In my experience it seems European fight fans appreaciate clenching by a boxer significantly more than American fight fans. Many seem to view it as any other defensive tactic. Is this right and if so why the regional difference.
.......................I think the degree to which "regional styles" play a part in boxing is wavering a bit now. Like every other aspect of life, the boxing world is becoming more homogenized and the difference in styles you used to see more (aka, the "typical stand-up British boxer" for example) are going the way of the dinosaur. As far as appreciation of a given style is concerned, I believe the euros view a boxing match as........well, it seems silly to say, but as a sport. Tactics play into sport of course, and can therefore be appreciated and applauded. Americans have always looked upon a boxing match as not sport but war. Subtle tactics are lost to the guy who just wants to see an MMA style beatdown, which is all the U.S. general public wants to see. Having never lived in or even seen europe, I may be completely offbase there, but I'm just going by what I see on televised matches from around the world.
Even that MMA mentality can be categorized into a particular segment of US society. I feel like there are people out there who do appreciate the tactical aspect of the game, but in general, in a society that thinks stomping people out in a club with their friends is the best way to win a fight, you're on point.
There is something in that. In Germany nearly all boxers who were big are more of the cautious tactical type, Schmeling, Scholz, Maske, Ottke and at the moment more or less Wlad. Even though in the 90s Maske had direct competition in his weightclass in Germany in Graziano Rocchigiani and Dariusz Michaelchewski who both fought in a much more offensive and attractive way than Maske those weren´t as big. Maske revived boxing in Germany which was dead in the 70s and the 80s. And yeah, boxing is here seen as a sport and not as much as entertaining than in the USA.
