You’ve got to love pro boxing, if only for the very reason that one of the sport’s major players has a worse hairdo than you.

And to paraphrase that icon-in-his-own mind, Don King, only in America can a real-life Rocky receive a shot at the heavyweight title, only to see it taken away by the powers that be.

I’m referring to the Evander Holyfield-Vaughn Bean heavyweight championship fight that took place last Saturday.

For a change, it was actually an evenly contested boxing match. Bean shocked a lot of people by going the full 12 rounds with Holyfield, but his dream of championship gold ended after Holyfield won a unanimous decision in his hometown of Atlanta, Georgia.

Holyfield came out strong, but then ended the fight sluggish and tired. It was obvious to see that the ‘Real Deal’ was not in great shape, as he has not competed for about 10 months.

His last fight, against Henry Akinwande, was cancelled after Akinwande tested positive for hepatitis-B.

Holyfield also absorbed a tremendous amount of punishment from his unheralded challenger. Personally, I think Holyfield thought he was fighting Mr. Bean.

Now, you can blame the lopsided decision on hometown advantage, or poor judging, but to me, it’s just another commentary on the sad state of boxing.

Boxing fans cannot turn their head for a moment, only to see the likes of Don King and the other grand promoters of this era telling us why we should watch their client’s latest fight.

These spin-meister extraordinaires can turn any average bout between two hard-working athletes into a fight that seemingly has the magnitude of an arms summit between two world powers.

I know that they’re trying hard to sell their sport to the fans, but if the fighters were better, would they have to work as hard as they do in dispersing their propaganda?

In years gone by, names like Rocky Marciano, Joe Louis, Sugar Ray Robinson, Marvin Hagler and Thomas Hearns headlined prize fights around the world.

These fights were highly competitive bouts of skill, endurance and strength.

Evenly matched opponents gave the fans their money’s worth and stories to tell their friends, neighbors and relatives.

Throughout the years, it seems as though the class of athletes in boxing has been dramatically altered, in particular in the heavyweight class.

Assured of a big pay day, the fighters seem to train less, talk more trash, and then give mediocre showings in the ring.

Of course, not every fighter today can match the skills of Roy Jones Jr. and Oscar De La Hoya, but then why aren’t the more talented fighters of the other weight classes getting the publicity they deserve?

As always, it comes down to money. Heavyweight title fights almost always bring in larger revenues compared to the other weight classes.

That is, unless someone named De La Hoya or Jones is headlining the card.

Ticket and pay-per-view prices for these fights continue to rise, and yet the die-hard fans of the sport continue to pay.

Is boxing so hard-pressed for big time fights that they have to financially induce 40 — maybe closer to 50 — something heavyweights George Foreman and Larry Holmes into the ring for a titanic battle?

I don’t know about you, but watching two guys with their shorts pulled halfway up their chests, hugging each other on the ropes 35 seconds into the fight and sucking so much wind that together they could be classified as a tropical storm is not my idea of top-flight entertainment.

Honestly, though, if you were in their shoes, would you turn down a fight like that when the payday could reach over five million dollars per fighter?

That’s not to say that I don’t have some respect for these guys. In their primes, they both beat the greatest of all time, Muhammad Ali.

And how many ex-heavyweight champions of the world can say that they had their own sitcom? (remember George ? I do.)

The trend of promising action-packed fights and delivering nothing but disappointment has existed for the past decade or so.

It must end soon before the sport is down for the count forever.