Isn't it possible the popularity of MMA has improved boxing viewership?

People generally discuss the UFC and MMA in general, as if it's a threat to boxing. But isn't it possible, or even likely, that growing popularity of MMA has increased awareness of boxing, especially among younger viewers?

 

Perhaps.

Im not sure the boxing viewership is increasing however. Maybe PPV, but that has a number of other factors to consider into that number as well.

 

Yeah. It's definitely difficult to attribute to MMA anything about boxing's condition as a sport. Maybe boxing's doing worse than ever, but not as bad as it would be if it weren't for MMA.

Still. It seems logical that MMA would help boxing at least as much as it may hurt it.

 

In Europe, boxing is more popular than it was 10 years ago.

People are all doom and gloom in America, but I've seen first hand in England people get into boxing that previously had no interest, a slight increase in coverage etc, even the Khan fights on ITV helped.

In regards to MMA, I have no idea. Given what I know about the MMA fan, they seem pretty ignorant and clueless about boxing, so I'm not sure.

It seems to me that more boxing fans watch MMA than vice versa.

 

In Colorado - it doesn't... not even close, the MMA folk not only don't care about boxing but are generally 100% ignorant of anything that makes boxing great. i don't know how that translates to the rest of the country or worldwide - but boxing is dying off here and it is being directly replaced by MMA.

 

Kind of the way it is here as well. I can't speak for the rest of Canada but i would suspect it's probably similar everywhere else other than Quebec.

 

What Hitman said certainly rings true. It seems to me the average MMA fan is utterly ignorant about boxing.

Where as probably 50% of this forum watch MMA too, I think the % of MMA fans that watch boxing is probably under 10%, if that.

 

I'm a boxing fan and the last fight I watched in full was Pacquaio/Cotto. Haven't really cared about anything else other than Pacman lately. I was an avid boxing fanatic in the days of young Trinidad, Oscar, Lennox, Tyson, etc. But now with only Pacman and that clown Fraudweather carrying the sport, I've lost almost complete interest in the sport. As for mma, I also don't give 2 sh*ts about anything other than Fedor's fights and the odd UFC. All that other bushleague mma crap on tv is useless. Just a bunch of tatooed part-time idiots with basic skills. Not my cup of tea.

 

MMA makes itself look so low-class and cheap that yes, inevitably, people find a good 4 rounder from the local meat-packers Union a refreshing alternative. I mean, how many more posing, fake-tanned, stupid tattoo-having morons with fingerless gloves and absolutely NO IDEA how to slip a punch are we going to have to tolerate?

Anderson Silva...I mean, would he even make it out of the first minute of the first round vs an Adamek or a Chad Dawson?

It's pathetic.

 

Well, like it or not,.. there are ways in MMA to stop even the most iron-chinned of boxer,.. the amount of weapons you can impliment in the octagon makes it all very interesting,...and the greatest fighters in MMA are generally the most well rounded, none of them are ever strict boxers, you cant afford to be,.. besides which,.. almost every fight I've ever seen involving a boxer verses a Kick-boxer,.. the boxer get's his arse handed to him. Plus,..I know it was your treacherous ancestors, in ancient gaelic times who sold the village out to the Vikings.

 

:dunno::dunno:

We couldn't have sold it out. There was nothing worth buying.

 

http://www.boxingscene.com/?m=show&id=25297 <-- I'd be stunned if you weren't excited or refreshed. The author oughta replace the word 'stale' with 'pale' though, it's long overdue.

 

Michaelus Grantus Secundus HAIL HAIL

 

Victavius! Victavious!! Vicious Victavian Victavious!! ALL HAIL!!! HAIL VICTAVIOUS!!!

Christ...it seems every fuck with a 200+ bench press and a sub 10% body fat count is the next this-that-and-the-other, all these slobbering flabby white middle aged dudes need to get a life.

 

:shit::shit::shit::shit:

 

I disagree Irish-man,..for I am a white american patriot, who longs for the days of old, I like to prove that I'm "not your typical white racist" and will actually use my white camouflage to bring down the regiume and become celebrated with cheers from the minorities because that's what I suspect they want, more racism,....... which makes me feel different and special for the first time in my life and besides which, I am sexually stimulated by an interracial domination fetish.

 

yes.

 

I wish that the UFC would show boxing KO clips when their guys are lying on top of one another for a minute or more.

That being said, a friend of mine at work has gotten interested in boxing after realizing that the MMA standup game isn't as entertaining. The standing up/boxing part of the MMA game is what most people tune in for.

 

http://boxrec.com/list_bouts.php?human_id=152826&cat=boxer

To be fair Dawson wouldn't last a minute in a cagefight with Silva either.

 

This is why we love MMA! Ya feel me?

 

This is also why we love MMA! Even though Roy Nelson has top notch Ju Jitsu, Dana White was disgusted at this dude winning the TUF and wiping out several guys in the process.:laughing:

 

#Darragh Maloney should stick to Sport@7, its more his weight division, altogether.

 

It is possible, I suppose, but in all honesty I don't know a single, solitary person who I would class as an 'MMA Fan' outside these boards. I probably know more than anyone I know about UFC and whatnot and I don't know a fucking thing about it.

MTF

 

I think the reason for that is because MMA does a great job marketing itself to the young fan, where boxing doesn't. I think the average MMA fan who is also a boxing fan was probably a kid when Ali was nearing his end but was still huge, when Sugar Ray Leonard was a household name, making 7-Up commercials, when Mike Tyson was the baddest man on the planet, etc. The average MMA fan who knows nothing about boxing is probably younger and never got to experience those boxing highwater marks as a kid.

Plus, boxing doesn't market itself in a way that kids and young people will be interested in. A young kid listening to a curmudgeonly Larry Merchant is the same as a young kid listening to Walter Cronkite. Your grandfather may have loved it, but that doesn't mean the grandson will.

The UFC is definitely marketed towards a younger audience since their shows are full of cheesy generic metal music with fast paced highlights, and are aired non stop on Spike, which airs shows like the Video Game Awards, Manswers, 1000 Ways to Die and Professional Wrestling. So if you're watching those shows, you're seeing ads for UFC. When a 30 second spot that crams in 20 devastating KO's is playing with loud music, adult males 18-35 are gonna pay attention.


TFK

 

Yeah he would. He would time them coming in and then destroy them.

 

Good post - every word of it is true imo

 

you think Dawson would time Anderson Silva as he is coming in to take him down and destroy him?

i do wonder if we will ever see a top flight boxer get in a cage with a top flight MMA'er. It would be fascinating to watch. Maybe once the wage structure in MMA gets adjusted it would be worthwhile for some boxers to try it.

As of now it's all pretty sad - guys like Ray Mercer, Frans Botha, etc.

Did Arlovski have his boxing debut yet? how did that turn out>?

 

This would categorize you squarely in the non-fan section of both sports.