Boxing Crossroads

Holyfield was the sacrificial lamb for most boxing die-hards - though I honestly thought and bet that Holyfield would win going into the fight - but he wasn't necessarily that to the public.

The good/evil aspect was played up in the media and everywhere else and people wanted to buy into Holyfield.

Regarding the superstars to build the next ones, DLH was sorta used like that in the case of Mayweather. To a lesser extent, I think Gatti was used in the same way for Mayweather...who took less money in that fight specifically because he wasn't a pay per view attraction at that point.

Mayweather has reached pretty lofty star status at this point - though not on the level of some before him - but wherever his status is he wouldn't have gotten there without guys like Gatti, DLH and Hatton to bring in their own crowds...but once they did and Mayweather got a taste of that money he's supposedly had enough.

So now it's in HBO's interest for DLH to try to do the same for Cotto...but as much as I like Cotto, I have questions as to whether Cotto can pass that DLH test like Mayweather did (who barely passed it himself), and how much of DLH's coattails will remain with Cotto afterward (should he beat DLH).

But DLH is the name to build other names and to his credit he's played his part.

Heck, he even lent his name to Hopkins in a division he had no business being in.