How do you know when Boxing is Dead?

Arriba seems to be on target with his posts in this thread, and I tend to agree with 90% of what he has said. I'm a huge boxing fan, like so many others on ESB it's hard for to admit the UFC stole alot of Boxing's thunder throughout the last 5 or so years, and like America's debt, it's steadily growing. I hate it is as much as the next diehard boxing fan, but it's just reality.

Boxing just needs better promotion, more characters, and less PPV fights. It should go back to catering to it's fans imo.

 

I don't buy any of that, I know UFC is a threat and is dominating right now but it's hardly threatening boxing into shutting down completely. Boxing is a historic sport and recently they opened the doors for female boxing in the olympics, the sport will remain here regardless. Some people seem to treat this as it's a WWE/WCW feud when it's not. Boxing doesn't represent UFC and if boxing does good then it does good for itself, UFC does good for itself too.

It's just that Dana White is using boxing to promote UFC, everything they do is copy/paste from boxing and the only smart thing there is they handpicked whatever they noticed is making boxing complicated and avoided it to look cleaner/neater when in reality it's just copy/paste.

This is a new type of entertainment being introduced, people will most definitely jump all over it especially when it's human chicken fighting and a street fight in that cage.

I remember a time when people were claiming WWE to be "threatening" to boxing, all that is nonsense. UFC loves to bring boxing up because they're nothing compared to boxing, boxing doesn't need to bring up UFC and won't bother to.

Only good thing from all this is how UFC is forcing the guys behind boxing to put on better/bigger shows and very soon, that's the only thing I like about it.

In the long run boxing prevails as it always did.

 

They don't represent each other but they definitely cross markets.

Of all the people I interviewed about it, only a handful (literally) where UFC fans before boxing. Over 75% of them (rough number) were boxing fans before they even knew what UFC was. When I asked if they liked both, almost all said no. The majority of them said they grew tired of boxing and UFC was better to them.

They certainly do cross markets.

Well that's just smart business. If boxing is ****ing itself up the ass, you're a bad business man if you don't point it out. If boxing has terrible judging, you can say "Well we don't" and people upset over the judgement of boxing will jump ship.

Boxing and Wrestling are two different markets. For one, one is Sports Entertainment where as another is a legit sport.

We're talking about two sports here.

As for boxing not bringing up UFC, It's because boxing is hoping that by ignoring it, it'll go away. It doesn't behoove Showtime boxing to mention MMA because...well for one the network shares time with MMA. Likewise on Versus.

HBO doesn't mention MMA because it wants it on its network...and the two have been close to shacking up (UFC and HBO) on a number of occasions.

Which is a HUGE step in the right direction. We still need more though, namely the elimination of certain name organizations and reviews when it comes to judging, changing the rule book in ways and etc etc.

I don't DOUBT THAT. My point is UFC IS taking fans from boxing...and if boxing doesn't fix itself, it'll be fighting the momentum of the best marketing machine in all of sports not named The Dallas Cowboys, New York Yankees or LA Lakers.

 

MMA is great for anyone and everyone who ever wanted to watch two grown men roll around on the floor together in their underwear.

 

I hear what your saying, but the WWE has always been on boxings side and they are not even up for comparison IMO. One is about as fake as Pamela anderson's tits, the other is a combat sport where two men competitively inflict pain one another, and the matches aren't predetermined.

The UFC is a threat, when boxing gyms are closing around where you live and one in particular is now replaced by a fight club/MMA gym, one has to worry. I use to train in that gym growing up, so it hit home for me scar. I know I'm not the only big city this has happen to either. The youth is jumping all over the UFC, it is no longer the cool thing to say "I want to be heavyweight champ when I grow up". Like when I was a kid, watching the Tyson's and Holyfield's of the boxing world. Where is the star power now Scar? All we got is Pac and your boy Mayweather, thats it.

 

Not really.

I guess when people get exposed to other fighting arts other than boxing, when they are younger, they become more open and receptive in watching and enjoying MMA fights.

Personally, I'm not a big fan of wrestler/grappler types, although I still find their style interesting enough. I like watching the muay thai/karate/stand up boxing strikers better.

