What happened to Boxing?

[Smartie]

Hi.

When Boxing was the hot thing ,I wasn't alive or aware of it.

Last Night I watched the new movie "The Fighter" and I asked myself the thread's title.

Well it seems that some time ago boxing was the topic to talk and the sport to watch.but It seems that all of a sudden there's none of that heat left in it.

So to The guys who have been a fan at that time or know about the stuff :

Is it because lack of good boxers?

Is there any thing against this sport that has stopped people from being a fan?

Is it because success of MMA or even wrestling?

Is there any new limitations (something like the PG stuff that has happened to WWE) which has stopped people from liknig it?

Or boxing is still alive and as hot as before and I'm just misunderstood?

Sorry if , It's done before , but the question just popped in my head.

Thanks.

 

[Ace Sleeper]

It's not dead at all, it's just lack of star power and good fights that would attract viewers. It's still one of the most viewed sports on premium TV, but it's losing steam. Everyone seems to complain about no good heavyweights, and that the judging is messed up. Those are the two main complaints I've heard. If boxing was really dead like people claim, you wouldn't have nearly as much attention as boxing has on Pacquiao vs Mayweather. That's one of the hottest discussions in contact sports right now. And honestly the judging thing is bogus because there will always be messed up judging in a contact sport, because people are bias and have different views on fights.

I'm a much bigger MMA fan then I am of boxing, but I love to catch boxing when it's on. I honestly hope boxing can keep attracting viewers, gaining more and more popularity, and keep getting viewers. Boxing has been around for hundreds of years, it's not gonna die out any time soon, it's just the change in viewers. You have so many options today and a lot of people don't choose boxing.

You're not wrong it's not as hot of a topic as when Muhammed Ali, George Foreman, Mike Tyson, Evander Holyfield, etc, were running the show, but there is still a very large viewing.

 

[Buffalo Dave]

Is it because lack of good boxers?

Definitely not because the lack of good boxers. There are a handful in each division that are really good. What hurts them is that they aren't exposed enough to get a drawing power.

Is there any thing against this sport that has stopped people from being a fan?

Well in America, the Heavyweight division is what ruled the market for boxing here. Ever since the Klitschko brothers have ruled the top of the division and refuse to fight each other to unify the belts, it has lost the interest in a lot people, that and anyone they face end up getting routed for 12 rounds or face a late TKO/KO.

Is it because success of MMA or even wrestling?

The success of MMA has plenty to do with it. Like Dana White likes to preach, it is the fastest growing sport. Plus with MMA you get to see some great fights 2-3 times a month. Whereas boxing it's every couple months that you see something big. For the longest time I was just a boxing fan, until a few years ago when I tuned into MMA and have been hooked ever since, basically only watch boxing for the biggest fights of the year. Another reason why I think MMA is thriving over boxing, is the marketing that goes into it.

Is there any new limitations (something like the PG stuff that has happened to WWE) which has stopped people from liknig it?

No there isn't any limitations on it.

Or boxing is still alive and as hot as before and I'm just misunderstood?

Boxing is still very much alive. I don't think that your're misunderstood. People just aren't into as before. I know boxing still does very well Mexicans/Puerto Ricans, African Americans, and some Europeans. Guys like Pacquiao, Mayweather still draw huge numbers in PPV buys and attendance. Of course if these two do ever meet, you would see record breaking numbers in all categories. I think the back and fourth of failed negotiating over the past 2-3 years, has also hurt the sport. A lot of people believe once this fight happens that there will be nothing left for boxing, but I feel different. I think once it happens it will spike people's interest back into boxing again. But the ongoing stalemate has also turned people away from the sport.

Thank God GameRage isn't here to rip peoples heads off

 

[Slyfox696]

Boxing has two major problems. Poor organization and it's boring.

Poor organization

There are too many "World Championships" in boxing, and there is no "company" which runs them. In MMA, you have UFC, the company which promotes itself and its fighters. But more than that, they make the fights. Look at the Mayweather vs. Pacquiao situations...there is no way those two guys would both be in the UFC and not have fought by now. Each fighter in the UFC takes fights they are given, or they don't work for the company. With that kind of organization, and the ability to put on the fights fans want to see, not to mention a product which retains familiarity, it's easy to see why boxing doesn't come close to competing with MMA right now.

