In With The New...

It's easy to get caught in nostalgia, to look back at the great fighters and the great fights of decades past. Nostalgia means name value, which is why we still see Hector Camacho and Evander Holyfield and an assortment of long past-their-prime fighters still step in the ring (or why we see Buster Douglas in what might be the worst amateur commercial contest entry ever).

That, and they need money.

We will never be completely out with the old. But we are in with the new.

Thomas Gerbasi of BoxingScene.com talks to prospect Demetrius Andrade and the disappointing 2010 he had just two years after turning pro out of the Olympics:

Still unbeaten as a pro, still on most pundits’ Top Prospects lists, Andrade nonetheless only fought three times last year against pedestrian opposition and ate some backlash from fans and those in the media, including ESPN commentator Teddy Atlas.

Yet the 22-year old from Providence, Rhode Island took everything in stride.

“I just basically keep it moving, keep focused, and I try not to pay too much attention to it,” said Andrade, who chuckled when asked if this is what he signed up for when he became a professional boxer.

“Not at all. I didn’t expect a lot of things outside of boxing to happen. It’s crazy.”

For a taste, just look at Andrade’s social media output. Usually used just as a marketing tool, his webpage and Twitter account provided a glimpse into what he was going through.

Twitter - May 24 - My fight was cancelled last week due to my opponents arrest. My next fight is scheduled for June 18 at Northern Quest Casino in Spokane, WA.

Twitter - June 21 - My June 18 fight at Northern Quest Casino was cancelled, due to my opponents medical condition. Check my tweets for info on my next fight!

Webpage – September 23 - “I want to say to my family, friends, and fans that I've been reading things online regarding my father and myself. I'd like to set the record straight by saying, he's still my dad and he will always be in my corner. It is to my father’s credit that I am, where I am, today. My father is still a key person in my life and will always be.”

Add in a new baby, and it’s kind of amazing that Andrade was able to fight at all, but he did, he kept his “0” and now it’s on to what he hopes will be a better 2011.

There is a new television series centered around boxing called "Lights Out." Michael Woods, writing for ESPN.com, sets the premise of the show:

The pilot was screened on Wednesday night at the Hudson Theater on West 44th St., and 13 episodes are in the can. The FX production crew rounded up a slice of the boxing Hall of Fame to drum up hype for the series, which stars Holt McCallany, who some might remember played Teddy Atlas in the 1995 TV movie "Tyson." He looks plausible playing ex-heavyweight champ Patrick "Lights" Leary, who takes a fierce pounding in his final bout and is convinced by his wife to exit the savage milieu. Money woes compel him to go against his better judgement, and take a collection gig offered by a gangster.

Threatened with a doctor's warning that he might show effects from brain damage soon, the New Jersey resident Leary also contemplates a return to the ring, with a purse of $10 million dangled in front of him, as his wife Theresa (Catherine McCormack) and three daughters pray he doesn't lace 'em up again. Stacy Keach also seems at ease in this swirl of violence, tenderness and crises of identity, understandable considering one of his signature roles was that of descending pug Tully in the 1972 film "Fat City."

And there is a new slate of fights to look forward to. Here's a great schedule of the opening months of 2011, put together by Dan Rafael of ESPN.com.