Interest in boxing dying out ??

[jamiebhoy]

There seems to be a lot of press comment these days about boxing being on it's knees and becoming a dying sport.This is being attributed to the obvious huge rise of other 'sports' such as UFC.
What do the members think, is the sport dying or is it just not as visible due the the lack of events that are shown on terestrial television with everything going the way of pay per view, so in turn is becoming out of reach of the traditional grass roots support.
I remember a similar thing with the WWF back in the 80's where everyone was into wrestling due to the glitz and that went away eventually.
Fad or a turn in the tide , what do you reckon , is the noble art on it's way out? Have the promotors priced themselves out of the market and how then do we get the interst back.
Bit of a mish mash but a few point to respond to.

[Kel]

There seems to be a lot of press comment these days about boxing being on it's knees and becoming a dying sport.This is being attributed to the obvious huge rise of other 'sports' such as UFC.
What do the members think, is the sport dying or is it just not as visible due the the lack of events that are shown on terestrial television with everything going the way of pay per view, so in turn is becoming out of reach of the traditional grass roots support.
I remember a similar thing with the WWF back in the 80's where everyone was into wrestling due to the glitz and that went away eventually.
Fad or a turn in the tide , what do you reckon , is the noble art on it's way out? Have the promotors priced themselves out of the market and how then do we get the interst back.
Bit of a mish mash but a few point to respond to.

I think it's less popular but it's not dying out. Boxing has too much history in the world as a sport. If boxing died I'd look for a tall building. I can't imagine my life without it I love it

[jamiebhoy]

Know what you mean, I don't think I could ever switch to the great new fighting arts !! Judging by your pics your a Tszyu fan, worst thing i had to watch for the great man wasn't the Hatton defeat but him dancing on celebrity come dancing, his best footwork was in the ring !

[Kel]

Know what you mean, I don't think I could ever switch to the great new fighting arts !! Judging by your pics your a Tszyu fan, worst thing i had to watch for the great man wasn't the Hatton defeat but him dancing on celebrity come dancing, his best footwork was in the ring !

Fair point

[boozeboxer]

MMA is like watching a fight down in a well. Boxing is like viewing a fight across an ocean.

[Gandalf]

No sport can touch boxing for me. I cannot see boxing ever dying out.

[Majesty]

No, its not

Its just that boxing doesn't have many "characters" anymore that can capture the imagination of boxing fans.

You have fighters that will keep you watching because they are exciting but they only fight every few months.

MMA seems to have more characters.

Looking at the PPV numbers in 2008, both the WWE and UFC were at the top of PPVs and the only boxing PPV that was up there in the top 3 with them was Oscar De La Hoya's fight.

What Boxing needs is another "golden boy"

The fact is we seem to be getting better fights on normal TV then on PPVs and because boxing is so much about styles a fight can go boring in a second while MMA more often then not is action oriented regardles of their styles usually.

People that only watch UFC can get bored on a boxing match fast.

The problem with boxing is it isnt reaching the younger demographic. Its reaching more people in their late 20s and 30s and older. But the UFC seems to draw more of a younger audience especiallty the 18+ audience which is the audience you want to target nowadays.

Boxing doesn't really have any boxer that can bring in that younger demographic since Mayweather left, because his hop hop money mayweather etc persona catered a lot to people around that age. Since he has left there's really nothing to garner that interest unless people have followed boxing for years and years.

[Tilt A Whirl]

No,but those of us running the sport really need to get our house in order,the public is sick of seeing BS matchups. If we give the public good fights they'll come back

[clintuk]

It does seem to be the way that a lot of people are finding UFC more exciting, which I don't understand. I do sometimes watch the UFC and sometimes it's not bad, but to me it just feels like boxing's mongrel cousin.

Boxing won't ever die out, but will have it's down moments when certain boxers retire and leave a bit of a hole. But there's always an amazing match up on the horizon that everyone dreams of and with the incredible amount of young boxers coming in, I certainly won't be losing interest any time soon.

[Fenster]

No,but those of us running the sport really need to get our house in order,the public is sick of seeing BS matchups. If we give the public good fights they'll come back

[Fenster]

More and more people I know mention the UFC fights now instead of boxing. I don't even follow the UFC, i just know the big stars, but it seems MMA certainly appeals more to casual fight fans than boxing these days.

[Nameless]

There will be always a fair window for boxing, MMA drag a certain audience, Boxing another one and I am absolutely certain that there is places for both: Some peoples just don't like the idea of a fighting going on the floor. In MMA, it is more than possible and even with the rules that you cannot spend more than some amount of time on the floor, grapples are impossible to avoid and the mat is more than likely to get in action at sime point. On the other side, some peoples think that boxing is too limited MMA as it is obviously not as complete, it's all a matter of taste.
PErsonally, I think that MMA is not killing boxing but will help it's revival: MMA forced boxing to make a few adjustments, especially in raising the general stake of the cards and forcing the display of a better show in general, it did force boxing to rethink itself and the way it functions, it will force promoters to find more often the most exciting fight possible rather than the less risky, it gives a new philosophy about cutmen/cornermen/promotion etc, a new way of thinking and as far as I am concerned, there is nothing better than something that forces yourself to get redefined and to hit a little "conscience crisis". When you're on the top of the mountain all alone, you do not feel the urge to push your limits or you don't see a reason to improve anything. When some competitors kick in and could steal your crown, than things gett different and you want to find other possiblities to improve, to not let them take you down.
Taking everything for granted is bad, as much for individuals as it is for sports, MMA provided Boxing with an excellent antitote to force it to rethink itself and to put in questions some mode of functionning, which was imperative to keep its interest up. Boxing was starting to act like a selfish mother, not caring too much because "fans" would buy anyway. Now it's different, there is an alternative and mother boxing had to redefine the rules in order to keep its audiance.
IN the end, with the MMA as competitors, I think it's a win-win situation for everybody.

[Kel]

MMA is like watching a fight down in a well. Boxing is like viewing a fight across an ocean.

Your right! I've not boxed since I was at school but I'm world class. I just see all the punches and ETC

[HattonTheHammer]

Boxing will always be the number 1 fighting sport in our lifetimes and way beyond that.

You cannot change the course of history and the fact that its one of the few if not only sports that is performed the entire world over.

Attractions like khan-barrera, hatton-pacquiao are always going to be huge for the respective countrys the fighters are from because of the magnitude of what the fight represents.

The sport is suffering a downturn in american talent right now due to many reasons a lot of which are down to many decent heavyweight prospects choosing a lucrative NFL career rather than the up and down risks you get with a business like boxing.

We dont have tysons, ali`s, fraziers, prince naseems or mayweathers just now - but its only a matter of time until those characters return in newer fresher forms.

As for UFC/MMA its a great combat sport and a lot of fun but it doesnt and never will have the history and recognition boxing has. Beside outside of the USA the sport is virtually non-existent other than those hardcore fans who follow the sport religiously to the common man it doesnt represent any interest like the sport of boxing will.

[Fenster]

The UFC pack out the O2 everytime they come here.. and that's even without their major stars.

David Haye sold 3000 tickets for his last fight there.