Apart from Mayweather & PacMan boxing has no superstars

[Tam Seddon]

Carl Froch definatley is.

[rjj tszyu]

Carl Froch definatley is.

Carl Froch is one of the most deserving of being a superstar in the sport today. His style and will to fight ANYONE should have made him more popular than many of his British counterparts past and present but his early management was terrible to say the least. He was always an action fighter who should have been easy to sell to the public but he never made papers really until he was already a world champion. Say what you want about Warren but he made sure his fighters were in the public eye before they reached anywhere near that level. Remember the build up for Hatton vs Tszyu? That was the kind of build up Carl Froch should have been getting for his early world title fights. I'm just glad he's starting to get some recognition now although I think he's deserving of far more!

[Althugz]

I'm not sure how atypical this is, though (at least post-WWII).

Who in the 90s was a true superstar? Tyson, Holyfield, De la Hoya, RJJ. Can't think of any others. I don't think Lennox Lewis was ever a recognizable name to non-boxing fans in the U.S.

In the U.K, nobody knew who De La Hoya or Roy Jones were unless you were a boxing fan. Superstars with true global appeal are always few and far between.

[Hulk]

Bernard Hopkins is/was also a superstar.

[Tam Seddon]

Bernard Hopkins is/was also a superstar.

Is.

[shza]

Bernard Hopkins is/was also a superstar.

Is.

I don't think so. Within the sport sure. But ask someone who doesn't follow boxing and the OP is absolutely right that PAC and Mayweather are the only names he/she has any chance of knowing.

[shza]

I'm not sure how atypical this is, though (at least post-WWII).

Who in the 90s was a true superstar? Tyson, Holyfield, De la Hoya, RJJ. Can't think of any others. I don't think Lennox Lewis was ever a recognizable name to non-boxing fans in the U.S.

In the U.K, nobody knew who De La Hoya or Roy Jones were unless you were a boxing fan. Superstars with true global appeal are always few and far between.

Really? I find that hard to believe w/r/t De la Hoya. He was a much bigger name than Mayweather or PAC currently are. Still is, actually.

[denilson200]

Would anybody disagree.

Bad for the sport.

I always considered my mum a good test as to whether someone is a sporting superstar

Would my mum know who Manny Pacquio is ? NO
Would my mum know who Floyd Mayweather is ? NO

Would my mum know who Mike Tyson is ? YES
Ali ? Yes
Sugar Ray Leonard ? Yes
Lennox Lewis ? Yes
Duran ? Yes

So it's debateable if either are true sporting superstars ?

[Tam Seddon]

Bernard Hopkins is/was also a superstar.

Is.

I don't think so. Within the sport sure. But ask someone who doesn't follow boxing and the OP is absolutely right that PAC and Mayweather are the only names he/she has any chance of knowing.

superstar in my eyes

[Bobthepen]

Would anybody disagree.

Bad for the sport.

I always considered my mum a good test as to whether someone is a sporting superstar

Would my mum know who Manny Pacquio is ? NO
Would my mum know who Floyd Mayweather is ? NO

Would my mum know who Mike Tyson is ? YES
Ali ? Yes
Sugar Ray Leonard ? Yes
Lennox Lewis ? Yes
Duran ? Yes

So it's debateable if either are true sporting superstars ?

Jeez, your mum is well up on her boxing. My mum might get Ali, and not for his antics in the ring, but for being on Parkie numerous times.

[Hulk]

Bernard Hopkins is/was also a superstar.

Is.

I don't think so. Within the sport sure. But ask someone who doesn't follow boxing and the OP is absolutely right that PAC and Mayweather are the only names he/she has any chance of knowing.

superstar in my eyes

Mine too. I put is/was as I'm not sure if Bernard will continue fighting, but I suspect he will.

I've known casual fans who know who Bernard Hopkins is, very casual fans even.

[GaydarbekStraight]

Would anybody disagree.

Bad for the sport.

Disagree.

Sergio Martinez is quite a super star.
Amir Khan, Carl Froch, Klitschko brothers are all quite famous.

[shza]

Would anybody disagree.

Bad for the sport.

Disagree.

Sergio Martinez is quite a super star.
Amir Khan, Carl Froch, Klitschko brothers are all quite famous.

The average American has no idea who any of those people are, I assure you. *Maybe* the Klitchkos would ring a bell if you gave enough context. The others, no way. I like all of those fighters (particularly Martinez) but none of them can even headline a PPV fight.

[GaydarbekStraight]

Would anybody disagree.

Bad for the sport.

Disagree.

Sergio Martinez is quite a super star.
Amir Khan, Carl Froch, Klitschko brothers are all quite famous.

The average American has no idea who any of those people are, I assure you. *Maybe* the Klitchkos would ring a bell if you gave enough context. The others, no way. I like all of those fighters (particularly Martinez) but none of them can even headline a PPV fight.

Does the average American have a clue of who Floyd Mayweather is, or better still, Manny Pacquiao?

[shza]

Would anybody disagree.

Bad for the sport.

Disagree.

Sergio Martinez is quite a super star.
Amir Khan, Carl Froch, Klitschko brothers are all quite famous.

The average American has no idea who any of those people are, I assure you. *Maybe* the Klitchkos would ring a bell if you gave enough context. The others, no way. I like all of those fighters (particularly Martinez) but none of them can even headline a PPV fight.

Does the average American have a clue of who Floyd Mayweather is, or better still, Manny Pacquiao?

Yes, actually. Plenty of people I work with who have not seen a fight in the last 20 years know who Mayweather is and know that he is considered the best today. They would have absolutely no idea who any of the people you mentioned is -- except possibly the Klitchkos. Look, Mayweather is the consensus best fighter in the sport. He was on Dancing with the Stars and was in Wrestle Mania. He got coverage for spouting off about Jeremy Lin. He got coverage for going to jail. He had f'ing Justin Beiber as part of his entourage for the Cotto fight. He's a mainstream figure. People who know nothing about the sport know the name.

Manny is slightly less recognizable but he is on Nike and Hennessy commercials shown on TV in the states. He makes appearances with candidates running for American political offices (as absurd as that is). He's mainstream.