If you watch the UFC today, you'll notice that the "rolling around" isnt as "bad" as it was some years back, when ground and pound was the dominant style.

Most top MMA fighters now have good striking skills, and it results in longer stand up fighting and KOs.

 

The Texas decision of Malignaggi/Diaz is what's killing boxing. Pauli was clearly cheated!

 

Can't argue with anything there as it's true but I'm sticking with my prediction of this "sport" fading away in the long run. Boxing always stood strong despite threats similar to that.

 

Damn, I didn't know it's going as far as boxing gyms shutting down and replaced with MMA ones. That's some disturbing stuff. :twisted:

 

Well, to me UFC is dead. Why? because I don't give a damn about what's going on even though I know some fighters and have watched fights. People can say whatever they want about boxing dying or being dead. I see it live and well and that's why I enjoy it. :good

 

boxing wont die - i think people will tire of mma in a couple of years

i used to watch it as well but cant be bothered because

1) half the fights are boring cuddling on the floor fights
2) no stars in the game and the ones who are dissapear quickly
3) i dont care enough to have favorite fighters so i didnt care who won

boxing will live on cause of its superior history
new fighters will emerge from other parts of the world - e.g pacman, chris john and will be built into national boxing wars
if america has some stars soon then they will all get back on the gravy train
and some animal will come and clean up the heavyweight scene and we'll all have an orgasm (as when tyson did)

 

Want to know why boxing is failing....
Friday night comes around again, I have my Pizza on the TV tray a 6 pack in the cooler, settle down to watch Friday night fights(insert any other boxing show here),
1st fight, I crack open a beer and listen to the pre-fight info , young prospect 10 wins 10 KO, looks decent, opponent 2 wins 8 losses, lost his last 8 fights, has 2 wrapped bum knees, is 45 yoa, has not fought in 3 years and took the fight on 2 days notice...(I',m gritting my teeth at this point), so the bell rings, Mr prospect waltz's across the ring, does a little dance and slaps the poor unfortunate standing there off his feet....OFC he stays down....
Now repeat this for the next 3 fights, with minor variations, and my fight nights over. My wife used to watch the boxing with me, my cursing at the screen(silly I know) has gotten so bad she cant stand to be in the same room.
Stupid ABC titles , god knows how many weight classes in what seems like 1lb increments resulting in probably 250 plus world champions, many of them who have hardly faced an A grade opponent.
Boxing has to be ENTERTAINING, all else aside, good competitive matches have to be made, and the fighters when they get into the ring have to fight....as in throw punches and really try to hit their opponents.
I would change the judging on all fights to reward aggression and penalize running away, this may upset some boxing purists , but if boxing wants to survive and prosper, and not end up as yet another fringe sport ( like table tennis or scrabble) something has to change.

 

Yes, it's always sad to me when a long standing boxing gym closes, but it's even worse to find out a MMA gym replaced it. It's kinda like finding out your girl cheated on you, then later find out it was with your best friend, which makes it all the worse.

I love boxing, but I have seen it's popularity drop a whole lot throughout the years. I remember sitting in highschool, everyone talking about the Tyson/Lewis fight like it was the superbowl of sorts, and for boxing it was. Yes Tyson was no longer the killer he once was, but he was still the main attraction. No longer do have a captivating figure such as iron mike, yet we must settle for aging superstars (Hopkins, Jones), to fill some of the void. I just hope things improve, if not we may just see more boxing gyms being closed and the youth continuing to suck the MMA dick.

 

Why do certain people keep saying "boxing will live on because of its superior history?"

I think ya guys are missing the jones here, the idea isn't for boxing to just hang around. We want boxing ON TOP at all times. People who say "It'll live around because it's been here longer!" seem fine with the notion of boxing being around as second fiddle or being fine boxing is around even if the sport doesn't change.

Part of the problem with boxing is that it DOES rest on its laurels way too much and acts like things are fine the way they are because they've been this way for houndreds of years. Boxing as a sport will never die in any of our eyes. Boxing as a business?

Ya know when happens when businesses get fat n happy.