Why isn't boxing attracting young fans anymore?

Look at it in context. Given the relatively poor training methods and organizations there -- and the subpar infrastructure - they've produced some outstanding fighters.

Now imagine if they had access to the quality of facilities, training programs, trainers, sparring partners, etc. that boxers in the U.S. do.

Peace.

 

If we COMPARE it to the UFC, an organization surpassing boxing's numbers, we see that they know how to develop personalities. They have FREE tv shows which are really ADS for the sport, just like boxing was on free major network channels before.

UFC and the sport of MMA have EVOLVED, boxing seems to STAGNATE in the sense that prospects are only put in harm's way when they already have "arrived", therefore QUALITY are far and few in between.

How many elite boxers are out there today? How many quality fights can there be made between them? In the answer is the explanation of why Tito can make yet another comeback for a reasonable amount of money.

How many elite fighters are there in the UFC? Not as many as boxing IMHO, but they are constantly fighting each other to PACKED houses and to millions at home.

Boxing is a GREAT sport that needs a new PARADIGM, not so much change in the rules per se but in it's ORGANIZATIONAL and MARKETING structure.

 

The oversaturation of PPV's has damaged boxing a lot. Cards that would barely have made Tuesday Night Fights a decade ago are offered on PPV. And they are way too expensive.

The lack of a good heavyweight division is another thing. If we had heavy's with the skills of a prime Tyson, a prime Holyfield, Lewis, Bowe, or even the curiosity factor of a George Foreman, you'd be amazed how the rest of boxing would fall in line.

Too many sanctioning bodies. Way too many.

Terrible undercards. The overwhelming majority of boxing PPV's have a main event, and then a bunch of fights most people don't care about, or don't watch.

And I think one of the biggest things right now is the lack of a likable, english speaking superstar. Fans loved Sugar Ray Leonard. They loved Oscar. They loved Tyson on his way up. The loved Foreman. Right now the best fighters are Manny Pac, who's english isn't the best, and Mayweather, who is a douchebag. Boxing needs a star that can transcend the sport.

TFK

 

Vazquez-Marquez I & II. Calzaghe-Kessler. Hatton-Castillo. Mayweather-DLH. Pavlik-Taylor. Mormeck-Bell II and Mormeck-Haye. Cotto-Mosley. Mayweather-Hatton. Vazquez-Gonzalez. Diaz-Diaz. Mijares-Arce. Williams-Margarito.

And if we factor in 2005 & 06, the list gets much longer.

Clearly, the elite facing each other more consistently is only a part of what boxing needs to grow again (though I think reports of its demise are exaggerated, it can't stay where it is either).

I do agree that certainly paradigm shifts in its organization and marketing are needed, though.

Peace.

 

Absolutely! :bears:

Somewhere else in this thread, someone talks about how poor a relation boxing was on US TV Networks in the early 1990's. Not so here in the UK- a whole generation of young men and women grew up watching Benn, Eubank, Watson and, just before ITV pulled the plug after Benn - McClellan, a young, fledgling Naseem Hamed. All watched by millions (15 million, or 30% of the UK population, watched Benn - Eubank II in the UK)...

Then ITV ran off, Sky (cable) TV came, and boxing went off and became a minority sport...

Thankfully, Frank Warren fell out with Sky at roughly the same time that Amir Khan won a silver medal at the 2004 Olympics and ITV decided that they wanted to play ball again. So they started showing boxing again. Hatton - Tzsyu and Calzaghe - Lacy were both shown on terrestrial TV in the UK and made both Brits 'stars'. Amir Khan, despite being a relative boxing novice, is better arguably better known in the UK than Manny Pac, Kelly Pavlik, Floyd Mayweather (before he and Hatton signed to fight) and so on. Because he is seen. By millions. On prime-time, Saturday night TV. For free.

And this is all you need to make 'stars': exposure. Just as the best singers aren't necessarily the biggest 'stars', so too is the same for boxing. The Pavlik - Taylor fight was a HUGE boxing fight/night, but most casual fans (in the UK, certainly) had no idea it was on, let alone who was fighting who for what.