Oh, and there are WAAAY to many weight classes.


Boring

Let's face it...boxing is boring. Perhaps that's a poor choice of words...the better way to say it is that boxing does not appeal to today's ADHD viewership. People who watch sports and TV today need constant action, and if they don't get something to hold their attention every moment, they go watch something else. Boxing is very much a technical sport, when done correctly, but it doesn't produce the same instant gratification MMA does. A similar example would be the loss of popularity baseball has suffered to the NFL. It used to be that baseball was America's past time, and now the NFL rules the roost.



For boxing to ever become a big thing in America again, it needs what the UFC has done for MMA. It needs a stable and visible organization to run events and host a stable of fighters. It needs no more than 8 weight divisions. It needs one World Title to step away from the pack and be seen as THE world title. And finally, it needs an influx of characters as fighters who are exciting to watch, especially at the heavier weight divisions.

I've said it a million times about wrestling...fans want to see the big guys. And boxing hasn't had them in a while, and if someone can create a UFC type company for boxing, and find guys who are entertaining at the heavier weight divisions, then boxing can move it's way up the sports ladder again.

 

[Super Hans]

I agree with your NFL analogy Sly, but then again thats only in America, boxing is still the most popular combat sport in the world and will be for a while yet, with the growth of MMA(especially in America) the gap is closing. Over here boxing is still very popular with local cards being shown every saturday night and the big cards from America being shown also.

What America needs is a great white hope in the heavyweight division as this is the marquee division in the states and it is being dominated by Europeans. It is no secret that America is going through a lull in big time boxers that not only capture the imagination but are also any good. Make no mistake, the casual fan is being lost to MMA as the action is so fast paced but Boxing still has a very big core base of die hard fans.

I also agree with you about the amount of organisations in boxing, these greasy bastards will sanction any 2 fighters as long as they get a backhander from the boxers promoters, it should be back to the 70s and 80s where there were 2 organizations (WBC and WBA) now it is just so condensed with (WBO, which alot of British and German promoters use to get an easy route to a "world" title and IBF with which the Africans do the same and dont even get me started on the champion "emiritus" and "super" champions, then you have IBO, WBU and all those other no-name organizations that have "world" champions, all of this is designed for one thing and that is sanctioning fees for these paper titles. So yes, you can see where im coming from with the organizations.

Boxing however does have superstars Mayweather/De La Hoya in 2007 broke all PPV records and smashed the buyrate record that was previously held by Tyson/Holyfield 2, Manny Pacquiao has had over 6 million buys combined for his last 5 fights and if/when may/pac happens then all records will be smashed again, Anderson Silva/GSP/Fedor could only dream of being on the front cover of Time Magazine.

In closing yes Boxing has some major flaws and it needs alot of cleaning up, but we are doing fine and if people dont appreciate the sweet science and find it boring then when they switch over, someone else will just come in and fill that vacuum.

 

[Calderownz]

Is it because lack of good boxers?

Is there any thing against this sport that has stopped people from being a fan?

Is it because success of MMA or even wrestling?

Is there any new limitations (something like the PG stuff that has happened to WWE) which has stopped people from liknig it?

Or boxing is still alive and as hot as before and I'm just misunderstood?

1. No. There are tons of great boxers. I'm a huge boxing fan and could name several boxers that are good and even bordering on great. You like knockouts? Look no further than Sergio Martinez-Paul Williams II. Both are good fighters. Martinez might even be considered great when it's all said and done.

You like tacticians, then you can check out Floyd Mayweather, Andre Ward, Juan Manuel Marquez, before he retires. Lol.

Exciting fighters? Manny Pacquiao. Carl Froch. Endless, really.

2. To an extent, I'm sure. But, it's not really the reason it's not as big as it once was. UFC fans were hardly ever REAL boxing fans. They were casual fans. Which is fine. All forms of sports/entertainment need casual fans. True fight fans would love both MMA and boxing, and if they enjoyed wrestling, they'd keep watching that as well.

