LOOKING back, the words of then-RFL chief executive Maurice Lindsay in a January 1996 interview about the switch to summer rugby with The Independent's Dave Hadfield seem eerily prophetic.

"You might find that when Super League starts, the Challenge Cup no longer assumes the overwhelming importance it does now," said Lindsay. How right he seems to have been proven to be.

Little wonder then that, just how our football-following counterparts fretting about the declining prestige of the FA Cup for many years now, it seems it has become an annual ritual for rugby league journos to dedicate many column inches to the future of the sport's knock-out competition.

Compare and contrast, and you will see recurring concerns in both – namely declining attendances and clubs fielding weakened teams. Meanwhile, tinkering with the format so the top Super League sides have to play far fewer games has proved controversial.

The perception is this is all a recent occurrence, although the much-loved cup has been in decline for a number of years and there are several reasons behind this.

In their book Soccernomics , Simon Kuper and Stefan Szymanski dedicated a whole chapter to why the FA Cup has come to be seen as what economists would describe as an 'inferior good' – essentially, something people want less of the richer they become.

There are many parallels which can be drawn here, starting with television. Indeed, for many years the only rugby league broadcast nationally was on the BBC's Grandstand – with output being reduced to cup matches and internationals in the 1980s following budget cuts.

It was not until the late-80s ITV started showing live league matches, although even that was only on a regional basis so it was no wonder the Challenge Cup – and to a lesser extent, the old Regal Trophy – were the 13-man code's main shop window to the viewing public.

Along came satellite broadcasting though and, in much the same way they did when they snatched exclusive rights to the Premier League, Sky Sports reinvigorated rugby league with its innovative broadcasting.

Especially since the advent of Super League, there are now several live games on television every week. Meanwhile, the cup seems to be slotted in wherever is available and the haphazard scheduling hardly helps its appeal.

Not only does it have a regularly televised rival in Super League, but its status was dealt an immediate blow during the switch to summer when it remained essentially a pre-season competition with its traditional May final, until moving to the August Bank Holiday weekend in 2015.

That arguably made the cup come to look like a relic of the past in a bold new era, along with allowing the Super League Grand Final to come to replace it as the sport's big day out at the end of the season.

Last weekend's quarter-final ties showed there is still life in the cup yet, particularly Wigan Warriors' thrilling 27-26 victory over Warrington Wolves, while more than 11,000 showed up for Hull FC's 32-24 triumph over Castleford Tigers. But it will take a great deal to restore its former glory.

THE worst-kept secret in the fight game was finally confirmed last week when it was announced boxer Floyd Mayweather Jr and mixed martial arts star Conor McGregor will step into the ring to settle their differences in August.

The gaudy lights of Las Vegas – where else? – will provide the backdrop for the boxing match in which the unbeaten Mayweather is widely expected to comfortably defeat a man who has never boxed as a professional.

Little wonder then the bookies have this down as a complete mismatch; Mayweather is as short as 9/1-on to win in some places and McGregor generally regarded as a 6/1 outsider.

And while both men – particularly in the case of Irishman McGregor – are arguably the biggest names in their respective disciplines, this really is little more than a freak show that does neither boxing or MMA any favours.

It should be no surprise that, in a world where money talks and you-know-what walks, this fight has been made though, with Mayweather and McGregor estimated to be pocketing $100m and $75m respectively.

It is probably not the most bizarre contest a boxer has been involved in though, most notoriously then-world heavyweight champion Muhammad Ali taking part in a fight against wrestler Antonio Inoki in 1976 which quickly descended into farce.

A botched set of hybrid rules did not help the spectacle, which Inoki resorting to laying on his back and kicking Ali for much of the 15-round contest which was scored as draw.

Then there were the even weirder exploits of 'Two Ton' Tony Galento, who once fought a 550lb bear as a stage attraction, along with wrestling an octopus and boxing a kangaroo as publicity stunts while promoting upcoming fights.

Ali is by far from the only boxer to dabble in taking on wrestlers either, with his former opponent Chuck Wepner once tangling with WWE Hall of Fame member Andre The Giant and losing by count-out after being thrown out of the ring.

That proved the inspiration for Sylvester Stallone to include a sequence in Rocky III, where Rocky Balboa fights a wrestler going by the name of Thunderlips, played by Hulk Hogan.

Actually, watching a rematch between Stallone and Hogan sounds more appealing than ponying up $100 for Mayweather-McGregor on pay-per-view – even with both being over 60.

IT WAS quite by accident I discovered ITV4 were broadcasting live coverage of this year's Le Mans 24 Hours after stumbling across the closing hours on Sunday morning.

Having been fortunate enough to have made the trip out to France for the race two years ago, I can honestly say there is no other sporting event I have been to which even comes close to it. So plenty of good memories were brought back from those few days at the Circuit de la Sarthe, with this year's on-track action serving up plenty of excitement for those there and watching at home.

Right up until an hour to go, it looked as if the race would be won by a privateer team from the secondary LMP2 class, only for them to be passed by the LMP1 Porsche driven by Brendon Hartley, Earl Bamber and Timo Bernhard.

The victory by the trio was even more amazing given their car had been running 57th overnight after losing a large amount of time in the pits due to mechanical issues.

Meanwhile, the GT Pro class battle went right down to the final laps before Aston Martin's Jonny Adam capitalised on an error by Chevrolet driver Jordan Taylor to nip through and snatch victory.

It will be a welcome surprise to see even half as much action when the lumbering Formula One circus trundles into Azerbaijan this weekend.