What hurts boxing the most PPV,rival promoters, injuries from boxing, UFC, titles?

:amen

This also deserves a mention. We have such a devolution of boxing bodies that it makes it very hard to keep up with the sport and even harder for the casual viewer to attach any significance to its representative championships.

 

Ummmmm, I don't know about that one. I think you can contrast it with the rise of MMA :| and the general interest in different forms of combat/self defence from the late 90s-now.

 

Natural Athletes today are more inclined to participate in the superstardom sports such as football and basketball.

 

the main thing that hurt Boxing was when it was taken of off Network TV (ABC, CBS, NBC)

PPV also hurt it.

 

This might not be as big a factor as too many ppvs and titles, but I honestly believe you have too many manufactured fighter interviews. Nobody barely calls anybody out anymore. You get one of those "I'll fight anybody my promotor wants me to fight or puts in front of me.

Without people getting called out a lot of water cooler talk has dropped. Calling people out gets the ball rolling. It adds personality to the sport and we get to see something in a fighter besides him just fighting. People don't realize how important those 1 minute interviews after the fight are. When they mention a match up it gets you thinking or even the casual guy will even try to find out who that fighter is that he heard just being talked about.

 

I would say PPV first. At least this is the main reason people give me to not wanna watch it. Would you pay fifty bucks to watch a basketball, football, or soccer match? Next would be too many belts. But the first is the worst. Also, maybe the big fights should be on Sunday nights when people are already home rather than a Sat night when you are on your way out for a night on the town. You would have to already be a big fight fan to give up your precious Sat night, ie. your chances of getting laid, to stay home to watch.

1.) PPV is only for those already in love with the sport. No one else will pay it.
2)Too many rival belts.
3) Change the ****en day of the fight. (I'm surprised no one has thought of this one)

 

DLH is actually the last link to a bygone time, hence his popularity.

 

IMO PPV's gotta be a huge part of this.

sure the promoters beefing can mess up potential fights, or injuries can stop fights all together

and the 4 Alphabet belts dilude the talent a bit and make being a WBC world Champ seem pointless when there's still and IBF, WBO and WBA

but PPV is basically taking the biggest fights and putting them at a premium, "Pay xx amount or not watch."

how many other sports in the US can you say does that?^

 

This is the main reason imo. If it's not on network tv for the average joe blow to watch it's not going to be talked about as much. Back in the day they had the gillete friday night fights, and pabst blue ribbon wednesday night fights on free tv.

 

PPV, we are flooded with **** PPVs every month, and only 2 or 3 are worth it.

We also need a national boxing comission in the US.

 

In today's day and age though .. where there's already a good amount of sports on Network cable ... baseball, basketball, some hockey, plus college sports just to name a few

I really don't think boxing has the "big names" to warrant it being shown on ABC or NBC.

like outside of hardcore boxing fans who's gonna care to watch say Kelly Pavlik or Miguel Cotto

and outside of the hardcore boxing fans .. who would know Pavlik and Cotto? they are respectively just getting to Super Star Status in all fairness

**there's only 1 name IMO that could make it in Boxing on Cable, and that's still Oscar De La Hoya.

 

1a. PPVs

2b. Many sanctioning bodies

 

its a cycle...it will be back on top.

 

All of the above in the subject line are symptoms of boxing's decrease in popularity

 

many reasons, not in any particular order

PPV

Loss of network TV fights thinking everything is PPV worthy (used to have great fight every other Saturday so it seemed, only real special fight were closed circuit)

Pussification of America

Too many Divisions

Too many sanctioning bodies

Top fighters not fighting eo enough (see above)

Too many options in other sports (who wants to get punched in the head)

Internet/video games (also effect other sports, kids are sendentary), so they don't do sports like in the past, or even run around.

MMA and other sport options, for those that are not glued to the latest vid game, living vicariously (see internet/vid games above)

and other issues, like being on doc precribed drugs