I agree and yet disagree .......

I agree that less and less people want to be boxers in the so-called developed world, and this is plain to see as it is a very hard way to make a living. As people get richer, better educated and lazier they do not want to be professional boxers. We all hear how our generation is always a bit bigger than our parents (go to a museum and see the size of the clothes, weapons etc in the olden days) so we in the west are simply growing out of the lighter weight classes. This propensity towards obesity is now being reflected in more and more fighters. You hardly ever saw an obese fat heavyweight pre-1960s because you hardly ever saw an obese fat man then, either.

I agree that PPV is killing the long term future of the sport. Kids get heroes and want to emulate them, but the poorest kids (who traditionally are the ones who become boxers) can't afford PPV.

Another thing that has changed as the fact that prospects are routinely shielded to protect their undefeated status, as the 'zero' is so important. Old Timers who became world champion has lost a few fights and were the finished article in learning their trade - it is only recently that people can be so called 'world champions' while still learning their trade!

I Disagree because all of ths things I said above really relate to the developed 'first' world. Other regions of the world continue to churn out good fighters who are as tough and as good as they ever were. In a separate thread I said why I thought eastern Europe would produce some all time greats in the next ten years.

The sport is as strong as it ever was - the truth is that it is declining in the West. The old timers who say that fighters are not as good or as tough are right BUT ONLY IN THE DEVELOPED WORLD. There will always be the outstanding individual, but as an average, I think that the US (in particular) who have dominated the professional sport for so long, will see their share of champs and contenders continue to drop as the GDP of the country goes up. Whether the average US fan will continue to support and watch a sport in which they are the minority is a moot point.