Comments on: Boxing: a spent force? Or can we bring the romance back?

By: Andrew Evans

Andrew Evans — Thu, 26 Nov 2009 20:46:17 +0000

I agree boxing needs an overhaul, there are too many belts and which one is the real world champion. I think PPV is ruining it. I watched Amir Khan through his amateur career up until now and I have enjoyed all his televised fights but there is no way I am paying to view. I am a keen F1 fan as well but they seem to manage without PPV how come?

By: hasbeen

hasbeen — Thu, 26 Nov 2009 07:31:58 +0000

Boxing used to be a sport where the champs of each prospective division wanted to face each other and prove that they were the best. Title Unification bouts were the back bone of the sport. These were the fights that people would be talking about at work on monday morning. These were the fights that gave birth to more than a few of the great trilogies that people still talk about. Sadly Title Unification bouts are all most a thing of the past. These great fights that used to take place two,three or maybe four times a year have now been replaced by the so called super fights. Rather that provide the viewing public with bouts where the best are facing the best through out the year the promoters are perfectly happy to make a killing giving us one or two of their super fights a year. They point to the money generated and say that boxing in alive and well. Boxing is doing so well in the states that I have to go a tobacco store news stand to buy a ring magazine. I guess as long as the promoters pockets are full the sport is doing just fine.

By: testicularfortitude

testicularfortitude — Thu, 26 Nov 2009 02:22:55 +0000

cull readership by appealing to base and puerile human motivations…

By: testicularfortitude

testicularfortitude — Thu, 26 Nov 2009 02:01:14 +0000

Agreed, boxing needs major overhall and it must capitalize on the success and rise of a most compelling phenom in pacman who will soon retire. Boxing has an air of legitimacy and history world wide lacking in other combat sport and as such compelling stats and figures for endless debates and speculation.

By: testicularfortitude

testicularfortitude — Thu, 26 Nov 2009 01:55:57 +0000

@GH, well, you are right, I ‘ve been blocked so many times, and only the serious article and response…they may allow this one to go through

By: zee zee

zee zee — Wed, 25 Nov 2009 23:49:40 +0000

boxing is a spent force.

boxing can come back if boxing was on on bbc / itv

the heavyweights are dead, plus you have to pay to see boxing now. that sucks.

By: wayner

wayner — Wed, 25 Nov 2009 23:12:56 +0000

its true boxing has lost its luster i remember the good ol days of some sock em rock em robot action!! watch barrera morrales 1!!! where people really hated each other and left it all out in the ring now we see bad matchups bad decisions people waiting on a ton of money!!? and willingb to take a risk. with an challenger.. rated or not all these weight catches etc.. and ducking..opponents.. bring back chavez, tyson,holyfeild, hagler,delahoya,trinidad barrera,morales.marquez brothers, stevie johnson.tua,etc

By: Al francis

Al francis — Wed, 25 Nov 2009 19:20:21 +0000

i would have to disagree with this, dont get me wrong, boxing doesnt carry anywhere near the prestige that it used to, but by all accounts we’re in the middle of a real boom time on both sides of the atlantic.

David Haye generated 400,000 buys in the UK and HBO’s last 2 ppv’s in the states have reached over a million buys, boxing’s really got its act together over the last 2 years. And with buy rates like that the ppv market seems to be working just fine.

In both Britain and America all ppv stars are household names barring carl froch.

By: mike collins

mike collins — Wed, 25 Nov 2009 19:12:36 +0000

i agree, its like i wrote this myself

By: Guest

Guest — Wed, 25 Nov 2009 18:23:15 +0000

Great article.
Money is the issue in most sports nowadays.
Do you think Mayweather or Pacquiao would be waiting until next year for there possible bout if they were being paid what say Sugar Ray Robinson was paid? No chance, they would be in the ring tommorrow.

By: Guest

Guest — Wed, 25 Nov 2009 18:20:03 +0000

I hate it when I am randomly blocked from commenting on certain articles – especially when I have just written an essay on the subject matter.

By: nick

nick — Wed, 25 Nov 2009 17:04:11 +0000

great article pay per view is killing boxing along with greed by promoters and fighters only wanting the really big paying fights.also the big name fighters only want to fight once or maybe twice a year. boxing in the UK can bring in big viewing figures again if it goes back on terrestrial tv with good match ups. that way we can make our world and domestic champions into household names again.

By: DEL-BOY

DEL-BOY — Wed, 25 Nov 2009 16:25:57 +0000

good article i like watchin amir kahn but i have to agree he isnt pay per view material not yet anyways.I can understand why ufc is growing at a rapid rate the undercard is alot better in most cases than boxing ones and the big one if you want to be the champion of a division you have to fight the best no ducking oponents.

By: dean

dean — Wed, 25 Nov 2009 15:32:41 +0000

greed greed greed says the promoter !!! go back to having a few more fights on free tv to build up fighters names , so people know who they are .. it would be better for boxing as a whole ..does almost every fight have to be for a “title” ?? it is diminishing the sport ..20 or 30 years ago boxing was king ..some of us remember fights on abc and usa tuesday night fights ..we miss them ..

By: Daud

Daud — Wed, 25 Nov 2009 13:29:21 +0000

Great point with the pay per view thing. I remember when I was young watching the likes of Ali, Sugar Ray Leonard, and Hagler on ABC sports. That’s a free station you don’t even need cable to get. Try that these days. It would never happen.