1. The Boxers
At the AussieBox website, our industrious webmaster Annie has compiled a page with the current world ratings of the four major sanctioning bodies highlighting those Australians currently appearing. I have been following the sport for over twenty years and I must say that I cannot remember a time when Australia was so well represented. From Daniel Rowsell at cruiserweight to Paul Briggs and Paul Murdoch at light heavyweight. Anthony Mundine, Danny Green and Nader Hamdan at super middleweight and Sam Soliman at middleweight. Shannan Taylor at super welterweight, Kostya Tszyu and Lovemore Ndou at super lightweight. Robbie Peden and Gairy St.Clair at super featherweight, Tommy Browne at featherweight, Nedal Hussein at super bantamweight, Nathan Sting at bantamweight, Hussein Hussein and Vic Darchinyan at flyweight.

Add to this other un-ranked talent such as Ben Cruz, Daniel Dawson, Jason Delisle, Sakio Bika, Ercument Aslan and Naoufel Ben Rabah and it is easy to see that Australian boxing is very healthy. While the world class talent of the two is important, the Anthony Mundine-Danny Green rivalry has crossed over to main stream media and helped the sport gain further exposure. Paul Briggs is one fight (hopefully this time!) away from a world title shot and will now train in the USA on the West Coast under new trainer Jack Mosley. Robbie Peden, who has fought almost exclusively in the USA and never in Australia is now the IBF No.1 and will get his shot at the super featherweight world title some time this year. Nedal Hussein is the WBC No.1 and is awaiting his own chance and while he has been out of the ring since January 2003, don’t write Kostya Tszyu off just yet. His back to back Achilles tendon and shoulder injuries have kept him sidelined, but his goals remain the same. Finish his career with a bang!

2. The Fans
Without the fans, we would have no sport and its pleasing to see the loyalty Australian boxing fans have shown through years of highs and more lows. The Internet has been a blessing to the sport, which must have benefited on a global scale as much as any other from the on-line revolution. There are thousands of local boxing fans on-line and the information available to them is simply overwhelming. While there are a number of leading international websites such as FightNews.com, BoxingTalk.net, SecondsOut.com and MaxBoxing.com to choose from, a number of local boxing sites such as AussieBox.com.au, WorldofBoxing.com.au and AussieBoxing.latest-info.com have popped up to serve the needs of Aussie fans. Their well populated on-line forums have become an important meeting place for fans to exchange their loves and hates about the sport, as well as picking up the latest rumours and gossip. Quite often I have seen forum threads where live reports are posted for fans who can’t get to the fights or don’t have access to them on television. Kostya Tszyu’s website forum at KostyaTszyu.com has even started live chats where the fans can log on at prearranged times and have their questions answered by the undisputed champion himself and the biggest local names in the sport.

3. The Promoters
There is not a lot of money to be made in boxing. People have to remember that it is not a main stream sport and there are few people in this country who can afford to make a living off it full time. Most of the Australian boxers work jobs to supplement their income. The same can be said for many of the promoters, managers and trainers. But without them, the sport would cease to be. You need boxers to fight, but without promoters to put on the shows, the stage where they perform, boxing would cease to be. We are lucky that there are people who love the sport and are willing to take the risk of putting boxing shows together. We must remember that there are no revenue guarantees. The promoter lives and dies by the paying fans he can bring in each night and the sponsorship he is able to secure. Anyone who thinks that promoters in this country are making thousands upon thousands of dollars each show are sadly mistaken. Many of them do it to provide opportunities for their boxers and all because they love the sport. Men like Jeff Fenech, Angelo Hyder, Stuart Duncan, Tony Caradonna, Murray Thomson and Jamie Myer keep the sport afloat. Music industry maestro Glenn Wheatley is a welcome addition to the ranks. They receive their fare share of criticism, but it is not easy and the promoters work hard for every dollar they earn.

Don’t get me wrong, everything is not perfect. There are plenty of things I would like to see done better (that’s another story). But let’s just be thankful for what we have. Main stream media outlets are giving more and more space to boxing in print and on television. Journalists such as Grantlee Kieza (Daily Telegraph), Adrian Warren (AAP), Daniel Lane (Ch.10) and Robert Grasso & John Baldock (SBS Sport) keep pushing the boxing angles. While every fan would like to see more, Fox Sports gives local fans live cards and delayed international bouts every month, while Main Event Television is the temple to which local boxing fans worship, with their live monthly cards from the USA.

Just think about it. The way the NRL and AFL have been going of late with a number of off the field scandals, boxing is sailing along pretty nicely. Tell your friends and get the word out, it’s cool to be an Australian boxing fan again.