Will 15 round title bouts ever return?

I hope they do but I doubt it.

 

At this point that toothpaste isn’t going to be put back in the tube.

You’d have to rewrite probably every commission rulebook in the U.S. and maybe in the world as well as those of the alphabet sanctioning bodies.

There’s no upside to changing it — as far as making the sport more popular or any way that it produces more money for the promoters, etc., so there’s no incentive to change it.

 

No chance at all, I’m afraid.

 

No, and I do not really see the benefit of it.

 

There is a better chance of fights having a ten round limit than the limit moving back to 15 rounds.

As you know boxing use to often have fights of 20 rounds or more. In general, 15 rounds became the standard limit for a half century and now it's been 12 rounds for more than 30 years. As long as fighters still get hurt and die there is no reason to think the 15 round fight will return.

 

There is no reason an experienced (at world level), active, well-conditioned fighter cannot engage in a 15 rounder. All the alphabet organizations converted to 12 claiming safety reasons. And that's true, but not for the reasons they would admit. The real reason is because with so many money-pocketing sanctioning groups out there, they are fully aware they will be sanctioning some 10 fight novice into a title fight, who not only has no chance but clearly might get injured. When I first got heavily into boxing, not only were world title fights 15 rounds, but so were British, Commonwealth and European title fights. I'm not suggesting national or continental fights be returned to 15. I think they should stay at 12 but true world title fights be returned to 15. And the only way to do that would be to shake out the carpet of all those alphabet organizations. Again, years ago, a world title fight was absolutely treated like royalty. Today, big deal. Every fight is for a title. Man, you would see boxing return to mainstream media and you would see competitive 10 rounders with all contenders now vying for that elusive shot at a world title. And the contender that made it would be ready for a 15 round fight after competing with the world's best to get there.

 

It is a pity that it won't ever happen, i mean who wouldn't of wanted to have seen Barrera/Morales, Holyfield/Bowe, Estrada/Gonzalez, Marquez/Pacquiao, go 3 more rounds ? i feel like fights like this needed 3 more rounds to separate them.

 

No there too dangerous. The more boxers that get brain damage the more people get put off boxing. So overall it will damage the sport as well as the athletes.

 

Hope/wish they would but alas it will not happen, those days are in the distant past.

 

No, unless they somehow agree to shorten each round to two minutes instead of three. That'll make room for three additional rounds.

 

15 x 2 minutes ?

 

Not coming back and not worth it.

 

I would go this route. 15x2 for Championship fights. 12x2 for Eliminators. 10x2 for most others. I know that's a minority opinion, in 2022.