Down for the count?

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Boxing makes its return to Madison Square Garden in New York tomorrow with two heavyweight fights that could draw as many as 12,000 fans. A week later, there's a Don King-promoted show in Atlantic City featuring seven world champions in five title bouts; it's nearly sold out.

Still, promoter Lou DiBella remains worried about the health of his sport.

DiBella, the former boxing boss at HBO, sounded an alarm recently when he called for a "summit" of promoters to figure out ways to save boxing.

"We've got to fix this sport," DiBella declared. "If we do nothing, we're dead."

And there is evidence the sport needs help.

• ESPN recently decided to stop paying rights fees to promoters for its "Friday Night Fights."

• The top heavyweight fight on pay-per-view this year drew 600,000 buys, a huge drop from bouts in recent years that drew more than 1 million.

• The heavyweight division -- the sport's driving force -- has lost or is losing its stars, and there are no compelling fighters on the horizon.

• There were few major fights in 2003 that captured the attention of the public.