There's only one way boxing will ever be popular again

thats a revolutionary concept that no one's ever thought of noob.:roll:

 

Boxing needs some type of noncorrupt organization similar to how the UFC works that will insure the big fights happen, the 4 Major belts and their organizations can and should still exist but an organization that could push the way and stop the corruption would be great.

 

I always wondered how it would be possible to get rid of sanctioning organisations. There's no absolute major promoting force to have everyone under one group so how could total unification as in the UFC be achieved?

 

Yes, I do. And all I see is mostly obese kids.

Oh, yea ... and it's not just boxing, the same thing is happening to tennis, basketball, etc.

 

:verysad Disagree. There's no need for 4 ****ing title belts. It waters down what it means to be a champion in your division. Ridiculous idea to have more than one champion in any division.

 

thats an uneducated comment my friend.

how can you generalise about a population where a lot of people find salvation in boxing because it keeps them out of prison.

i don't think you realise how boxing is a lifeline to some people.

and as far as "less dangerous sports" is concerned - there's no point having longevity if you don't test yourself in life. and doing that makes you a bigger person for it.

for a lot of young people boxing is overcoming a fear to begin with. imagine what it does to their self-esteem and their world when they overcome that fear.

 

absolutely right.

 

Those are all comments of principle, they don't address what is reality; i.e., boxing is losing ground to safer sports that are seen as less dangerous.

 

Imagine the alternative though: 1 sanctioning body, 1 champion. Champion defends his title every 6 months. It could take years for challengers to work their way up the ranks and get a title shot. And suppose you lose 1 fight. Back to the bottom? At least with multiple bodies fighters get exposure in a suitable amount of time.

The problem is not too many belts but too much corruption.

 

but is that because boxing is a dangerous sport or because it hasn't been mainstream with a fighter on a par with tiger woods, say, to sell it?

your comment is also in principle because if a mike tyson re-emerged and ate the heart out of every human being put before him then, in principle, boxing would gain popularity.

i don't believe for a second that boxing is losing ground to safer sports because people will always have a morbid fascination with life-endangering sports.

when was the last time the indy 500 wasn't sold out on a live gate?

and yet indy drivers have rarely crossed successfully into formula one. infact, F1 drivers have used indy racing (generalisation) and sportscars to join a racing series where they can be more competitive.

 

I'd like to see HBO merge with WBC, and have WBC show all the elminator and Championship fights on HBO.

 

If Boxing can still produce entertaining fights for the hardcore boxing fans then boxing will be alright.

 

The problem is a bit larger and more complex than just to much corruption and to many sanctioning bodies.

Nearly every boxing promoter seems to be stuck inside a closed circle with no clue how to open or widen the circle. For example, when there is a big fight on the horizon, the press tour is usually a joke. Press tours usually consist of visiting 4 or 5 cities, and doing a press conference with the boxing media in each city. You're still inside the closed circle. You've done nothing to bring in new fans. Even Countdown and 24/7 shows do nothing to bring in new fans. Only boxing fans watch those shows.

Look at it from a different angle. What if you put Pavlik and Abraham on Sportscenter, Leno, Letterman, The Daily Show, Saturday Night Live, et. While they are there show clips of highlights from rounds 2, 3, and 7 of Pavlik/Taylor I, and clips of Arthur's fights with Miranda. Now you're selling a fight to people who are not boxing fans., and trust me, they would tune in.

New fans are the key.

 

Your post has gotten me to reconsider. I think you are correct, mostly it's related to charisma / lack of fighters atm who can sell the product. Cheers. :good

 

This is going to sound pretentious, but the 'problem', as I see it, is related to [un]intelligent fanship. Boxing is part of the entertainment industry and that's all it can be. Fights are made based on the amount of interest/money they generate. You can try to govern over it's integrity, but supply/demand forces will always win, that's why Communism will never work. While ever the market for Jones - Calzaghe is bigger than for Calzaghe Dawson, the likes of the former will naturally be made. The only solution is a more sophisticated fan base. Ultimately its the fans who determine, with their bank cards, the quality of boxing. Somehow boxing discourse has to be elevated such that the best fights correlate with the largest market share. How to do this, given that the majority of men are dunces and sluggards, I do not know. But unless this is the case, boxing will be at least 50% farce.

The sad fact is that it's the philistines who support the sport. It's similar in the film industry where all the megga grossing insipid products like American Pie earn the revenue that supports interesting films, which almost always flop.