Is This the Worst It's Ever Been for Boxing?

[Samson3000]

I know the popularity factor has fallen off huge the past years, especially the past 5 years, but this seems to be an all time low. I can't remember a period where there's really no mega fight on the horizon in the next few months. Mosley-Vargas II doesn't strike me as very exciting, since they're both past their bests. I just have a bad feeling that it won't get much better. More athletes seem to be going in other sports at young ages.

[babyboNe]

boxing is fine...only the heavyweight division sucks real bad...the featherweight division is in a golden era...in welterweights lightweights have stiff competitions as well...two great fighters are fighting over the middleweight throne...(winky and j.t) and we never know whats going to happen in the lightheavyweight...first roy gets knock out...then comes bhop to take over the division...

as for coming fights that aren't happening well you can thank that to floyd for not being more like winky and pac...winky and pac just flat out come and fight anybody...we never hear pac talking about how much he should get for a fights...

boxing is fine...its just that more and more boxer rather be businessmans as well then just being BOXERS FIGHTERS...

[Taeth]

The is great fighting going on below lightheavy weight, but boxing definitely isn't the sport it was, and I blame PPV and King for that... in trying to make more money boxing has cut off a large portion of its watching group just because people have to pay 50$ to watch a fight when it costs like 30$ a month for satellite or cable and having 10-12 football(american or otherwise), and everything else watched on t.v.

[mucho testosterone]

The is great fighting going on below lightheavy weight, but boxing definitely isn't the sport it was, and I blame PPV and King for that... in trying to make more money boxing has cut off a large portion of its watching group just because people have to pay 50$ to watch a fight when it costs like 30$ a month for satellite or cable and having 10-12 football(american or otherwise), and everything else watched on t.v.

These guys are hanging themselves with MMA out there as an alternative. That A hole King needs to put up unification bouts now.

[Jody Lane]

Considering I can pull oup 3 year old posts and people fill 2 more pages with comments, yeah it's bad and boring right now for us die hard fans.

[killersheep]

I've only really been a boxing fan for about a year now, but I have become addicted!!

I watch MMA, but I can't get as involved as I can with boxing. People complain about PPV and King
but there are lots of good fights on ESPN, ESPN2, FOX and SKY. Every sport has it's corruption, don't
get me wrong ALL sports have corruption.

I have been actively recruiting people into watching fights with me, talking about them and what not
while this may be a downturn right now I for one still believe boxing has a bright future!!

[thgreatsd]

I'm pretty much in the same boat as you Killersheep. I have always enjoyed watching the boxing from a young age when my folks would let me stay up late to watch a big fight. It is not until the last couple of years though that I have become a full blown fan of the sport making sure I don't miss any of the fights that are on. Its become more of an obsession now!. Admittedly the heavyweight division is not what it once was but there are still plenty of good fighters in a lot of the divisions and a lot of real good prospects coming up through the ranks. I think the sport is still looking good for the future and with a few changes along the way it can be huge again.

Nothing comes close to watching a good boxing match in sporting terms and that wont change.

[killersheep]

I'm pretty much in the same boat as you Killersheep. I have always enjoyed watching the boxing from a young age when my folks would let me stay up late to watch a big fight. It is not until the last couple of years though that I have become a full blown fan of the sport making sure I don't miss any of the fights that are on. Its become more of an obsession now!. Admittedly the heavyweight division is not what it once was but there are still plenty of good fighters in a lot of the divisions and a lot of real good prospects coming up through the ranks. I think the sport is still looking good for the future and with a few changes along the way it can be huge again.

Nothing comes close to watching a good boxing match in sporting terms and that wont change.

