Thread: Is boxing dying in the US?

The crowd for Taylor Spinks last night was terrible, Matt Skelton and Michael Sprott will attract a bigger crowd in the UK.

What is wrong with American fight fans, where are they?

Every UFC event is packed out, more and more boxing in the US the crowds seem average at best.

How can it be even possible that an undisputed world champ IN HIS OWN TOWN!! can't fill out an arena?

yeah that really bothered me too bro to be honest.

also what was sad is spinks apparently brought 1000 people from his hometown of st. louis into the arena last night. so imagine if he didnt do that how much smaller the crowd would be.

but i think those same 1000 people were booing too lol

I can confirm that Spinks seemed to have brought everybody from St.Louis with him, lol.

I would like to see boxing back in its prime like the early roy jones jr days, or even the young mike tyson days.

I think that boxing started dying when Holyfield beat tyson, nothing against holyfield but tyson was the america's favorite.

Also big shouts out to the Holyfield camp, especially EH JR.

But I think that loss to holyfield sunk everyone because everyone love tyson even though he was a bad boy.

It has been dying for a while.

To many miss matche sin boxing are going on - who apart form a hardcore taylor/spinks fan was going to travel last night to watch it?

When champions start cleaning out their devisions the fans will take notice...

We arent chumps that would pay to watch that lame excuse of a match I would have paid just to see the Pavlik Miranda fight, but Im way over in California. I actually think boxing is starting a revival here after such a long hiatus. Most PPV sales ever for the Oscar Vs. Floyd fight, that should say something. I am a bit ashamed that the crowd was so small for the real fight of the night. I think that alot of people dont go to live boxing now because they can sit home and get a better view watching PPV HBO or Showtime. Some of these ringside tickets are out of hand and I cant see from the cheap seats.

Nope...boxing sure as hell aint dying in the U.S.

I also think boxing's image in the US has become to 'old' for want of a better word. Seeing Lampley, Merchant, Buffer and Conner Jr all decked out in their tuxedo's and bow ties it's more like they are gearing up for a snooker tournament or something.

They need to lose the formality, bring in some young commentators and loosen up a bit imo.

The UFC is so relaxed compared to them, both in the style, language and nature of the discussions and it's just more appealing to a younger audience.

I know boxing purists may not like that but really the young fans of today are the PPV paying and ticket buying fans of the future and if they are not 'entertained' then they will not watch.

I really think boxing needs a huge shake up right now.

The best thing that could happen is if someone could start buying out the title belts in order to unify them into 1 or 2 belts, get some young fresh commentators with attitude and a real working knowledge of the sport (Rogan for example actually knows his MMA and connects with the fighters and the fans) and then to start using lighter gloves and extend title fights back to 15 rounds.

As it is boxing is just getting less interesting with every passing week. We have to wait a decade usually for the two best fighters in a division to fight each other and then if the judges or referee don't ruin it the fight will be an anticlimax anyway.

I just wish some multi millionaire advertising media mogul would take over and buy out the WBC, WBA and IBF etc and then unify them as one title.

There must be someone out there with a shitload of money who could save boxing, maybe we should all petition the Microsoft foundation to take over and turn boxing into a force once more

Its still on TV a lot, is it as big as it used to be, clearly not but I don't know if its dying.

I don't mind MMA, it can be interesting at times, but I'm not sure why its gotten so huge. Watching them when there not actually boxing or kick boxing is god awful boring to me but I guess people like it.

Maybe people have just started to realize Taylor's boring as hell

Originally Posted by OumaFan

Its still on TV a lot, is it as big as it used to be, clearly not but I don't know if its dying.

I don't mind MMA, it can be interesting at times, but I'm not sure why its gotten so huge. Watching them when there not actually boxing or kick boxing is god awful boring to me but I guess people like it.

Maybe people have just started to realize Taylor's boring as hell

I honestly don't think its about the actual sport, its entirely the way its presented. UFC is presented as young, hip and cool and it's more in tune with today's young fans.

If you've ever watched the ULtimate Fighter, as a show it blows the Contender out of the water because it's more gritty, and real like any popular sport should be even though the fights themselves havn't been that good this series so far.

For a sport to be mainstream popular it has to appeal the working man and have all the hype and trash talk etc to make it worth gatherinig around with mates and watching in pubs or a load of mates in together in someones house.

Boxing has lost that. When I watch a fight or a football match with people I'm shouting and swearing at the screen as is everybody else.

The UFC embraces that kind of mentality and reinforces it. HBO and Showtime try to 'contain and restrain' boxing's natural naked aggression and working class grit.

I don't know if I'm making sense here but I know what I mean!

What are you talking about Bilbo, didnt you hear Larry Merchant say this fight was gonna be "krunk" lol, Merchant is always good for 1 good laugh per show Merchant is the "hip" one on the show lol

i always say that boxing is very sick
look at odlh and pbf did that sell more than tyon and holyfield 2
i think if there ae the big names we remember from the 90s fans wll watch it
and the average person whould just like to see a big ko instead of it going the distance
and we just dont have a bigh ko or not alot of superstars
still boxing it is sick

Originally Posted by No Contest

What are you talking about Bilbo, didnt you hear Larry Merchant say this fight was gonna be "krunk" lol, Merchant is always good for 1 good laugh per show Merchant is the "hip" one on the show lol

haha that was funny

It is ironic that Larry is actually the most progressively minded out of all the commentators wanting a return of light weight gloves and the abolition of any kind scoring for defense. :P

yes---it needs another louis, marciano, ali or tyson 2 save it

Originally Posted by No Contest

What are you talking about Bilbo, didnt you hear Larry Merchant say this fight was gonna be "krunk" lol, Merchant is always good for 1 good laugh per show Merchant is the "hip" one on the show lol

lolollolollo
cc. Hilarious post of the day