Do you make an effort to create *new* boxing fans...?

[Manos de Piedra]

I agree with you guys above. You can't get someone into boxing you can introduce them to the sport, if someone is interested they'll become a fan themselves.

[Althugz]

I agree with you guys above. You can't get someone into boxing you can introduce them to the sport, if someone is interested they'll become a fan themselves.

Exactly this. Having been on both sides of the fence I can say this is true.

I hated boxing and remember how offended I used to get when a couple of my friends would stay in on fight night instead of coming out on the pull at some lame club.."You'd rather stay home and watch 2 half naked men fight??", was the dumb response I gave them..(ahh to be young and dumb!)

I was introduced to the sport by a guy called Marshall (trainer at Angel amateur boxing club) when I was a Personal Trainer at Virgin Active. His passion for the sport was so infectious..he did pads with me which I loved and then I just researched to high heaven about boxing.

I'd say within a month or two I was more knowledgable than the two friends who were supposed to be hardcore fans. I was telling them about fighters they had never even heard of.

So I can tell you from experience. I hated boxing until the age of 22 - from then on I've been in love with it. The change can happen!

[elcolibri]

I agree with you guys above. You can't get someone into boxing you can introduce them to the sport, if someone is interested they'll become a fan themselves.

Exactly this. Having been on both sides of the fence I can say this is true.

I hated boxing and remember how offended I used to get when a couple of my friends would stay in on fight night instead of coming out on the pull at some lame club.."You'd rather stay home and watch 2 half naked men fight??", was the dumb response I gave them..(ahh to be young and dumb!)

I was introduced to the sport by a guy called Marshall (trainer at Angel amateur boxing club) when I was a Personal Trainer at Virgin Active. His passion for the sport was so infectious..he did pads with me which I loved and then I just researched to high heaven about boxing.

I'd say within a month or two I was more knowledgable than the two friends who were supposed to be hardcore fans. I was telling them about fighters they had never even heard of.

So I can tell you from experience. I hated boxing until the age of 22 - from then on I've been in love with it. The change can happen!

A bit of an open mind is necessary to get into the sport. I'd like to see more guys open to change like that.

[TitoFan]

I find that just being enthusiastic about boxing, in places such as work, tends to draw in people who may not be big boxing fans... but the enthusiasm rubs off on them a little bit. I also helps when a local fighter is rising through the ranks. People tend to follow boxing that much more. At work, people know that if they get me talking about boxing, I can go on for hours. So many times they seek me out before a big fight. It may not exactly bring in new fans, but it helps to keep the interest of the existing fans.

[CFH]

No, not any more. I used to, but honestly the sport has been slowly driving me away since I started watching. Objectively, I think it's rife with corruption to the point where it is basically a step away from WWE. I have no desire to be an ambassador for that kind of institution.

[Mars_ax]

Boxing has it's casual and hardcore fans, the casuals come and go, but us hardcore fans stick it out to the bitter end. My dad was a boxing fan, which is how I became one, i've been hooked ever since. I would imagine the major boxing networks here in the States, (HBO, Showtime, Top Rank, ESPN, et al, do the best job of promoting the sport, along with 100's of boxing forums like this one.

[killersheep]

I find that just being enthusiastic about boxing, in places such as work, tends to draw in people who may not be big boxing fans... but the enthusiasm rubs off on them a little bit. I also helps when a local fighter is rising through the ranks. People tend to follow boxing that much more. At work, people know that if they get me talking about boxing, I can go on for hours. So many times they seek me out before a big fight. It may not exactly bring in new fans, but it helps to keep the interest of the existing fans.

That's something that's difficult for me, the local fighter angle. We haven't had a live body since Carbajal. Ernie Gonzalez has promise, but injuries and sickness made him wither into obscurity.

[Majesty]

Not really. Haven't been following boxing very much lately, just hasn't done it for me lately. It's more so the fact that there's no.. there's no real connection with the fans it seems anymore. Boxing to me is getting to the point of being the way I feel about soccer, if its important, otherwise slim chance. Basically because boxing has gotten to the point where they don't even really attempt to make you 'care' about other boxers anymore that aren't mainstream.

It's because of how they are portrayed in the mainstream media and how when they are bashed they don't defend.

