Is Boxing Dead?

General Discussion
#1
  1. Floyd (G) or (M)ayweather is Petrified of Manny Paquiao, lets face it.
  2. Paquiao’s fighting Antonia Margarita (washed up cheater who shane annihilated already) then going to run for office so he wont be around for a while
  3. Kelly Pavlick, whos said to be the savior of Boxing, gets his ass beat by Sergio Martinez
  4. Juan Diaz fought Juan Manuel Marquez on PAY-PER-VIEW after fighting Paulie Malinaggi on HBO. (WOW)
  5. Old washed up Boxers trying to do MMA and get beatin badly to earn some extra money. (Cough James Cough Toney)
  6. Heavyweight Divisions a Graveyard

These are just a few reasons why Boxing could be dying, or dead. I was at Philly Diner watching James Toney vs Randy Couture, and everyones screaming Boxing is Dead, which made me think to make this thread.

While I love some MMA, I do like to see some Rope-a-Dope cus I do get a little bored watchin dudes tackle and grab ass for 3 rounds. The last big fight I saw was Shane vs Floyd where not so much Floyd won but shane was being a retard and lost the fight for himself. And that wasnt even a great fight imo.

So is Boxing Dead? Is MMA the new standard for Fighting entertainment? Is Boxing just a business and no passion anymore, id say yes, but this is all my opinion. Your thoughts???

#2

Yes.

#3

I’d say that boxing sure is looking dead to me. I haven’t gotten excited for a boxing match since Mayweather vs. De La Hoya 1. There just isn’t any press for boxing nowadays for anyone that isn’t a boxing enthusiast.

#4

Boxing has been dead for a while now. I’m one of the only people I know who still watch boxing anymore. Most of my friends have moved on to MMA. (I also follow MMA)

I dunno, I’m just loyal to sports I grew up loving. Hell I still watch Hockey.

^_-;

#5

I prefer watching boxing over MMA.

With that said in the past year I watched about 3 boxing match and about 12 MMA fights.

Not looking good for boxing. :sad:

#6

Ya, not many people seem interested in boxing as much as MMA these days, probably because MMA seems to incur more violence and lets face it, this is America…

#7

Boxing isnt dead. The thread that this sort of subject belongs in is though.

#8

Of course not. As an MMA fan, I realize MMA has a VERY long time before displacing boxing, especially if athlete pay is taken into account.

I think MMA’s profile is higher among the most coveted demographic in the U.S. That’s why you hear so many anecdotal stories, like the one posted above. Funny enough, boxing lost a lot of it’s edge with the rise of football and basketball, as the pool of athletes it drew from shrank, and the community-based gyms for it closed up shop. There’s no youth culture surrounding boxing except in key areas now.

Those two sports may end up hampering MMA’s rise as well. As it stands, the #1 or #2 heavyweight in the world is an NFL reject. That doesn’t bode well as an indicator of quality of athlete. The premier organization has idiosyncracies in its rules which have of late been able to be exploited by fighters whose method of winning(the oversimplified “lay and pray” or “wall and stall”) put off the potential fan. And lastly, the competitors cannot unionize, which will hurt it in the long run.

TL;DR version -
So yeah, boxing’s not dead. Floyd and Pac aren’t the end all be all. There’s always someone for a marketing machine to get behind. MMA isn’t taking it over.

  1. It’s one fight. Brock/Fedor anyone?
  2. No sport is one fighter.
  3. I’m not sure I’ve read him ever called the future, let alone savior, of boxing.
  4. I’m not sure what this is supposed to mean.
  5. Also see Mercer/Sylvia, Anderson Silva’s boxing career, perhaps Jordan’s baseball career.
  6. This fact never seemed to hurt the UFC. In fact, this is simply a challenge for a marketing than anything.
#9

I notice people don’t throw parties anymore like back in the 90’s, charging people to watch a Pay-Per-View match at their house.

#10

lmfao I said boxing was dead like 12 years ago, then got to see Tyson and Holyfield clinch for several minutes before CHOMP. Too many federations, too many backwards rules. Boxing isn’t dead, it’s rotting.