I enjoy all three. Boxing and wrestling more so than MMA, but I enjoy all three. However, you'd have to say that with more PPVs during the year, boxing is bound to suffer as it's run differently than UFC/MMA and wrestling is.

MMA in America essentially boils down to UFC, so they stack the cards. WWE/wrestling is the same way. Boxing has a host of promoters, therefore, they have less chance of stacking the card. Not to mention that boxers get paid MUCH more than MMA fighters do on an average, and wrestlers as well. Therefore, it'd cost more and they'd have to hope for bigger buyrates in order to consider the card a financial success. So, it's risky.

3. Somewhat. It's nothing new. However, with more coverage, you see some of the questionable decisions that would often times get overlooked when you were lucky to read about fights happening in other areas of the country/world.

Questionable decisions do hurt fan interest.

Also, due to more coverage and more money on the table, you need build up. That takes time. With time, it means that popular fighters fight less. Back in the day, fighters would fight 5 or 6 times a year, easily. Now -- unless you're a rookie -- you fight MAYBE twice a year. With a gap of about 5 or 6 month in between the fights.

Fans also seem less able to get over a fighters loss. Once a fighter loses in boxing, you expect the fighter to be nothing. Whereas, one of the best fighters ever (if not the best) Ray Robinson had somewhere around 20 professional losses when he hung 'em up for good.

So, it's a few things. However, the core boxing fans are still there and will continue to be there.

4. Boxing is still alive and VERY well.

Boxing has someone who just met with the president of the United States in Manny Pacquiao. He's a congressman in the Philippines. Crossover star in so many ways. Floyd Mayweather can also generate 1 million buys with only his fight as the selling point for the PPV. You also have guys like Miguel Cotto and Juan Manuel Marquez that can bring in buyrates of 500K and 200K, respectively, virtually on their own.

Around the world, the boxers are even bigger. Wladimir Klitschko, the heavyweight champion of the world can sell out 60,000 seat arenas in Germany. He's paid 15 million a fight, regardless of the opponent.

Amir Khan in England sold 10,000-15,000 tickets in one day for a fight with Paul McCloskey, a man most fight fans hadn't even heard of.

Lucian Bute, an Armenian born, Canadian based boxer (also a solid fighter) can sell out arenas north of the border in a matter of days, filling 20,000 seat arenas.

A young contender coming up in Mexico named Saul Alvarez, undefeated, is selling out arenas in Mexico at a Julio Cesar Chavez-esque rate.

So, the sport is a lot hotter than people think. Especially internationally. Even in America, however, things are picking up with the Super 6 tournament and the emergence of Timothy Bradley. A great fight is coming up on 26th of February on HBO, Nonito Donaire VS. Fernando Montiel. Should be a really good fight between the two best Bantamweights in the world.

Another problem is that the weight divisions have multiple champions. Different sanctioning bodies confuse casual fans. Simply way out of that? Ignore the corrupt sanctioning bodies and go with The Ring Magazine champions and nothing else.

Hope this helped sort some things out.

Actually, the Montiel-Donaire fight is tomorrow. Not next Saturday. Sorry about that.

 

[Dark Horse]

Is it because lack of good boxers?

As was well noted by Calderownz, no. There is plenty of great talent in boxing as we speak. I think one thing to take into consideration as well, is that the sport of boxing spans the whole globe, it's not like there is an NFL, NBA, or UFC for that matter to just present these fighters to you. I am sure there are some great fighters out there in other countries than folks like myself here in the U.S. haven't even heard of. Without the exposure, it doesn't matter if you are good or not when no one knows your name.

Is there any thing against this sport that has stopped people from being a fan?


Slyfox said something that I want to build off of. He said boxing in boring because it doesn't deliver the instant gratification of MMA or other sports and in a sense that is true. I don't think that boxing is boring though. I think that people just aren't educated enough in boxing to appreciate what goes on in the ring. If you don't know what you are watching and can't relate to it, it's a lot harder to be drawn in.

