It is July 18 and Amir Khan has just won his first world title on his own doorstep at the MEN Arena.
It is the dawn of a new era for British boxing - the coming of age of a national hero, who first captured the public's imagination as a charismatic 17-year-old when winning Olympic silver in 2004.
But something's not right with this picture.
While Khan celebrates in the ring and the world's media prepare to hail him Britain's next great hope, the pockets of empty seats around the arena tell another story.
Fast forward to Saturday night and the roof is virtually blown off an MEN Arena packed to its 20,000 capacity as the considerably less well known Michael Bisping floors Denis Kang in two rounds to the delight of the baying crowd.
Clitheroe's adopted Mancunian Bisping is not a household name - yet. But he, and a sport that was once dismissed as "human cockfighting" by US presidential candidate John McCain, are clearly striking a chord with the latest generation of fight fans.
The rise of UFC - the Ultimate Fighting Championship - has not gone unnoticed by boxing's bigwigs, who fear it will one day establish itself as the world's number one combat sport.
"It is all action, proper fighting," said Ricky Hatton recently. "They are going the right away about it to get people interested.
"There is a concern in boxing that UFC is taking its place. People seem to get more value for money."
Cacophony
It may still be some time before UFC usurps boxing - and for the purists it never will. But sitting ringside on Saturday, with a cacophony of noise ringing in your ears, it was hard not to think of this as the future.
At once terrifying, exhilarating and intriguing, it is pure car crash entertainment - like being parachuted into a post-apocalyptic world of lawlessness. For the soundbite, video-game-playing, reality star, Twitter-obsessed generation, it is pitch perfect. A cross between Strictly Come Dancing, Street Wars, When Pets go Bad and the WWE.
Critics would describe it as the embodiment of everything that is wrong with modern culture - while others would say it is the natural step forward.
Whatever your opinion, few could argue that it is an example of genius marketing - the likes of which boxing is already looking to emulate.
Its logical that MMA will become the most watched combat sport eventually.
Horses were a fantastic mode of transport for centuries with no complaints - it didnt mean that something a lot better wouldnt eventually come along and make it almost obselete, even if there were reservations to begin with.
I guarantee you the Khan fight did way bigger numbers on TV though. Live attendance is not the true measure of how popular a sport is.
Plus, UFC is still quite a novelty in the UFC. Hell, when the NFL goes to the UK they can put up to 40 000 people in the stands for exhibition games. Does that mean the NFL is more popular than the UFC in England too?
That's a pretty terrible article actually, still stuck in the "sport or spectacle?" mentality that should have been resolved years ago. The UK press is off the pace when it comes to MMA.
There is a genuine product here. A brutal spectacle that barely gives you chance to catch your breath, it is like stumbling across the most vicious of Friday night street brawls. Its pace - fought over three, five-minute rounds - all but eliminates the bore-fests that can occur in boxing - and the massive TV screens make it impossible to miss any action.
True, it lacks the grace, art and discipline of boxing - but you would have struggled to find anyone at the MEN Arena complaining about that.
Like it or not, a generation increasingly desensitised by violence, wants to see combat in its rawest form - and this is the place to get it.
Underground News - Nottingham's "Outlaw" Dan Hardy is a truly terrifying individual, while Bisping cuts a more charismatic figure. But both clearly tap into the public's imagination in a way Khan appears not to.
LOL@the "terrifying" educated and middle class Dan Hardy. Maybe if you saw him moving into the semi-detached next door carrying a drum kit
billy914 - That's a pretty terrible article actually, still stuck in the "sport or spectacle?" mentality that should have been resolved years ago. The UK press is off the pace when it comes to MMA.
MMA is just getting started. There is the usual process to get the press educated. I thought the reported was impressed.
Yeah, the tone of the article is positive, certainly. I suppose when you're used to reading MMA websites you forget the mainstream media still has a different perception, but overall the article is defo a good thing.
billy914 - That's a pretty terrible article actually, still stuck in the "sport or spectacle?" mentality that should have been resolved years ago. The UK press is off the pace when it comes to MMA.
Check this out for how Randy Couture believed the difference in American and UK press was:
I thought what you said would be true but apparently not.
billy914 - That's a pretty terrible article actually, still stuck in the "sport or spectacle?" mentality that should have been resolved years ago. The UK press is off the pace when it comes to MMA.
MMA is just getting started. There is the usual process to get the press educated. I thought the reported was impressed.
I didn't like the tone at all to be honest, it recognised the brutal appeal that the sport holds to much of the audience but paints the sport as a constant onslought of violence. Curious because the main event was an extremely slow paced match.
It shouldn't be hard to use journalists that actually have some interest in the intricacies of the sport and are willing to report it as a sporting event instead of gladatorial spectacle. You could say that their ignorance is reflective of general public but that doesn't cut it with the UFC being as established as it is. Journalists should know their subject matter.
"Check this out for how Randy Couture believed the difference in American and UK press was:
I thought what you said would be true but apparently not"
That's interesting. Its certainly possible the US press has a less developed opinion of the sport than I presumed to be the case. A few UK press sources do try to cover the sport properly(The Telegraph for example) but they are few and far between.
It is the kind of article you would have read in the US press about ten years ago. MMA still has a long way to go to become mainstream in the UK, most people have vaguely heard of 'cage fighting' some have heard of the UFC but no-one knows what the fuck you are talking about if you mention mma.
Hopefully the UK fighters having some success will increase interest in the sport over here.
The reason Khan doesn't pull in the crowds is people think He's an annoying little cunt, He's been acting like the new king of british boxing while being distinctly unimpressive
Almost 1 million people bought David Haye/Valuev in the UK. Taken as a % of the total population those numbers would translate to about 5 million buys in the States.
MMA in the UK has a long, long way to go before it even nearly begins to rival boxing.