Funny story, I was watching ESPN the other day which is basically the most watched sports channel in the US so this is where a lot of a casual fans can come in and can be brought in to tune into something to fall in love with boxing maybe and, they talked about the Pacquiao vs Bradley fight.

I heard these boxing "analysts" or "journalists" that are supposed to have some stature, complain for 2 straight minutes about how Pacquiao and Mayweather aren't fighting, and basically refer to Timothy Bradley as a nobody and a bum, a lot of "who is he?s" and stuff thrown around.

It was at that point I realized where boxing truly is.. if people don't take the time to actually follow it, and look at it and realize it, they will actually buy that crap.

The casual boxing fan that watches ESPN and walks around thinking Tim Bradley is a bum just because his name isn't Pacquiao or Mayweather is sickening to me, and I may be conceited but I cringe at the thought of that kind of ignorance around the sport

To me it just..it pains me to see that it's gotten to this point. Where analysts and sports channels INTENTIONALLY try to make the casual boxing fan, not care at all whatsoever about a fight unless THEY say it's important. And the sad thing is that a majority of boxing fans that go to fights NOW and fill up the arenas buy into that crap.

I should have seen it years ago, when a Unification bout between Bradley and Alexander couldn't sell out an arena. It's a sad state, but honestly, at this point in boxing, the belts, mean absolutely nothing, I mean we say the belts mean nothing and we should have one unified recognized champion but honestly, it's beyond that, no one cares about title fights anymore, the lore of a boxing championship means absolutely nothing anymore.

Two of the best 135 pounders in the world could fight tomorrow in a unification bout to unify all the titles and make one super champion, and the Arena would be half full if ESPN said it didn't mean anything or didn't mention it at all. WE as real boxing fans yeah we'd go, we'd watch it, we'd tune in... but as the emptier the arenas get outside of a fighters hometown it's not hard to fathom why "stars" are rare to come by and find. But these "stars" have a tendency to outshine everything and everyone else trying to make a living coming up and it's a darn shame.

So, really, if these are the kind of fans that are around nowadays, I'm not going to try, to waste my energy or time trying to make them understand all the things that make boxing great or what fights they should tune into. Because all I hear a mainstream fan tell me when I try to explain to them who Andre Ward who is a local fighter out here in the bay area, Super Middleweight Champ is and they go on to tell me "I don't know who that is but if he(super middleweight andre ward) ever fought Pacquiao(welterweight at most naturally) he'd get knocked out." I just... I'm just done with it to be honest. When it comes to these new flavor of the month "fans".

Boxing has it's casual and hardcore fans, the casuals come and go, but us hardcore fans stick it out to the bitter end. My dad was a boxing fan, which is how I became one, i've been hooked ever since. I would imagine the major boxing networks here in the States, (HBO, Showtime, Top Rank, ESPN, et al, do the best job of promoting the sport, along with 100's of boxing forums like this one.

And sadly the Casual fans are what is going to keep boxing in business... us hardcore fans are a small small bunch and it's a sad reality.

[Mars_ax]

I just... I'm just done with it to be honest. When it comes to these new flavor of the month "fans".

Boxing has it's casual and hardcore fans, the casuals come and go, but us hardcore fans stick it out to the bitter end. My dad was a boxing fan, which is how I became one, i've been hooked ever since. I would imagine the major boxing networks here in the States, (HBO, Showtime, Top Rank, ESPN, et al, do the best job of promoting the sport, along with 100's of boxing forums like this one.

And sadly the Casual fans are what is going to keep boxing in business... us hardcore fans are a small small bunch and it's a sad reality.

A lot of the casual fans are fanboys who only follow one or 2 big name fighters, like Floyd, Pac, et al. They aren't really fans of boxing, they just idolize celebrities. But yeah, I agree these are the fans who buy the PPV's and keep boxing going.

[iamasadlittleboy]

I try to inform folks when fights are on free to air TV and try to mention up coming and exciting fighters to fans of other sports to try and get them interested...a handful might watch some fights but most don't.

[Slim the BoxingManiac]

Nobody in South Dakota knows anything about boxing.

Virgil Hill?

That's North Dakota.

Why do I get licked for that comment?

I'm not quite sure, actually.

[elcolibri]

I try to inform folks when fights are on free to air TV and try to mention up coming and exciting fighters to fans of other sports to try and get them interested...a handful might watch some fights but most don't.

I do the same. If only it happened more often...