In MMA however, when one guy tackles another guy to the ground, or sits on top of them pounding their face, what is there to comprehend? Anyone can understand that. Getting into the more technical aspect of MMA it is also not a stretch to comprehend when two guys are struggling for position and seeking submissions, you can relate to that, you can pick up what is going on much easier than when two guys are in clinch, or seemingly just standing there throwing a couple punches here of there. It looks like nothing much is going on, but in truth a great deal IS going on, it's just more cerebral than physical. Boxing is like chess, where MMA is more like roulette and I know most people would rather play roulette than watch a chess match.

Here's a fact for you to further answer this question. There are 76 different sanctioning bodies across the world in Boxing. That's 76 different organizations, with 76 different recognized world champions through out each weight division. Do that math, that's just too much. Imagine if there were 76 UFC's, each one with Champions throughout the divisions, it might be hard to buy some of them as real champions. There are only a couple that are really prestigious and credible, but still, there are too many sanctioning bodies, and the sport does need to be better organized. I think part of the problem however is that you are then trying to organize the entire world under one banner which is not as easy to do when you already have so many.


Is it because success of MMA or even wrestling?

Definitely MMA's success has taken a gouge out of boxing. People look at one and see slower action with less contact and think "this is better than that" when viewing MMA. I don't really think one is necessarily better than the other, but they are completely different and demand different things of their athletes. You also have to look at how well MMA is marketed in comparison and how readily available it is compared to boxing. That makes a big difference. Marketing is EVERYTHING, that is why corporations spend billions of dollars on it every year. Boxing used to be on TV all the time(remember Tuesday, Wednesday, Thursday, and Friday Night Fights anyone?) That's not the case anymore. ESPN shows a lot of old stuff, but rarely shows live events featuring major or minor league fights. So, once again as I said about the talent, it doesn't matter if it's good or not when no one is seeing it.

Is there any new limitations (something like the PG stuff that has happened to WWE) which has stopped people from liknig it?

Not at all. The last time anything was really changed in the manner you refer too was when the total amount of rounds any fight could be scheduled for was reduced from 15 to 12 in the 80's.

Or boxing is still alive and as hot as before and I'm just misunderstood?

Globally Boxing is still the most popular and respected sport that exists today. MMA has had a reluctant stint of popularity in the U.S. but that is not a reflection of the rest of the world by a long shot. To most of the world MMA is just the term attached to "Cage Fighting" to legitimize it. I don't think that's quite the case, but plenty of others seemingly do or you'd have thought MMA would be a bit bigger around the world by now as it is in America. You also have to take into consideration that Boxing has consistently set, met, and broke all the PPV records as well. It's just not the mainstream "Thing" right now. I think it is really just kind of a fad waiting to die out. I don't think it will ever disappear by any means, but I don't see it enjoying the success it has over the last 7 or 8 years in the long haul. Boxing has been around since before the first Olympics and in the days of the Gladiators, I'd say it's hung in there pretty well and isn't going anywhere. MMA is still a very young sport and we have yet to see what kind of staying power it will actually have.

 

[ITurnGirlsGay]

Boxing has two major problems. Poor organization and it's boring.

Poor organization

There are too many "World Championships" in boxing, and there is no "company" which runs them. In MMA, you have UFC, the company which promotes itself and its fighters. But more than that, they make the fights. Look at the Mayweather vs. Pacquiao situations...there is no way those two guys would both be in the UFC and not have fought by now. Each fighter in the UFC takes fights they are given, or they don't work for the company. With that kind of organization, and the ability to put on the fights fans want to see, not to mention a product which retains familiarity, it's easy to see why boxing doesn't come close to competing with MMA right now.

Oh, and there are WAAAY to many weight classes.

Actually, I think your above statement, while I see what you meant by it, is completely false in terms of the UFC. Jon Fitch and Josh Koscheck are, arguably, the 2 & 3 WW's in the world and Fitch was ready to jump divisions if Koscheck had beaten GSP because he refuses to fight a teammate. Those Black House fighters will not fight each other.

