Back before boxing was a niche sport. Back when the HW champ was the baddest man on the planet and feared by all. No one has that same respect for guys like Fury, Wilder and AJ as they did for Tyson, Ali or Holyfield. It’s so sad. Watching highlights of guys like Foreman, Tyson and Liston made me a boxing fan. As I felt the aura and fear they imposed on those surrounding them. Now we see too much of the boxers and there constantly winning on social media about contracts purse bids and what not. They all make excuses they all duck each other and none of them are feared or respected like the old guys were. And then I watched an Eddie Hearn interview the other day about how times are tough and he’s struggling to sell tickets. Times are not tough! You’d sell plenty of tickets if you made half decent fights. Calzaghe Vs Roy Jones Jr took place during a depression for goodness sake and they still managed to sell out! But according to Eddie, Fury Vs Chisora hasn’t even sold half of the available tickets! Absurd! A HW title fight can’t even sell half of its available tickets! How has this sport I love gone so far down hill?
I know what you mean. Back in the day even the lesser lights of boxing were well known. Nowadays even half the champions' names don't mean anything to a lot of people. Back in the sixties Britain had a heavyweight named Billy Walker. Everyone knew who Billy was and he did n't even win the British title.
Me too. It's not a bit like it used to be. The further forward in time I go, the more I miss the past. And its not even that long ago, when the sport was still healthy, but Seems longer.
I know what you mean mate because I feel it too. The days of getting up in the small hours of the morning to listen to,or even watch in comparatively recent times,the likes of Ali,Leonard,Hagler,Tyson etc,feel like a lifetime ago. I can't imagine doing the same for any of the top guys now.
Loved watching all the great heavyweight fighters starting with Ali then Frazier,Foreman,Holmes.Tyson,Holyfield and Lewis.After that it all fell apart for me, found both Klitschko boring.Thought things would pick up when we had Fury,Joshua and Wilder but sadly only two of them ever met.Now we have the ridiculous spectacle of Fury v Chisora 3 in which i have no interest in seeing.Sad state of affairs
too many Weight Divisions too many Belts too many Sanctioning Bodies too few Fighters too many of lesser skill, fight or fitness in them too few Qualification Fights, i.e Contender Eliminators too Few Fights in a Single Career... too many 0's, against, "So What!" too much Hype too much Hype too much Hype and Most of all -TOO MUCH Bull Crap, B.S, blatant Lies, Hype and Protection... Yes Boxing and Boxer's once meant something!
Feels like a life time ago, Stevie. I remember doing that, for the Tyson v Spinks fight. Setting the alarm for the early hours, buzzing to hear it. Lol
Oh what you don't like your Heavyweight champions, giving deadlines on social media acting like a clown, and retiring every other week ?
Also got up for that fight Fergy.Remember waiting ages for them to sort out who entered the ring last,then it lasted under two minutes.
It's like @Stevie G and @thistle said regarding amount of classes and champions out there. How is the sport different from when everyone on the streets of Britain knew who Billy Walker was but today could not name a solitary heavyweight? The answer is over-saturation. The greedy people creating all these sanctioning bodies and weight classes and champions couldn't give a damn about this sport. The only thing on their mind is lining their pockets this very minute. Once the carcass that was once a proud sport is done, they will move onto to feast on another sport like the parasitic creatures they are. The over-saturation I was referring to is the fact that once you have convoluted the sport to the point where the hard-line fan can no longer follow it - let alone the man on the street - it begins to fray. Which boxing did when mainstream media such as the newspapers stopped coverage. Then slowly the networks stopped coverage (gone were Wide World of Sport, CBS sport spectacular and NBC Sportsworld), then the cable channels stopped (USA Tuesday night fights, ESPN Friday night fights, HBO). Too many champions and too many weight classes. I could name the champions and their top contenders in every weight class when I got into the sport and I could also name British, Commonwealth and Euro champs. I could barely name a few today and that has nothing to do with my memory. You just can't follow it. I've told this story before, but once more for the subject matter. In January of '73 we were all in the living room doing whatever and the TV was on. The announcer suddenly broke in on the show that was on, the way they would with an assassination or something. Anyways, the announcer said, "We interrupt your regularly scheduled program with a sports bulletin. George Foreman knocked out Joe Frazier in the 2nd round to win the heavyweight championship of the world. We repeat, George foreman knocked out Joe Frazier in the 2nd round to win the heavyweight title. We now return to your normally scheduled program." We all looked about the room at one another with mouths open. We all knew who they were and what just happened. Can you imagine that happening today? Everyone would just shrug their shoulders and go back to doing whatever they were doing. Maybe one or two might say, "Who's Deontay Wilder?" or something to that effect. I weep for the sport.
Neatly laid out, and on point, you speak for lots of like minded posters. caught Del Boy on youtube the other day, since when did boxing talk descend into obscene language concerning mens gentiles ? disgusting, but sadly popular, it's all the pikey Fury family seem to think about. It seems like another planet when you see and hear HWs speak politely and respectfully about an upcoming opponent, for years now its seems to be about how many swear words the can cram into a interview, the insults, table throwing, mock anger, helpers holding them back, when I was young it was the wrestlers that did all that fake crap, unfortunately modern day fighters engage in a " who can be the most outrageous " so boring, so juvenile, wish it would stop. stay safe guys.
Its sad. They fight so many non ranked ring magazine fighters and each other. What’s next, a third fight with old Chisora? Yep.
