.

Last week’s excitement was elevated by the defeat of Holly Holm by Miesha Tate, who choked her out to the point of unconsciousness. Holm herself had been lauded a few months ago after ripping off Ronda Rousey’s cloak of invincibility. That’s a hype job if you’ve ever seen one, but America adores its homegrown heroes and the narrative played well until Holm punctured it with a savage knockout.

We never knew it at the time, but [pullquote align=”left” cite=”” link=”” color=”” class=”” size=””]Tyson Fury’s defeat of boredom merchant Wladimir Klitschko last year was the best thing that could have happened to the heavyweights[/pullquote]

Tyson Fury’s defeat of boredom merchant Wladimir Klitschko last year was the best thing that could have happened to the heavyweights

Fury’s vulnerability ironically adds to his appeal. Big punchers like Deontay Wilder, Alexander Povetkin and even Anthony Joshua, the Olympic champion, would fancy their chances, but they would have to negotiate their way past his long arms and 2,06m frame.

Post-Fury versus Klitschko we’ve seen a number of excellent heavyweight fights. The buzz is emphatically back.

The muscle-bound Wilder’s one-shot power gives him a shot against anyone, although his skills are rudimentary and he’s likely to be exposed before long. The coming man is Joshua, who boasts a perfect 15 knockout wins in as many fights, but hulking Luis Ortiz of Cuba, who fights like an American, and even Joe Parker, the fast-handed prospect from New Zealand, are threatening to win one of the many belts on offer.

If heavyweights aren’t your thing, the lighter divisions are packed with outstanding talents, three of whom hail from Eastern Europe. The region used to produce robotic, one-dimensional fighters, but exposure in North America has changed this. Gennady Golovkin is the best puncher in world boxing, a vicious banger who rules at middleweight.

Russia’s Sergey Kovalev holds the light-heavyweight crown, doing so through a mixture of deadly-sharp punching and crippling power. He’s as bad as they come.

For pure boxing ability, there’s none better than former two-time Olympic champion Vasyl Lomachenko of Ukraine. The featherweight has only fought pro five times, but his skills are world class and his technical ability is remarkable. He’s become must-see TV.

Others who rank in the mythical pound-for-pound top 10 include Kell Brook of England and the unbeaten Americans Terence Crawford and Keith Thurman. Between the three they have 89 wins and no losses.

So much for the imaginary void left by Mayweather. For all of his excellence, he never got pulses racing and was no knockout artist. Fans looking for power and excitement are well served by the new wave who bring it hard and heavy.

Long may it last. – © Sunday Tribune