[Bookkeeper]

Now that Oscar De La Hoya is gone boxing needs another golden boy. And even though I think PBF skill is better than Oscar's ever was the image as well an the popularity of PBF cannot compare to Oscar. He has more star power than anybody who has ever boxed (Ray Leonard 2, Ali 3) and now that his career is almost over we have nobody to take over that image. The heavyweight division will alway's be the top earner even though it is simply garbage at this point, that's why boxing needs the PBF-Oscar fight. Sugar Ray's star power dominated the 80's with Mike Tyson taking over the poster boy for boxing after his career faded, and then Oscar took it over in the Olymics in 92, but I don't see anybody taking it over now.

[El Kabong]

I can't stand MMA, K-1, Pride or any of that bullcrap...with those sports you have pretty much NO history, no tradition...with boxing it's tradtion born from friggin Ancient Rome and when someone is (now UNIFIED, or Linear) Heavyweight Champion they hold the same position Jack Johnson, John L. Sullivan, and Jim Corbett held.


and I find kicking to be rather girlish, if you can't beat someone with your fists you don't deserve to

[mucho testosterone]

I can't stand MMA, K-1, Pride or any of that bullcrap...with those sports you have pretty much NO history, no tradition...

What?? The roots of Martial Arts have been around for centuries......Karate, Judo.

and I find kicking to be rather girlish, if you can't beat someone with your fists you don't deserve to

Really??

If I ever get in a fight again (probably won't) but if I do I will have to remember to throw that one out there to my opponent "no kicking.......... it's girlish" Then when he starts laughing I'm going to throw a straight right to his jaw, have a designated spectator count to ten....hug him and then walk away the victor.



Just fucking with you bro..

[mucho testosterone]

Everyone has there preferences........Boxing has always been my first favorite because of the strategy that is often (not always) involved. However, I find MMA in second and I really can't discount the skills and training that those people bring to the table.
MMA has gotten me through many a dull weekend whist waiting for an upcoming boxing match. In my mind one really can't substitute one for the other but I'm afraid that a lot of other people won't feel that way.
Coming from a Marketing background, I have to say that it would be absolutely idiotic if the governing bodies of boxing did not look at MMA as competition.
So what does this mean?

Here's what I'm getting at:

1.) Boxing needs to be more accessible to the public to increase viewership.

2.) Some of these crooked a** promoters need to retire or get the boot or be FORCED TO UNIFY SOME TITLES and give us the fights that we deserve as fans rather than setting up un-interesting "gimme" fights to protect their market share!

3.) Fights and fighters need to be marketed properly as well. If I wasn't on this forum or if I didn't visit fight news then I would never know when half of the fights are taking place.

4.) The cost of some of these PPV fights needs to come down so that the non-die hard public who have a borderline interest in boxing can actually watch a fight without having to fork over $50.00 a pop.

There is absolutely NO GENIUS in charging a target market $50.00 to watch a fight. It's simply robbery.

If you want to impress people as a promoter...then increase the market share.....increase viewership..draw up a business plan.....but don't just take a fight to another country or charge $5.00 more dollars this year for a fight........that mickey mouse S*** doesn't make you a smart business man. No innovation there.

Now with all of that said.....if you don't think that MMA is a threat to boxing’s market share then I don't know what to tell you.

[Lords Gym]

I can't stand MMA, K-1, Pride or any of that bullcrap...with those sports you have pretty much NO history, no tradition...with boxing it's tradtion born from friggin Ancient Rome and when someone is (now UNIFIED, or Linear) Heavyweight Champion they hold the same position Jack Johnson, John L. Sullivan, and Jim Corbett held.


and I find kicking to be rather girlish, if you can't beat someone with your fists you don't deserve to

I agree with you. CC

[BoxingGorilla]

I can't stand MMA, K-1, Pride or any of that bullcrap...

I don't know if it's bullcrap, but I don't like watching it either. There is something less compelling about those fights, almost boring. Calvin Brock Vs. Ibragimov type boring. It also seems that their skills are very sloppy and unhoned.

Of course, I have a huge collection of 70's and 80's kung fu flicks so what do I know...

[Wacko3205]

I'm fine with the state of boxing right now because I'm down with the lighter divisions because there's always more excitement & actual boxing instead of head hunting.