Is Boxing Dead?

General Discussion
#21

2009 was a good year for boxing, but 2010 is another story. I think dead is a strong word for the situation but it’s definitely in some decline.

  1. Not enough exposure to Boxing. Back then you use to have ABC, CBS, NBC showing fights on cable. Plus too many fights are on PPV when guys like Ali,Leonard, Hagler, Duran, Hearns would fight on cable tv most of the time. I remember Mayweather saying he wouldn’t mind fighting on cable tv, but doesn’t look like that is happening.

  2. A lot of athletes are going somewhere else to make money so there isn’t as much talent now. Why get punched in the face when you could go to the NFL(could be as bad as boxing), NBA, NHL, or the MLB.

  3. The top fighters don’t fight enough. I want to see Mayweather fight 3 times a year instead of just 1.

I probably forgot other points, but I think exposure is the biggest issue. There’s a lot of good fighters out there that don’t get enough press.

#22

If the klitchko brother fought each other maybe boxing would get some attention. Other than that, we need real heavy weights. Nobody gets too excited to see a bunch of 145lb mexican guys slap eachother every now and then.

Where are our heavyweights btw? I have not heard of a real heavweight fight since one of the klitchko’s beat down Lennox, and before that it was like, Lennox vs Tua.

#23

boxing isn’t dead and most people that claim to have “moved on” were never really into boxing that much to begin with. just as evidence, ESPN shows boxing once and sometimes twice a week as does versus and other channels, but people are talking about they can’t ever watch boxing on cable…HBO has at least one high profile boxing after dark card a month as does showtime.

i was actually just talking to my boy today about the dawson fight and paul williams, boxing isn’t dead. oh and this should prob be in the boxing thread.

#24

Mayweather seems to bring boxing back everytime He goes on a rant on HBO…

I think Him and Pac would revitalize the sport but after that…

#25

Pacquiao’s already in office and some congressmen here have already stated that they’re okay with him skipping the sessions dealing with the national budget. Then again, would you really want Pacquiao involved with a nations budget?

#26

Manny is afraid of Floyd don’t get it twisted.

#27

I think that this generation of physical fight fans prefer MMA over Boxing. Both because they’re not educated on the ins and outs but also because they didn’t grow up with it like our parents did when it was the only sport to watch.

I hardly believe boxing to be dead though. The fans of the sport are very dedicated. Also, unlike many MMA fans who will watch on TV but not pay for shows, boxing fans are willing to fork up $70+ per major show without batting an eyelash. Considering major boxing shows draw 1 million buys, that’s serious coin we’re talking about. It will be a long time before boxing dies out.

#28

lol, that’s exactly what I was saying.
I dont think boxing is dead, but I do miss the days of big PPV fights and shit like that.

#29

I would have to say that it is partially a direct result of the boxing generation/fanbase being a little older overall. Which means most likely they already finished schooling/have a stable professional job etc. and can afford 70 bucks for a show. I dont think many college students would fork out $70 for a PPV.

#30

I’m Either At A Restaurant Thats Showing A PPV OR In An SRK Thread Thats Passing Around Links To The PPV…

#31

Boxing is lipping IMO…but its not IMO because of MMA.

It’s the boxers themselves just aren’t charismatic and good enough to match - anymore.

The only boxer worth watching from an average person’s perspective is Floyd…who’s not a ‘knockout King’…

There no longer a Tyson, who would just take people apart in the first road, and then spit all those insane quotables…

The entertainment of boxing is just gone…and thats what made the sport such that you’d have PPV parties. I hate Maywethers attitude, but thats what gets me to watch…I appreciate him fighting in…pink…leather shorts…:rofl:

  • :bluu:
#32

Boxing’s not going anywhere. 2009 they sold a record amount of pay per views. more than the Tyson era. And you people are talking about it like it’s going away. Listen, MMA is bringing a lot of people into the fighting scene. You have martial art movie fans, pro wrestling fans, amatuer wrestling fans, nonteam sport fans, Tekken fans, etc starting to pick up on MMA. Every time an MMA fan gets truly dedicated to MMA they also become partially dedicated to boxing, or at least the mechanics of it, because it’s important. That’s one of the reasons showtime brought in the MMA promotion strikeforce. To bleed that audience towards their super 6 boxing tournament.

Not only is boxing not really on it’s way out, but as long as MMA grows, hardcore MMA fans will keep one ear towards the boxing world. That helps everyone.

BTW, boxing is mostly staying a float in places like south america, southeast asia, and western europe where wrestling (hence MMA) has less of an influence. Boxing is an institution in those countries and it will be decades before those areas let boxing go. MMA thrives in the US. Boxing thrives everywhere else. Boxing will do fine. They just gotta adjust their business model a bit.

#33

I watched boxing for years as a kid, but eventually I just moved on. I still appreciate a good fight from time to time, but I have just seen too many fights where one fighter DOMINATES the other only for the decision to go to whoever was touted as the chosen one at that time. (Not that this doesn’t happen in the UFC, but it is MUCH more frustrating to watch a 12 round battle end badly for the real victor.) I still do enjoy watching boxing on ESPN classic and I still do boxing training from time to time, but I am not nearly as into it as I was when I was younger. I have never paid for a boxing PPV, but it might be because I never have a hard time getting a few guys to throw money down on a MMA event, but to get a few people willing to do the same for boxing is quite a bit more difficult.