Floyd Mayweather holds his championship belt after defeating Robert Guerrero Saturday night. He remains by far boxing's biggest draw in the U.S. (Photo: Jayne Kamin-Oncea, USA TODAY Sports) LAS VEGAS — Welterweight king Floyd Mayweather Jr. remains undefeated and unbowed after he hopelessly outclassed another would-be challenger to his boxing throne. After the 147-pound king cruised past challenger Robert Guerrero during the weekend, Mayweather reiterated his intention to quit the business within 30 months. While no one was surprised, that confirmation deprives the sport of its singular bona fide major pay-per-view television attraction. Boxing always has thrived on talented, charismatic fighters with drawing power. Wobbled for decades, boxing continues to fight for its financial life as one of America's oldest traditional sports. Lack of substantial sponsor support by major U.S. corporations continues to create headwinds for the industry. Television networks find it difficult to attract major sponsors. So do promoters, although Golden Boy Promotions CEO Richard Schaefer said the involvement of O'Reilly Auto Parts, Valvoline, AT&T and Corona Extra in the MGM-hosted Mayweather-Guerrero promotion demonstrated the sport's economic viability. Nonetheless, "Boxing is not growing in the United States," Top Rank Chairman Bob Arum, citing research by Scarborough Sports Marketing, told USA TODAY Sports on Sunday. "Boxing still exceeds mixed martial arts and wrestling, as far as the fan base. But if you look closer, those figures are distorted by the fact that, overwhelmingly, Hispanics favor boxing, as do African-Americans. "The leaders of industry view it from the (perspective) that there is diminished interest in the white community for boxing. That permeates everything. "Look at the people who run corporations. What is their most important function? Job preservation. They don't want to innovate; they don't want to take chances." But signs exist that the worst might be over for the industry, particularly on an international basis, where there is growth, most notably in Asia. "Boxing is in better position now than 10 years ago when it had its own recession," said light-heavyweight champion Bernard Hopkins, a minority partner in Golden Boy Promotions. Boxer Saul "Canelo" Alvarez during his 154-pound title unification bout agaisnt Austin Trout on April 20. Alvarez won by unanimous decision, and wants to fight Floyd Maywather next. (Photo: Eric Gay, AP) "But when will we get the next superstar?" asked Hopkins, who, at 48, became the oldest world title-belt holder in history in March. "Maybe there's one around the corner. But so far nobody has proven to bring in the (pay-per-view TV sales) that Floyd has." Unbeaten contender Saul "El Canelo" Alvarez, 22, a potential opponent for Mayweather in September, might be that guy one day. So, too, could be Adrien Broner, the 23-year-old undefeated lightweight. Asked if he would one day graduate into becoming a pay-per-view headliner, the Cincinnati native replied: "Of course I will. I've got it all. I'm entertaining." That was a couple of hours before he launched into an obscenity-laced description of Mayweather's victory during a post-fight news conference. Meanwhile, the biggest potential blockbuster fight — Mayweather vs. Manny Pacquiao — probably never will be consummated. Pacquiao, the aging Filipino superstar now fading after back-to-back defeats, suffered a frightening face-plant when he was knocked out with one punch by Juan Manuel Marquez last December. To complicate matters, Mayweather said Pacquiao would need to cut out Arum as "middle man." ANOTHER VICTORY: Mayweather cruises past Guerrero Meanwhile, the heavyweight division — once the sport's unquestionable bellwether — remains marginalized. Does any general-interest sports fan know one heavyweight champion Klitschko brother from the other despite the Ukrainian brothers' combined 105-5 record? Or that Wladimir successfully defended his title in Germany last weekend? "There just aren't any good heavyweights," said former heavyweight champion Evander Holyfield. "You have the small guys but, in America, pretty much all we have is Mayweather." Perhaps even worse, the often-discussed "cold war" between Top Rank and Golden Boy Promotions further diminishes the number and quality of matchups. Meanwhile, the competitive field among combat sports— namely, boxing vs. mixed-martial arts — continues even though their audiences are quite divergent. As Hopkins observed, "They kicked our ass early on — and guess what? It woke the sleeping giant. "Now, (boxing) has a pulse after being in intensive care for a stint," he said. "We weren't sure we would come out of the coma. People were ready to pull the plug on boxing. But we're alive." Indeed Forbes' list of the highest-paid athletes in the world last year had four boxers, including No. 1 (Mayweather, $85 million) and No. 2 (Pacquiao, $62 million). Other boxers on the list were Wladimir Klitschko ($28M) and Miguel Cotto ($19M). Only Mayweather was born in the U.S. Globally, boxing is anything but banished to a neutral corner. From audience and sponsor perspectives, the sport remains immensely popular in other corners of the world, including Spanish-speaking countries, Europe and Canada. A promising developing market is China. In April, Arum promoted his first fight card in China when two-time Olympic gold medalist Zou Shiming, a 31-year-old flyweight, made his pro debut at the Venetian Resort in Macau. The fight was broadcast to millions. Top Rank will feature Zou Shiming, the most-decorated amateur boxer in Chinese history, on a July 27 card in Macau. Arum, who plans to soon announce the signing of an Olympic medalist from Japan, said he will do more shows in China, the Philippines and Singapore in 2013. Story Highlights
