AJ loss: end of the boxing "fad" for casuals?

Exactly, there is a lot of clamour for the rematch.

 

Never mind replaying Pokemon Red and Pokemon Blue: I replayed Joshua vs Ruiz only yesterday.

 

“RUIZ CATCHES JOSHUAAAAA”

 

A decent thread from the OP
Well done and one that's hugely relevant and im in agreement in that the tides possibly turning
Lets hope not as a more casual fan base will always provide more opportunity for us as fans and the two guys squaring off

 

There was loads of of folks in my work talking about aj getting beat by fatty ruiz. He has literally never been the talking point in my office after one of his fights.. Not even klitschko. They may not have watched the fight live but on the Sunday and Monday every man and his dog was talking about the ruiz win. That's just what I experienced.

 

I’m not 100% what happens ticket wise if it happens in Cardiff, but the rematch will break the British PPV record.

If he loses, it’s big trouble for British boxing.

 

People have been "casually" watching boxing on TV at the weekend and talking about it at work during the week since TVs were invented!

The OP should be grateful he wasn't a hardcore internet boxing expert when Eubank and Nas Hamed were on ITV in the 90s, tens of millions of people watched and discussed those fights in a casual manner. You would have been raging!

 

Are casuals even that bad? Without them the sport would struggle as it needs their interest and money. Any successful boxer will gain a casual fanbase over time, Joshua just did it faster because he got a lot of exposure and, let's face it, he was wiping people out with explosive highlight reel KO's fight after fight, winning World Titles very quickly and continuing his KO streak. People may question the opponents but stack it up against any of the other active heavyweights at the top now and it isn't half bad at all.

 

It's because Joshua was the full pr package, knockouts, humble act, good looking and muscle bound so the girls get moist over him, brand friendly, mates with celebs, constant Sky Pr machine, it's a lot harder to sell the likes of Whytes

 

I dont agree that you cant be popular with the casuals if you lose as a HW

Look at Frank Bruno he was knocked out 4 times, and still going into that McCall fight had big support and won the title

The nation was behind Bruno his entire career

However there wasnt a plastic PR tinge to Bruno, there most certainly is with AJ. AJ doesnt talk or act in front of the camera anything like he does in real life.

You need to be authentic and real to catch on, and stay popular with the casual fans.

 

Agreed. A big part of his marketability was about being unbeaten.

That’s not to say they can’t create some sort of redemption narrative if he wins.. but the way they’d marketed him to date means a bit of shine has come off now he has lost in my opinion.

 

Whilst I agree the World is a completely different place now, that era didn't have the internet, social media, as many papers and magazines and everything else, there wasn't endless YouTube analysis videos dissecting every second of everything Bruno did and there were no forums calling Bruno a pudding for being knocked out 4 times!