Rashad will not fight Jon Jones, Anderson said he will not fight Machida. All those AKA guys will not fight each other. More often than not two guys at the top will meet, but the way you're phrasing it is off. Fighters refuse to fight each other to Dana White's face all the damn time and nothing happens.

This trend is actually spiking upward and happening more frequently now than in the past. It pisses me the fuck off. All of these fighters are joining super camps and refusing to fight one another and there's nothing Dana can do about it.

Presently there's three camps that are the absolute fucking worst at telling Dana who they will and will not fight.

American Kickboxing Academy

Black House

Jackson Submission Fighting. (It should be changed to Jackson Decision Fighting, but that's for another day)


I've said, time and time again that Dana needs to put a stop to this shit or he's going to have a huge problem on his hands when UFC fighters start acting like boxers. Hell, props to the Overeem brothers who actually said that, if it came down to it, they would fight each other in the Grand Prix.

 

[Toxs]

Mexican boxers that win big time fights.

Oscar De La Hoya is the biggest PPV draw in the history of PPV. He isn't a great boxer, doesn't KO people left & right, and he doesn't put on a boxing clinic. He beat a waaay out of his prime JCC and ran with it.

Bob Arum tried banking on Margarito until he got killed by Mosley in the ring and plaster outside of it.

Dana White's been trying to promote a Mexican fighter since Ricco Rodriguez back in the day and he's finally got one (that wins) in Cain Velasquez.

 

[Tech N9ne]

I myself believe it has to do with the Heavyweight Division. The whole division is trash and the 2 biggest fighters (Champions) are brothers that say they will never fight each other.

I think people like to watch the lighter weight classes too. But whoever was the Heavyweght Boxing Champion of the world used to be considered as the baddest man out there. The lack of star power in the division that defines the sport leaves a gaping whole in Boxing in general and also turns a lot of people away without any real relevance.

 

[Miko]

Boxing's not going to fade out or anything, in fact as proved in posts above it's still as strong as ever.

The thing is, it just seems there arent any fights that set the world on fire any more, certainly in the Heavyweight division, you've got the robot brothers cleaning house on a bunch of nobodies, which is what most of them are, refusing to unify their 4 or 5? belts, basically being *****. David Haye can go and win a Heavyweight Title without fighting either of them, then they all go round ducking each other, it's pretty pathetic.

Too many belts, not enough class fighters to go stretch them out, honestly think boxing's been in a coma the day Lenox Lewis fucked up Vitaly (Robot #1) and then retired.

The lighter divisions are good, although I think that there are far too many weight classes, it's just that there isnt a fight that I can really motivate myself to care about until Manny/Floyd, and that looks really unlikely.

 

[Toroc102]

I know that a lot of you are saying that boxing is alive and well, but I say it is alive and ailing(atleast in America).

If it can't capture the interest of the casual fan then it is definately going to lose out to MMA(UFC)in the long run. And it is not going to capture the casual fans interest if it keeps confusing us. I just looked on Mayweather's page and these are all the weight classes he's fought in: Super Featherweight, Lightweight, Light Welterweight, Welterweight, Super Welterweight. WTF? How much can possibly seperate those weight classes? 30 pounds? And those ae just the classes that hes fought in. And then to add to that you have like 7 different champions for each weight class.

Basically if boxing can't cut all the bullshit and dilution it IS going to die out(in America). The way I see it, whenever I try to talk boxing that conversation starts and ends with Maywether and Paquiao, whoever their fighting at the time, and when Maywether's going to man up and fight. Then the conversation turns to UFC, which usually has atleast 6 well known names fighting a month.

 

[wrestlingfan]

Not to sound racist or anything but Boxing after black fighters started to leave died, The Black fighters we've seen in history came in with their own gimmicks, personas and had heated rivalries but after they left pretty much Hispanics took over Boxing and they didn't come with all the in ring politics, boxing used to have. they just wanted to Box.

 

[Calderownz]

I know that a lot of you are saying that boxing is alive and well, but I say it is alive and ailing(atleast in America).