You need people to see fighters often enough to recognise them, to empathise with them, to follow them, to love or hate them and therefore to keep watching them. When people do these things, they keep and maintain an interest. And interest creates fans.

Put boxing back on terrestrial TV, make the right match-ups and you need never have this discussion again...

MTF

 

PPV doesn't have that much to do with it. If it did, then try explaining the UFC's $40 ppvs 12 times a year. Boxing has given many many free fights on tv. Like I said before, it's the star appeal or the lack of that hurts the sport. Without the superstars, a sport will not appeal to fans. There are no charismatic great boxers out there like back in the day.

 

This is true enough, but surely the argument is cyclical- how can a boxer become a superstar if not enough people are seeing him (on terrestrial TV)?

Back in the day, the likes of Ali, Foreman et al were shown on all channels at all times because people knew them and wanted to see them on all channels at all times. Supply and Demand. Nowadays, most people wouldn't know (one of) the World Heavyweight Champion(s) if they passed them in the street.

Again, I can speak mainly from a UK perspective, but Hatton is a pretty famous boxer over here; he is successful (most would agree P4P top ten) and popular enough to drag thousands across the pond over to Vegas to watch him fight. I'm pretty confident that he would not have been in such a position (in respect of his following, anyway), were his fight with Tszyu not watched by millions on terrestrial TV.

I'm not saying that this is the only reason, but I honestly think it is the main one.

(that said, I still don't think things are as bad as the doom-mongers would have us believe)

MTF

 

My gut instinct here would be to say 'novelty value', but I am by no means expert on MMA/UFC and would not honestly feel capable of arguing this one too convincingly if pushed...

MTF :dunno:

 

soto/guzman

cotto/mosley

kessler/sloppy

pbf/odh

pbf/hatton

pavlik/taylor

jmm/mab

pacquiao/barrera

the only place the fights aren't happening is in the heavyweight division - and that's because suckers will watch them fight, "anyone."

 

UFC had an incredible year in 2006 with the ppv numbers and the rise of their population...ppv' numbers of 700K..1 million+..a few 500 k's...etc...UFC doesn't have much to lose..considering how much they pay their fighters..even if a PPV come back down to their usual 100-300 k's they will still be making a ton of money...

A fight like Cotto vs. Mosley should be on FREE network tv...NBC,ABC,etc..for the betterment of boxing. But a few people "promoters" need to think about helping the sport and not sucking all it's blood out...these promoters are already million plenty of times over..but they still want more..and more..and don't help the sport of boxing one bit.

Boxing needs to get back on network tv..and put up some good matchups. It can get on network tv..but if they show John Ruiz or Hasim Rahman fights..then it will fail...Cotto, Pacquiao, Litzau, Pavlik, J. Diaz, etc..exciting fighters need to be spotlighted...

 

Ummm...I had most of those fights in my post.

But I agree. ::

 

I think the number of superfights this year shows that boxing really has to get its act together if its to compete in sports and, sadly, entertainment.

Hopefully this trend continues but we do need something to happen in the marquee heavyweight division if the casual viewer is going to have their head turned.

 

UFC's #'s are dropping across the board.

 

The UFC fans are just more reserved about what they plunk their $40 on. The next UFC ppv with Rashad Evans vs Mike Bisping in the main event has caught a lot of heat from mma fans across the net.
The UFC is taking advantage of the fans I think by putting on garbage cards like these on ppv.
They need to make far better cards than this.

 

The heavyweight division needs a charismatic american bulldozer the ilk of a Foreman or Tyson. The interest of the sport runs through the heavyweight division.

 

correctamundo mr hanzy...:clap:

 

Fight for fight, the card is excellent. It just doesn't have a legitimate PPV worthy main event. But you can't call a card with 5 good fights garbage.

In spite of not having a real main event, it's a much, much better card on paper then UFC 77 was.

TFK