#11

Boxing has been dead for more than a while now. One of the contributing factors that caused it’s death was probably the politics involved in it. It so saturated with politics! I hated watching a fight that would last all rounds, just to have judges name a winner… who didn’t deserve to win.

#12

Floyd isn’t running but both trainers are bitches

I’ll still be doing it for fun but boxing is dead

#13

Boxing isn?t dead but its def not on the rise. It?s funny because I?m a mma fan and 3 of my best friends we always invite to watch UFC ppvs with us are ?boxing fans?. 2 of them it?s a chore to get them to come to a sports bar then they complain about how too much is happening in mma and how boxing is better.

Yet they are always the most excited/ loudest people at the sports bar but then when they notice we notice them enjoying themselves they go quite and screw face like they are ashamed to like mma.

The third friend refuses to come out with us yet this so called boxing fan hasn?t watched boxing on PPV, tv, internet in like 4 years. I bet on the low hes watching TUF or MMA on youtube or something. Lol most of these boxing fans can?t even name 10 active boxers its like boxing only has hardcore fans.

#14

@thinctanc^^ Well at #4. Juan diaz fought and lost to paulie malinaggi and it didnt cost nothing to watch that fight. (HBO than on ESPN I think.) Then They put Marquez against Diaz on Pay-per-view which cost money. My point there is that it was far from PPV worthy.

I hear people say Floyd and Pac isnt a make it or break it fight, but then again there isnt and wont be a higher anticipated fight if Floyd and Pac doesnt happen. If so, id like to know who. Now in my OP I was gonna mention Andre Berto. But I feel he’s as tho Not ready for top of the line boxers as of now. But then again other than Shane Mosley, who else is willing to fight Berto?

  1. Floyd- No, the fight wont gererate enough money?
  2. Shane- Yes, but we all know he can beat Berto.
  3. Malinaggi- yes, but cmon, would you pay 60 dollars to see that?
  4. Paquiao- Maybe, he’ll fight a fuckface like margarita but then hes running for office. By that time who knows.

The only way I see boxing staying around is if a batch of new fighters come out of nowhere with amazing skills and shock the Nation.

@ Soviet, yea I got alot of responses like that too sayin its been dead over a decade ago.

#15

No because Boxing has old money backing it.

If you’re gonna throw multi million dollar pay days at fighters for just setting foot in a ring, the demand will always be there. Those MMA guys deserve more, but as it stands how the system is for MMA fighters I doubt we’ll ever see them getting boxers pay checks.

#16

If only they fought street fighter style with gloves dipped in broken glass.

#17

I doubt the majority of fans watch MMA just because it has “more violence”…

Boxing is a lot worse for your health/well being anyway.

Not gonna go any further since I’m not trying to start a MMA vs Boxing thing…

#18

Boxing is rotting away but it’s still preferable to the sloppy punching that’s rampant in MMA. I guess it has to be wild since they have to avoid take downs but still. MMA is safe in comparison to boxing. Getting hit by a guy who has been throwing punches 3/4 of his life or a guy who has been wrestling/doing jujitsu 3/4 of his life is a big difference.

#19

Its never gonna be as big as it used too, ill tell you that much…

#20

Without talking about specific fighters and for those that do not follow boxing.

Boxing is not dead, maybe in America, but not international. The glamor division, Heavyweight, the Americans don’t own it anymore. Taditionally, boxing always has a strong heavyweight division with an American champion that transcends the sport (Joe Lewis, Rocky Marciano, Muhammad Ali, Mike Tyson, etc) . Americans used to have the best amateurs and would have the best success at the Olympics creating future pro boxing stars ( Oscar de la Hoya, Sugar Ray Leonard, Muhammad Ali, etc). Americans are not successful at the highest level amateurs anymore.

Boxing is popular as an international sport drawing many fans in Germany, UK, ( in Europe, overall +50k fans fill soccar stadiums). The consensus for number one fighter pound for pound in the world is Asian. The heavyweight champion is two Eastern European brothers with no equal. Mexican & Latin American fighters still rule the lower weight divisions.

The US has had a very rich history in the sport, Sugar Ray Robinson, muhammad ali, Mike Tyson, Sugar Ray Leonard, de la Hoya etc. But, the Americans lost dominance in the Olympics and in the pros. Boxing is doing fine, just not in America.