If it can't capture the interest of the casual fan then it is definately going to lose out to MMA(UFC)in the long run. And it is not going to capture the casual fans interest if it keeps confusing us. I just looked on Mayweather's page and these are all the weight classes he's fought in: Super Featherweight, Lightweight, Light Welterweight, Welterweight, Super Welterweight. WTF? How much can possibly seperate those weight classes? 30 pounds? And those ae just the classes that hes fought in. And then to add to that you have like 7 different champions for each weight class.

Basically if boxing can't cut all the bullshit and dilution it IS going to die out(in America). The way I see it, whenever I try to talk boxing that conversation starts and ends with Maywether and Paquiao, whoever their fighting at the time, and when Maywether's going to man up and fight. Then the conversation turns to UFC, which usually has atleast 6 well known names fighting a month.

While I see what you're saying, it's not that difficult to work through all of this. Worry about the most respected championship policy. The Ring Magazine. It's not that difficult.

If you're looking for stars, you have to delve into the sport. Honestly, no one knows most of these new MMA stars outside of the sport. Some casual fans, but not casual entertainment fans, which is what organizations thrive for. You're not going to know boxers until you do what you're willing to do with MMA, delve in.

 

[Toroc102]

Thats kind've crazy though, the fact that I have to go to a magazine to figure out who the real(or "respected" or recognized")champ is is a problem. You aren't going to get casual fans that way, I know its not hard, but it takes effort. I mean for one thing, I'm not a big boxing fan, but I consider myself more knowledable than most, and I've never even heard of the mag,(or I forgot).

Also, I looked on the list of current title holders on wikipedia and neither Meywether or Pacquiao are on it. I mean talk boxing anywhere(okay, USA) and Meywether/Paquiao is first thing to likely come up. Aren't they champs, how are they not somewhere on that list. Also wikipedia says the mag is currently owned by Golden Boy which seems shady to me.

Anyway, I've been around for a while, I can tell when times are changing. Boxing is not what it used to be and mma just keeps getting more and more popular. If MMA keeps getting more and more popular than the kids are going to start wanting to practice MMA and not boxing(I think Jon Jones is the first true exmple of this, the first MMA prodigy). 15 years ago he would've been the next big boxer.

 

[Calderownz]

Thats kind've crazy though, the fact that I have to go to a magazine to figure out who the real(or "respected" or recognized")champ is is a problem. You aren't going to get casual fans that way, I know its not hard, but it takes effort. I mean for one thing, I'm not a big boxing fan, but I consider myself more knowledable than most, and I've never even heard of the mag,(or I forgot).

I'm going to assume you've forgotten as the magazine is incredible respected within the sport. Also, that the only way to be sure of just about anything. You gather information from a source one way or another unless you watch the sport on a very regular basis.

Also, I looked on the list of current title holders on wikipedia and neither Meywether or Pacquiao are on it. I mean talk boxing anywhere(okay, USA) and Meywether/Paquiao is first thing to likely come up. Aren't they champs, how are they not somewhere on that list. Also wikipedia says the mag is currently owned by Golden Boy which seems shady to me.

Sometimes, the best fighters don't have championships. Mayweather retired with the Welterweight championship and then came back. However, in order to retire, you must vacate. Standard in all sports, usually. Pacquiao moves up and down the weight classes, so he doesn't stick around long enough to win titles. He also vacated the 140 pound title to head up to Welterweight.

Golden Boy is very fair with the rankings and the magazine. While their website can seem biased I suppose, most of the champions are not Golden Boy fighters and the top contenders aren't, either.

Their top p4p fighter is with Top Rank (Pacquiao). Mayweather is number two and he's relatively a free agent. Sergio Martinez is with Lou DiBella and he's number three.

Out of the 17 divisions, The Ring has only one Golden Boy fighter as champion. Juan Manuel Marquez at 135 pounds, which is easily deserves. Aside from that, they have no other champions and in the divisions that have vacant titles, they have no number one guys. (You could make a case for Donaire, but he's still technically with Top Rank.)

