TYSON Fury’s audition to take over the role of Batman may have left the Bolton-based boxer looking like a bit of joke, rather than a Joker.

But his eccentric attempt to grab a few extra column inches ahead of his world title fight with Wladimir Klitschko was just another example of the sorry state of boxing, which seems to be veering further into the realms of entertainment.

The sight of a cape-clad Fury rolling around with the Joker while Klitschko looked on with a quizzical expression was more akin to the build-up to an American wrestling bout.

I know they say all publicity is good publicity, and it is not uncommon for boxers to court attention in the run-up to a big fight to stoke the pay-per-view numbers or terrestrial TV ratings, but it is becoming hackneyed.

The sight of boxers squaring up at the weigh-in, exchanging insults and punches at press conferences or, in David Haye’s case, sporting a T-shirt with him holding the severed heads of the Klitschko brothers, is all a little depressing.

The real fights, which pit the best two boxers in any given division, are not taking place unless they come with an intriguing angle that can guarantee a sell-out crowd or television audience.

It shouldn’t be that way.

Anyone who loves boxing does not want to see a circus, they want to see a contest.

The fates of another two Bolton-based boxers, Anthony Crolla and Scott Quigg, are a good case in point.

What has happened to Crolla, through no fault of his own, has made him a bigger draw that Gloves stablemate Quigg.

Crolla already had a sizeable fanbase in Manchester before suffering terrible injuries after taking on a burglar.

The news story sparked interest in the Moston fighter and after he made a full recovery guaranteed him headline billing at the Manchester Arena for his title shot against Darleys Perez.

Add a debatable refereeing decision, which denied him what looked a rightful victory, and now tickets to the rematch are selling like hotcakes.

All the while, Quigg is kicking his heels, waiting for an opponent.

The Bury-born WBC super-bantamweight champion has done enough to warrant a fight against the best in his division, whether that is Dubliner Carl Frampton or someone further up the pay chain.

Yet he is reliant on promoters and business managers making the right contacts and coming up with the right figures to get the fights he deserves.

Quigg is not a natural showman, he is just a world class boxer who wants to win belts. He has no juicy back story, just a lot of respect within the sport.

For boxing to be taken seriously the different governing bodies have to come together as one professionally run organisation to sort this out.

There should be one world belt for every weight division, with one champion, who is forced to fight the number one challenger every year on a given date at a pre-determined venue.

Leading up to that, the top 10 challengers should be made to compete in qualification bouts for the right to a world-title shot.

It may be wishful thinking, but the careers of serious young men like Quigg surely have to be taken out of the hands of the businessmen.