Thatâs not hyperbole, but rather, a commonly held notion by many pugilistic aficionados, including Ultimate Fighting Championship president Dana White. The former South Boston resident turned mixed martial arts promoter has a long-standing love affair with boxing, and hopes that his new reality series, âThe Fighters,â will reinvigorate interest in the sport â especially among youth.

âI think that if you donât bring in the younger generation and get them interested in it, it will eventually die,â said White. âIf you look at the demographics for boxing right now, itâs older. I mean, itâs definitely older.â

The eight-part reality series, set in South Boston, debuts on the Discovery Channel Jan. 23 at 9 p.m., and, according to White, will showcase the heart and grit of the areaâs up and coming boxers. The UFC president also hopes that this show will succeed where previous boxing reality series, such as Sylvester Stalloneâs âThe Contender,â have failed.

âI think we did things different. I think we nailed this thing,â said White. âWeâre going to find out whether Iâm right or wrong on Thursday, but, I think that this is a character-driven show in a cool city.â

One of those characters is Southie boxing legend Peter Welch, whose gym on Dorchester Avenue will serve as the battle ground for the seriesâ fighters. For Welch, he hopes the show will showcase just how influential the sport is on the lives of those who dare to step into the ring.

âIt gives these kids a platform, a foundation, of who they are,â said Welch. âNeighborhood pride, honor, respect amongst their friends, their peers â who are the most important people in the world to them â and that just carries on. And this is what this show is about.â

Welch himself can attest to the transformative power the sweet science has on young lives.

âI wandered into a boxing gym at the advice of a local neighborhood beat cop, who witnessed me take a savage beating in the streets at nine years old,â said Welch. âHe told me, âYou got to get your ass up to Muny, kid. Learn how to box.â So, the rest is history and my love for boxing and fighting has grown ever since I was a nine-year-old boy.â

White and Welch, who began training together in the late â80s, also want to show viewers Bostonâs rich history in the sport. Both men believe the city will serve as the perfect backdrop for the series.

âTo start this thing in Boston was obviously personal for me because I love the city of Boston and everything about it, specifically South Boston where I lived,â said White. âBoston has that, you know, when you get inside, you listen to the accents and the guys and the way everything goes down, it just â it is boxing.â

To fully grasp just how much of an impact boxing has had on the city, Welch points to famed 1920s promoter Tex Rickard.

âLook back in the history books, Tex Rickard was the Dana White of his day,â said Welch. âHe built Madison Square Garden for boxing, the success of that drove him to Boston, where he built the Boston Garden for boxing. Thatâs what Boston Garden was originally built for. So that will tell you something about the landscape of boxing and what it was like back in the day.â

Like White, Welch hopes that âThe Fightersâ will bring back the sportâs former glory, at the very least, on a local level.

âI hope that it gives the fans, the viewers, some insight on neighborhood boxing in the state that itâs in," said Welch. âWeâve been doing this our whole lives, so, Iâm hoping that the people will get an understanding of the state that boxing is in and try to support us and help us to bring it back to a level thatâs dignifying.â

What do you think about the sport? What about the show? Will you watch? Share your opinions in the comments.