Is Floyd And His Imitators Style The Reason Boxing Isn't A Mainstream Sport In The US

Maybe Floyd. Not his imitators though. Very complex style to master but comes naturally to Mayweather. Most imitators are just going to end up getting knocked out.

 

Boxing has always thrived when the Heavy weight division did ..That's why boxing's popularity suffered in the U.S

 

I put a lot of the reason why boxing isn't as popular in the U.S. as it once was on Muhammad Ali and his injuries/illness.

Ali was the most recognizable PERSON (not just boxer, person) on the planet and arguably the best boxer ever. And for the past 35 years, he's been stumbling around a shell of himself.

Whether the Parkinson's is a result of boxing or whether he would've gotten it regardless, boxing gets the blame.

And if that is what boxing does to the BEST fighter the U.S. has produced ... of course people aren't going to want to suffer a similar fate.

It's happening in the NFL.

The rash of CTE brain injuries has resulted in fewer kids playing football in youth leagues and in high school. Even hall of fame NFL players are saying they don't want their kids playing. And the really famous athletes haven't even suffered from it yet, let alone the biggest name the NFL has ever produced (whoever that might be).

Every time we've seen Ali in public over the last 35 years, people comment on what a shame he's in such bad shape ... and they blame boxing.

If Ali hadn't developed all his ailments, and the most famous person in the world had spent the last 35 years acting like George Foreman ... and calling fights, and hyping boxing, and coming back to fight the occasional champ (and winning) ... arguably things would be a lot different.

Instead, for nearly 35 years, Ali has been making people cringe when they see him because of how damaged he is.

I think the sport would be in better shape if things hadn't gone so terribly wrong for Ali.