McDonnell v Hall - season's curtain raiser deserves more coverage

As a triple title fight looms for the domestic curtain raiser when domestic bosses Jamie McDonnell (17-2) and Stuart Hall (11-0-1) meet to confirm the home-shore's top bantamweight, once again the noble art has been largely ignored by the media.

Can you imagine the football season kicking off with two evenly matched opponents while the mainstream media sit back dismissing it as undeserving of coverage?

Mass money gives the obvious answer to that probe. Ever since its inception in 1992, Premier league football has continued its ascension to the number one priority for sports pages and bulletins, while in great contrast, boxing, with few exceptions, has been relegated to the media sidelines.

Widespread publicity is the essential ingredient for anyone to become a sporting household name but what factors should warrant or deserve it? Are talent and achievement enough?

The Doncaster clash could be a fight of the year contender as both men probably won't be taking a backward step in their bid to prove their supremacy. 25 year-old McDonnell, who has the edge in titles holding both the European and Commonwealth crowns, will start as a slight favourite on the back of an impressive run that has transformed him from a largely unknown quantity into one of the brightest fighters in Britain.

Doncaster-based McDonnell, a professional since September 2005, won the English title in 2007 but was unsuccessful in his first bid for a British trinket later that year, albeit at super-flyweight, where he came off second at the hands of a split decision. That set back was followed by another defeat in his next outing. But nine consecutive victories later, McDonnell is a testimony to the notion that a couple of reverses are not permanent damage to a career, even if the current TV trend suggests otherwise.

McDonnell first rose to wider prominence in 2010 after a somewhat controversial points win over the experienced Ian Napa handed him both the British and Commonwealth prizes. And although I thought he was fortunate to get the judges nod, he further proved he belonged in the Bantamweight premier league less than two months later.

Giving away home advantage, McDonnell stopped local rival Jerome Arnould in the 10th round to add the vacant European belt, and has since successfully defended it twice while also making a single defence of his Commonwealth belt. However, a disappointment for McDonnell is that he vacated the British title without even a single defence, and relinquished any possibility of winning the Lonsdale belt outright.

Ironically, the 31 year-old Hall also had his first ‘major’ moment against Ian Napa in 2010. ‘Stuey’ put on a relentless display in sweltering conditions which eventually saw Napa retire on his stool as Hall captured the vacant British title. Although only a professional since 2008, the Darlington-bred Hall has since made three successful defences, earning him a Lonsdale belt outright, but most notably has stopped his last four opponents. This suggests he has the vital edge in power.

While this bout probably won't even gain a paragraph in most national newspapers, it is a match in the vein of Kevin Mitchell v John Murray and James DeGale v George Groves, as the top two in their weight category clash. Sadly today, sports editors and producers are largely uninterested in bouts that lack hype or household names -  which does the sport a great disservice, particularly when two are this evenly matched.

The media adopt the attitude of 'what's in this for us?’ rather than relishing the prospect of becoming a key outlet for a prospective pugilist.

BBC Radio Five lives’ Sports Week and BBC Radio Four sports bulletins consistently shun professional boxing unless someone is already a household name, but, remarkably, find time and space for less popular sports. Amazingly, most British title fights don't, in their eyes, even warrant a thirty second mention or a two minute ringside report.

Shouldn't the media be collectively committed to finding someone or something new, rather than just resurfacing a renowned story long been told? The likes of Hall and McDonnell deserve an opportunity to see or hear their names mentioned outside of their niche markets.

Few (if any) British boxers rise to the financial status of a Wayne Rooney or John Terry. Even a small amount of national media interest may provide the stimulus to a few more vital pounds in sponsorship. And just think of the immense pride a reporter would feel knowing he actually broke a story.

Sports editors and producers alike - wake up and innovate, buck the trend, and give boxing a round.