Anyway, I've been around for a while, I can tell when times are changing. Boxing is not what it used to be and mma just keeps getting more and more popular. If MMA keeps getting more and more popular than the kids are going to start wanting to practice MMA and not boxing(I think Jon Jones is the first true exmple of this, the first MMA prodigy). 15 years ago he would've been the next big boxer.

Boxing and MMA require different skills. Jon Jones would likely get beaten by the top boxers, even if he were to have stuck with boxing his entire life. MMA was his calling, not boxing. Which is fine. You could say the same about top boxers.

Boxing is still a significantly bigger sport all over the world than MMA is and will likely continue to be that way. In America, it's always had ups and downs. When the biggest and best boxers come out, it still outsells MMA. Mayweather-Marquez, a glorified tune up, killed UFC in head-to-head sales.

I like both sports. I prefer boxing. But, regardless, boxing isn't going anywhere. Especially not globally.

 

[ITurnGirlsGay]

You can justify boxing any which way you want, but it's second banana to MMA. Try as hard as you want to justify its state, but boxing is dying. Nobody cares. Championships are all over the place while MMA is becomIng more and more unified under one banner; UFC. People can say what they will about UFC becoming a "monopoly" but it's much healthier than having 7 champs in the same division.

 

[JGlass]

I was talking to a co-worker about this the other day, and he swears up and down that boxing still makes more money than MMA, though I find that hard to believe.

I think boxing's major problem is there is no sort of continuity feel about it. Every time you hear about a big match it's just two guys who are near-legend status facing off for the first time. Nobody is ever fighting for a shot at the championship, or the championship, or anything more than a huge payday. Additionally, there are about a thousand different boxing federations and they all have their own titles and whatnot. It's too confusing and overwhelming.

MMA, on the other hand, has UFC, and that's the only one that really matters. There's a definite feel of continuity as you have legendary rivalries, guys competing in matches that will shape the future of their careers, and even the casual fans care about guys who aren't at that near-legend stage yet. There is one championship per weight class, and the PPVs and big fights come on a regular basis.

UFC is just kicking the living crap out of boxing from a business standpoint, and I don't see that changing anytime soon. If the UFC hasn't overtaken boxing as the highest grossing combat sport in America already, it will very very soon.

 

[Toroc102]

"I'm going to assume you've forgotten as the magazine is incredible respected within the sport. Also, that the only way to be sure of just about anything. You gather information from a source one way or another unless you watch the sport on a very regular basis."

Well thats why I think their needs to be some type of organization out there, you know, no sport can survive with such dillution. I mean, really they can't work something out to cut the fat? I'm assuming that this is a big money problem because the bg names wouldn't be making bank like they are if they were tied down to one org like the UFC.

"Sometimes, the best fighters don't have championships. Mayweather retired with the Welterweight championship and then came back. However, in order to retire, you must vacate. Standard in all sports, usually. Pacquiao moves up and down the weight classes, so he doesn't stick around long enough to win titles. He also vacated the 140 pound title to head up to Welterweight."

But I haven't been able to keep track of championships for years, the only thing I know for sure is that Klitschko is the Heavyweight champ(don't know which one)and I've never heard of him being in a fight. Why is that btw. Do they not show his fights in the US?

"Their top p4p fighter is with Top Rank (Pacquiao). Mayweather is number two and he's relatively a free agent. Sergio Martinez is with Lou DiBella and he's number three."

Even then, man I don't know being champion is important, I mean this isn't the WWE you know. The best fighters should be champ. We need something tangible for them to be fighting for. Then again I looked at the p4p and it looks like Paq is 4 different kinds of champ but they never seem to mention that when he fights.

"Boxing and MMA require different skills. Jon Jones would likely get beaten by the top boxers, even if he were to have stuck with boxing his entire life. MMA was his calling, not boxing. Which is fine. You could say the same about top boxers.

Boxing is still a significantly bigger sport all over the world than MMA is and will likely continue to be that way. In America, it's always had ups and downs. When the biggest and best boxers come out, it still outsells MMA. Mayweather-Marquez, a glorified tune up, killed UFC in head-to-head sales.

