Boxing is the current casual viewer landscape

Thought I would start a thread about how people around you perceive boxing.

For me all I do is work pretty much, so my coworkers are my only gauge. Most watch football religiously (American rules) and MMA, a few watch hockey, a few watch golf, one watches baseball.

ALL of them USED to watch boxing.

One of my coworkers today was surprised to learn that Vitali Klitschko had a brother that also was a professional boxer. The names David Haye, Valuev, Povetkin etc. call for blank stares and a mandatory youtube session. It's funny to me that more people here recognize John Ruiz (for his RJJ fight and Tua KO) than any of these other names.

I've found that people who say "I love boxing" means they love Tyson and have never watched a fight below heavyweight.

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Originally Posted by Fenster

I've found that people who say "I love boxing" means they love Tyson and have never watched a fight below heavyweight.

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Yeah over here, you can catch a Tyson fight almost every day of the week.

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Originally Posted by Fenster

I've found that people who say "I love boxing" means they love Tyson and have never watched a fight below heavyweight.

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Tyson Fury? Didn't know he was that popular over there.:p

I know a lot of people who watch it when it is a big event and quite a couple who are following it and have a very decent knowledge about the sport, Boxing is getting very very popular in Quebec, especially around Montreal and I have a couple of friends who are giving it an interested eyes, I would say that the real boom started like 5-6 years ago and the wave's still pretty strong around here.

At work i have one guy who watches a lot of fights like myself. Not too many people into boxing, or any that have any real knowledge. So if i want to talk boxing i talk to him or my wifes cousin, who i've been to a few fights with. Hell my wife knows more about boxing than my co-workers.

I've managed to drag most of my good mates into boxing with me, so I'll tell them which fights to watch (big ones) and most watch the domestic cards.

Work mates though, despite saying "I like boxing" couldn't name any more than the most obvious legends or current UK A-listers.

My friends and I are boxing fans so it's a good situation in that aspect. Most people from my work follow boxing as well. A good amount of them are Mexican so they are big on it. Actually, every person I've encountered in this area know a good amount about boxing or follow it in some way.

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Originally Posted by Nameless

I know a lot of people who watch it when it is a big event and quite a couple who are following it and have a very decent knowledge about the sport, Boxing is getting very very popular in Quebec, especially around Montreal and I have a couple of friends who are giving it an interested eyes, I would start that the real boom started like 5-6 years ago and the wave's still pretty strong around here.

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yup this is true...and for Ontario also, although not as strong as Que. (I do feel the need to correct a statement made a while back from you about for our recent medal grabs at nationals tho...as we did beat you guys :cool: )

No matter what province it is though, ON or Que, the interest is at an exponentially growing high, as are the number of new people walking through the gym doors to take it up as result of it. Expect big things down the road and lots of new names in the next 10 years.

Casual fans know Amir, Hatton, Galzaghe and Haye. Maybe Audley but that is probably all.

Don't really have any friends that are into boxing and most think I'm f*ckin lame when I stay home on a saturday night to watch some fight. Most everyone knows the name mayweather, pac and odl yet really most have never seen a fight of theirs. A few people know the klitschkos,pavlik. However mention the names marquez, bradley, katsidis and all you would get is blank stares. A few friends are big time into mma and have been at their house a few times to watch the big ufc cards, and usually they only like the fights where a dude gets knocked out, and I'm like you'd get a lot more of that in boxing. Boxing in recent years just has been marketed all wrong and espn rarely reports on it so it doesn't help the cause.

Out here theres a certain mentality amounst casual fight viewers, In pubs many are either after watching someone get ktfo in a heavyweight match or they are flag waving cause a localAussie is going for some two bit world belt.

I like to go to the RSL's Returned Services Leagues to watch fights that are bought in, because you get better real conversations with much older fans.

Trouble is two of the older ones i used to go with,both ex pros, are now dead and the others havent got it in them any more through health issues.

Have a couple who try and know some names. Seems at least once every couple of weeks I get some guy in the coffee shop asking "So Tyson huh...think he comes back as champ again" :cwm3: I once wanted to smack them...but now I say "HELL YEAH, If I were you I'd bet all I had on that happening"

The absolute worst is sitting with crowd watching fight and always some knob screaming "Just hit him". Never fails. By the 5th round they are playing with the cat or talking about how much they liked Tyson.

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Originally Posted by Fenster

I've found that people who say "I love boxing" means they love Tyson and have never watched a fight below heavyweight.

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That was probably me until about 2003 ;D

None of my friends are Boxing fans. Although most of them would pay to watch Hatton, Calzaghe, Khan, Mayweather or Pacquiao fight.
But they all view the sport (as a whole) like a music genre that is old but is always still searching for that next big hit that unfortunately very really fails to deliver.

Kinda like going from Techno of the early 90's to Moby of today :( :mad:

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Originally Posted by Youngblood

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Originally Posted by Nameless

I know a lot of people who watch it when it is a big event and quite a couple who are following it and have a very decent knowledge about the sport, Boxing is getting very very popular in Quebec, especially around Montreal and I have a couple of friends who are giving it an interested eyes, I would start that the real boom started like 5-6 years ago and the wave's still pretty strong around here.

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yup this is true...and for Ontario also, although not as strong as Que. (I do feel the need to correct a statement made a while back from you about for our recent medal grabs at nationals tho...as we did beat you guys :cool: )

No matter what province it is though, ON or Que, the interest is at an exponentially growing high, as are the number of new people walking through the gym doors to take it up as result of it. Expect big things down the road and lots of new names in the next 10 years.

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Did I said once that Quebec is winning most of it on the national level? If so I really don't recall. Beside, I am not much of a big patriot as you probably did notice it, normally I'll only vote for the guys from Quebec if they are not arsse (otherwise fuck the frenchie thing) because "they come from here" and you can bet on it that I'll cheer for you no matter which frenchie you're fighting :D
But yeah, Boxing is huge in Quebec, probably the province where it's the biggest in Canada and with the great matches that are starting to happen here, Montreal is getting like one of the boxing's mecca, which is very good. Ontario starts to develop fairly well too, Steve Molitor has been a very good figure over here to foster the interest and I think that it's a great thing