Top 10 reasons behind decline in boxing

I have a different take- Boxing is a sport that is passed through the generations, usually from a father to his son. We have a serious problem (specifically in our inner cities) with single parent homes, which is usually mom. If no one is around to take a kid to the gym he's going to find a school sport to do, or get in trouble. Let's also face the fact that boxing has almost always been (in the u.s.) a poor mans game. You fight your way off the streets. Most kids would rather take the easy way out or play x-box or playstation.
This is just one idea, there are number of other valid points throughout the post.

 

I agree. Society has shaped a different way. Boxing is violent and violence is condemned more and more. And those who don't, want MMA "because it's closer to a real fight", but the can't see the beauty of boxing. People don't just want fastfood these days, but also fast-tv, and a 4 round MMA fight fits in better than a 12 round boxing match; whether that adds a great amount of strategic depth or whether the big MMA names lose to celebrities and journeymen everytime doesn't matter.

 

My thoughts

1. Boxings traditionally been a sport aimed at the working class. The last 20 years have seen boxing go from free tv to pay tv channels, like HBO in America and Sky in the UK, and when you add ppv charges for almost all big fights much of boxings fan base is being frozen out.

2. Less poorer people watching the sport and being inspired to follow their heroes equals less new boxers, as almost all boxers have come from poorer backgrounds. If they grow up wanting to be the next Alam Shearer not the next Nigel Benn, that's where they'll go.

3. With boxings visibility being reduced, it gets much less newspaper coverage, so many people have no idea when fights are taking place.

4. Not so much in other countries, but America offers college scholarships for sports, but not boxing. If a young talent is coming up now and is good at boxing and football, 99 times out of 100 he'll take football as it gives him much more in the way of propspects.

5. Even poor people have a better quality of life now than they did 50,60,70 years ago, and are less inclined to get hit in the face for a living.

 

Boxing should have the ring girls walking around topless and jumping for 20 seconds.

 

'If it doesn't make dollars, it don't make cents' - Kendall Holt on being asked to fight a certain opponent.

The fact that Boxing is a business first and foremost, and sport almost as an afterthought.

 

lol damn right

 

:rofl:rofl:rofl

 

Jim Lampley added this :shock:......"I'll go so far as to say that the talent pool for boxing is diminished by the fact that, in some areas where fighters traditionally come from, there's easy money to be made on the streets, dealing drugs and engaging in other criminal activity. The guy who works hard is considered to be a sucker."

 

Them sissies who say boxing isn't a sport/its barbaric etc don't help

 

Thats true.

 

Yes, good point also.

Basically, boxing is a hard living during a time when you can pretty much make a decent living out of even uneducated jobs.

An interesting related note: during the '30's, 40's and 50's, there were quite a lot of white American top boxers, as well as black ones. Living was really tough back then, and most of them went through or grew up during the great depression. After that, during the 60's, 70's and 80's, there rarely were white Americans anymore... Quarry and Cooney being the only ones. I think the better, more luxurious lifestyle made more of them get into "normal" jobs with boxing becoming more of a black man's thing. Now when Eastern European fighters are able to turn pro, we have a new inflow of talent because they live under similar shitty circumstances.

 

WBA, Valuev and Ruiz.