In his new blog, commentator Adam Smith looks forward to another fantastic year.
I hope you all had a wonderful Christmas and are ready for what should be an exciting and compelling boxing year. I'll be writing a weekly blog previewing our Friday Fight Nights, looking at what's happening in the boxing world and unearthing rumours of events which may be in the melting pot.
Last year was a thrilling one which moved our sport back into the spotlight. It was rip-roaring stuff with the mega attraction of Ricky Hatton's brave bid to dethrone surely the finest fighter of our times in Floyd Mayweather.
On top of that there were the stories of Joe Calzaghe's super-middleweight domination and David Haye's cruiserweight triumph. Junior Witter, Enzo Maccarinelli, Clinton Woods and now Gavin Rees are world champions, while Amir Khan continues to impress.
Colin Lynes and Ian Napa had remarkable turnarounds and were guests on our table at the prestigious Boxing Writers' awards.
Neither gets much column space, but both have come through hard times in and out of the ring to prevail.
Frankie Gavin and Joe Murray, meanwhile, really rocked the amateurs.
Competitive
Let's hope 2008 is a big year. Haye-Maccarinelli's been made; Calzaghe in America against Bernard Hopkins looks on, and Ricky Hatton will be back. Junior Witter fights Demetrius Hopkins in the States and it's a crucial time for Carl Froch, Alex Arthur and Jamie Moore.
Keep an eye, too, on Darren Barker, Rendall Munroe and Craig Watson as well as strong southern hope Akaash Bhatia, emerging north-east fighter Paul Truscott and Scotland's Paul Appleby.
In Britain and the States more and more superb matches are being made. In 2007 the Americans gave us Oscar De La Hoya-Mayweather, Miguel Cotto-Shane Mosley, Marco Antonio Barrera-Juan Manuel Marquez, Israel Vazquez-Rafael Marquez and Manny Pacquiao- Barrera.
Established stars like Cotto shone even brighter and an unlikely star was born in Ohio's Kelly Pavlik, who brought much needed excitement back to the middleweight division.
Now it's time for the heavyweights to be cleaned up - wouldn't it be amazing if Matt Skelton were to take Ruslan Chagaev's world title.
What's making boxing so appealing is that the fights the fans want are happening. The wide and confusing range of world championship belts doesn't seem as important as great, competitive clashes.
Here, though, the Lonsdale Belt does matter. Just look at the commitment and passion shown in losing performances by Dave Stewart and Francis Jones, and at how Chris Edwards would not be denied a well-earned Christmas present.
In the coming weeks we have fabulous domestic action with a run of intriguing re-matches. Tony Oakey fights Peter Haymer, Kevin Anderson tackles Kevin McIntyre and on Friday Esham Pickering meets Sean Hughes again.
Dedicated
I've known Esham since he was a young lad on Brendan Ingle's Sheffield conveyor belt. Always polite, he kept himself away from the hoopla that surrounded Naseem Hamed, Ryan Rhodes and Johnny Nelson. Quietly grafting away in the corners of the Wincobank gym, it was obvious Esham had speed, skills and plenty of talent. I have long had enormous respect for him.
Having got useful early experience against Jonjo Irwin, he was thrown to the wolves in an audacious bid for the world bantamweight tile against the hard-hitting Panamanian Mauricio Martinez. Horribly weight-drained, and struggling to walk when I bumped into him in the hotel the night before, Pickering was knocked cold in just 72 seconds.
But what the Ingles have been brilliant at is nursing and rediscovering fighters. Pickering slowly and carefully rebuilt, and it was wonderful to see him notch up firstly Commonwealth, then British and European titles in his rightful super-bantamweight division.
Esham has always been dedicated. I remember speaking to him over the festive period one year and he was avoiding any tempting nights out. He enjoyed a deserved reign as European Champion and things were looking rather rosy until he threw away an awesome start to lose that thriller with Michael Hunter.
Now into the 12th year of his professional career, Esham could be starting to unwind: he's lost three of his last seven; he split with the Ingles to team up with old amateur friend Carl Greaves; a few holes are beginning to appear in the defence, and Pickering seems a touch slower these days.
In November, he made a total hash of an eight-rounder with Pontefract's unheralded southpaw Sean Hughes. It was a terrible performance by Newark's Pickering, who was out-smarted and out-fough by an honest, but average performer.
Hughes, while always competitive and gritty, had been stopped at featherweight by Stephen Foster jnr, in his sole British title tilt at super-bantamweight by Michael Hunter, by Bernard Dunne and - albeit controversially - by Billy Corcoran.
Questions
This Friday Fight Night conjures up many questions. How much has Pickering left? Was his last outing a one-off down to - as he claims - personal problems? Is he too skilled and experienced for Hughes at Championship level? Will Hughes maintain his quality over 12 rounds - a distance he's never completed before? Does he hit hard enough to halt Pickering? Or, being six years younger, will Hughes simply be too fresh and ambitious?
So what happens now? Pickering should beat Hughes - he's a 1/2 favourite - but it's got the team split. Pickering will surely win if he's on top form. But he may very well not be the fighter he once was, and if Hughes gets into a rhythm there could be problems.
Boxing's all about levels and timing. Pickering should be a level above Hughes, but the timing might be right for the amiable 25-year-old warehouse worker. Either way, it's a good fight to kick off 2008.
Extravaganza
Now to the rumour mill. Ricky Hatton's currently relaxing out on safari, and quad biking in the African jungle. Expect him back in a British ring for a huge homecoming towards the end of May. But it won't be against Gavin Rees, who has been turned down as his next opponent.
I'm hearing that Miguel Cotto may meet 'The Contender' favourite Alfonso Gomez in April, with Antonio Margarito against Zab Judah on the same card. That would, presumably, be the prelude to a summer showdown between Cotto and Margarito. Judah, though, is too good a fighter not to have a say in those plans.
Jeff Lacy and Antonio Tarver look set for an all Floridian meeting. And will Oscar De La Hoya have his annual extravaganza at the start of May? Word is that it could be a re-match with Mayweather.
On the British scene, a clash of exciting, unbeaten hopefuls John Fewkes and John Murray could be on, and Gary Woolcombe must fight old favourite Ryan Rhodes.
Finally, Mike Tyson apparently wants to come back and take on Evander Holyfield. Debts, debts and more debts. Shame. Lennox Lewis made the right decision to retire and refuse tempting offers to return.
The next 12 months will surely bring new heroes and new villains, and we wait for more incredible stories in this most magnetic of sports.
