While there is certainly room for both boxing and Mixed Martial Arts in the combat sports arena, the two will always be put under the microscope alongside each other, supporters and detractors on both sides ready to voice their opinions.

Over the last year, one of the biggest story lines involving the two has been the emergence of MMA - primarily the UFC - into the mainstream and the perceived decline of boxing. No - this isn't going to be another in the long line of "My Sport is Better" soapbox jobs that have popped up in the last year, singing the praises of one while ignoring the merit and value of the other.

That said, the recent developments in the potential superfight between the two best fighters of the last decade - undefeated Floyd "Money" Mayweather and multi-divisional champion Manny "Pacman" Pacquiao - certainly serve as a great opportunity to examine the relationship between the two moving forward.

Originally scheduled to take place March 13, 2010, the highly-anticipated clash ran into a roadblock this week when two camps failed to agree on a testing procedure to use leading up to the bout, prompting promoter Bob Arum to declare the bout dead.

With the amount of money the various sides stand to make from a fight of this magnitude, there is a snowball's chance in hell that this is the last we'll hear of this bout. Negotiations will continue, potential solutions will be tabled, and these two great champions will eventually stand opposite each other under the bright lights.

But will it be too late? To a certain extent, this is the only fight boxing fans care about, and with negotiations at a standstill and the UFC leading the Mixed Martial Arts invasion across the globe, the long-standing King of Combat Sports might finally be forced to relinquish the throne.

While serious boxing fans can rattle off the names of champions across various weight classes and organizations, the sport simply does not have the same big name draws as it once had. Most people couldn't name five top heavyweights, unless "those Russian brothers and that giant dude who beat Holyfield last year" counts as three-fifths of a correct answer.

Though boxing is certainly not dead, when new fans are looking for their combat sports fix, more and more of them are turning to the world of Mixed Martial Arts than are looking to "The Sweet Science."

Fans have been craving a Mayweather - Pacquiao fight for years, and the calls for the two to get into the ring together only grew louder following Mayweather's 12-round textbook beating of Juan Manuel Marquez in September.

These are the two remaining megastars of the sport and the one fight that everyone - serious fans and casual observers alike - still want to see. Failing to deliver only opens the door for someone else to fill the void, and you can bet Dana White will be ready to oblige.

Following boxing was something not unlike being a fan of a specific hockey team is for many here in my home and native land - you cheered for the team your father cheered for, as his father did before him and your son will once he's born and you immediately dress him in Toronto Maple Leafs or Montreal Canadiens footsy pajamas.

Once the sport shifted from Saturday afternoons on ABC to the pay-per-view model in place now, fans slowly started slipping away. As the number of stars declined and the level of corruption - real or...