I like both sports. I prefer boxing. But, regardless, boxing isn't going anywhere. Especially not globally. "

My point wasn't that Jon Jones would or wouldn't kick butt in boxing, I'm saying that I really haven't heard of many up and coming fighters coming out of boxing, then again I'm not sure how man people knew Jones before he became champ so I probably should have left that point out.

Anyway, I'm not saying boxing is ever going to die or stop being popular, but I do think that it is as popular as it is going to get and I do think UFC will eventually take over. Its only been a few years and its already competeting with boxing this well just wait until the next generation of kids that are raised on UFC start coming up. On top of that UFC isn't even regulated in New York yet(NY isn't going to hold out forever is it?) so UFC probably still has a long way to go till it reaches its ceiling.

 

[Gregor_Samsa]

The politics involved in boxing has weakened the sport. The feuds between promoters, the abundance of sanctioning bodies and they're myriad of belts, the contracts with TV networks all fueled by the intrinsic greed of businessmen who could give a shit about a good fight have gone to make sure we don't get the fights we want.
It's not the only reason, but it's the most annoying one.

 

[EffinSaySo]

I found this article on another site:

>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>

According to ESPN the Magazine, UFC heavyweight fighter Brock Lesnar made $5.3 million from fighting in 2010.

Lesnar is getting paid huge money to crush his opponents in the ring - and that's because when he's fighting on a UFC event, it's virtually guaranteed to be a blockbuster success.
In 2010, Brock Lesnar joined Mike Tyson as the only fighters to ever draw over 1 million pay-per-view buys in a single year. Tyson actually did it three times in 1996.

While Lesnar's heavyweight annual income looks great, it pales in comparison to boxing champion Manny Pacquiao who took home a staggering $32 million in 2010.

On the surface, this looks boxing look like a far more lucrative sport for potential fighters to get into. By that standard, guys like Lesnar, Georges St. Pierre should be making much more than Lesnar made in 2010. MMA promoters argue that MMA has dozens of fighters that make over $500,000 a year, while there are only a handful of boxers making big money.

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For the best in boxing, there seems to be more $$$ potential than being the best in MMA even with MMA having more popularity than boxing at this time.

 

[Loveless]

I've been over this before but there are 2 root causes that are ruining boxing.

1. No Official Control
Because there is no official controlling force looking over the future of the sport, the vultures set in some time ago setting up their own organisations, belts, champions, rules etc. That made it ridiculously difficult to organise anything bigger than small fights. It also lead to multiple world champions, which damages the credibility of everyone.

2. Too Many Weights
40 years ago there was maybe 5 or 6 weight divisions, each with 1 champion. Today there is 17 with at least 4 moderately respected belts in each. Besides the credibility issue I've already mentioned, the major problem that too many weights has created is that the talent is now spread too thin. Instead of having at least 4 great fighters in each weight division, they're now being split up.

And I'd just like to add. Fuck MMA, unskilled thuggery.

 

[wrestlingfan]

I've been over this before but there are 2 root causes that are ruining boxing.

1. No Official Control
Because there is no official controlling force looking over the future of the sport, the vultures set in some time ago setting up their own organisations, belts, champions, rules etc. That made it ridiculously difficult to organise anything bigger than small fights. It also lead to multiple world champions, which damages the credibility of everyone.

2. Too Many Weights
40 years ago there was maybe 5 or 6 weight divisions, each with 1 champion. Today there is 17 with at least 4 moderately respected belts in each. Besides the credibility issue I've already mentioned, the major problem that too many weights has created is that the talent is now spread too thin. Instead of having at least 4 great fighters in each weight division, they're now being split up.

And I'd just like to add. Fuck MMA, unskilled thuggery.

Unskilled thuggery? Those MMA fighters train and know real martial arts, the reason they don't do the common martial arts we see in dojos, and TV is because the whole point of UFC and MMA was to find out which martial ar would be effective in real life and frankly, throwing a bunch of spinning kicks,yet effective could be time consuming and fatal in a real life situation.