It's at it's lowest ebb in the UK in my lifetime, I think. Not that this is anything to get hysterical about, it's still popular. Benn, Eubank, Watson etc etc.
Yeah it's nothing compared to what it was like 8,9,10 years ago. Even though I was young I still remember there being much more coverage. It seems to have died abit when Lewis retired
at a low in the US. No good heavies, most popluar fighters are from other countries, Hopkins and Jones are old, Mayweather seems like a jerk most of the time, no great white hype, hardly any good young prospects from the US either. Best thing the US has going is probably Andre Ward.
Bradley, Alexander? Korobov at mw - I know but he fights in the US? Boxing must get back on free TV again in the US and it would thrive again. I´m pretty sure of that.
They have a show called Broadway Boxing that showcases a lot of young talent from the US, but that's all that it is , is these young guys being showcased against taxi cab drivers and school teachers with losing records. It's very rare you get a good fight off that. Most of the guys that have been showcased have greatly failed from Broadway Boxing. Paulie Mailignaggi is the only one I can think of that has had a decent career from Bway Boxing. Others were Jaidon Codrington, Curtis Stevens, Dmitry Salita, and.... I can't think of too many others.
Yeah, greed has killed Boxing in the U.S. Fights that used to be ESPN material, are now suddenly on Pay Per View. Its really turning the American public off.
In the U.S. it's pretty much a dying sport. MMA has overtaken it in popularity by quite a bit. Not that there's a problem with that. From a quality/participation standpoint, boxing has been on the wane while MMA continues its rapid growth.
I'd say the sport is in limbo generally. In the UK it's not helped by fans actively encouraging the best fighters not to fight each other until both hold ''world'' titles. The same ''world'' titles that are basically ****ing the sport up.
^this. I'd like to add that I think the state of this sport to fans and participants is likely the opposite of how it is for the participants and fans of MMA. Boxers aren't as exploited and underpaid as they were a half century ago, and it isn't anywhere near as deadly as it once was but in turn it's not as entertaining for the consumer and not worth the price. MMA fighters from what I know are routinely exploited by Dana white and only make somewhere in the 5 or six figures, but the quality of entertainment for their fans is more rewarding as they get to see their favorite fighters fight more frequently and for much less than we have to pay.
I am colored by my own fuddy-duddy attitudes toward the modern game, but yeah, it's dying a death over here in the states. Bad, bad, state. MMA has totally taken over, boxing means nothing anymore. The part that bothers me the most is that boxing is doing it to itself.
