The Future Of Boxing

The 00's have been highlighted by the great fighters of the late 80s and 90's at the tail end of their careers. ODLH, Hopkins, Jones, Mosley, Wright, Barrera, Morales, Trinidad, Holyfield, Tyson, an the list goes on. Now all of a sudden most of these guys are within one or two fights of retirement. Where does that leave boxing? The major draws of the sport have been mostly the same for 10 or 15 years. There are some guys that can potentially have starpower but maybe not like a lot of guys I listed above. So what happens in the next 2 years? Does boxing become even less popular? And lets not forget the UFC is on the rise so does boxing get drowned out?

No worries we have guys like:
1. Manny Pacquiao
2. Miguel Cotto
3. Kelly Pavlik
4. Mikkel Kessler
5. Israel Vazquez
6. Rafael Marquez
7. and so forth to fill the void...............................

Well we could always ask for another Tyson comeback...

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by GP100

No worries we have guys like:
1. Manny Pacquiao
2. Miguel Cotto
3. Kelly Pavlik
4. Mikkel Kessler
5. Israel Vazquez
6. Rafael Marquez
7. and so forth to fill the void...............................

---

True that Pavlik and Cotto will be fighting in a couple years, but im no so sure about the rest though.

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by amat

Well we could always ask for another Tyson comeback...

---

Sadly enough he is probably still a bigger draw than 99% of the guys out there :-\

One of the biggest problems Is the lack of network involment and regular weekley fight cards(no more USA,Forum fights,ESPN with the exception of "classics" is giving up on boxing).Alot of it has disolved into "Name on Name" fight making as opposed to stable dedicated shows and promotions where strong fan bases can be built,watching a walk out fighter yesterday become the main event superstar of tomorrow.way to much stress has been put on weight class jumping so superstar A can Fight Superstar B as opposed to well deserved others in the classes.Dont get me wrong,I want the best to fight the best but because there the networks big names does not make them the only high calibur champ or contender in the class..some networks(HBO) act like theres no boxing outside of themselves.
The Irony,to me ,of this thread is here I sit on another saturday night yearning to follow the sport I Love With some live Tv bouts and again there is nothing,and rescently when the cable networks put shows on ITS AT THE SAME TIME,head to head so me the fan gets to do the flip channels in between rounds and try to make sense of it all.And yet again we have the UFC putting on ANOTHER ppv card which are stacked with talent and continual.maybe Ive gone off topic,Need coffee :drinker:

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by Jeff Spicoli Surfs In 'Nawlins

One of the biggest problems Is the lack of network involment and regular weekley fight cards.Alot of it has disolved into "Name on Name" fight making as opposed to stable dedicated shows and promotions where strong fan bases can be built,watching a walk out fighter yesterday become the main event superstar of tomorrow.way to much stress has been put on weight class jumping so superstar A can Fight Superstar B as opposed to well deserved others in the classes.Dont get me wrong,I want the best to fight the best but because there the networks big names does not make them the only high calibur champ or contender in the class..some networks(HBO) act like theres no boxing outside of themselves.
The Irony,to me ,of this thread is here I sit on another saturday night yearning to follow the sport I Love With some live Tv bouts and again there is nothing,and rescently when the cable networks put shows on ITS AT THE SAME TIME,head to head so me the fan gets to do the flip channels in between rounds and try to make sense of it all.And yet again we have the UFC putting on ANOTHER ppv card which are stacked with talent and continual.maybe Ive gone off topic,Need coffee :drinker:

---

I think youre right about the weight jumping. Hopkins and Castillo are only 2 fighters away from each other (ODLH and Mayweather) if you think about it. Maybe there is not enough champions willing to fight the best in their class before moving up in weight.

They treat weight classes like pit stops used to pick up trinkets(belts).I mean,there are HBO cards where they show ONE main event and the 3 or 4 fight undercard is buried.Theres an entire world of quality boxers out there that can be show cased and developed.de la Hoya is a good fighter and deserves the glory but he Is NOT a MIDDLEWEIGHT,That was strickly a Name affair for sales,and I Love hopkins.And dont get me started on Jones Vs.Trinidad,IMO thats a farce and does nothing for boxing and I'll save my cash.
There are some great fights coming and some awesome champions out there,I just wish I as a fan had the options and varity of even 5 or 10 yrs ago.Theres a monopoly out there ,I dont care if I cant pronounce the names or dont know them,let the fans deside,I know its all about the dollars though.