Is boxing a dying sport?
November 20th, 2011
By Dominic Sauboorah: Throughout the 20th century boxing was considered to be one of the biggest attractions in the history of sport. Not just the fact that thousands of people from around the globe had the opportunity to witness two warriors clobbering one another in a somewhat barbaric and even inhumane fashion; however there is a more in depth reason.
Ever since the new Millennium, boxing has gone through some drastic changes. We don’t have as many flash or brash boxers in the ring. We are lacking in someone like a Sugar Ray Leonard, who would throw large and ridiculously quick combinations, a Marco Antonio Barrera, who would have that typical Mexican spirit by taking a barrage of punches and then refusing to go down and a Muhammed Ali, who brought a style of fighting that only he could emulate. His influential truffle shuffle changed the sport of boxing for decades. Despite this, boxing is a dying sport. The main reason for this today is due to the pre-fight hype, whereby boxers simply aren’t living up to the expectations that they set themselves as well as the fans.
There are far too many boxers who are “all bark and no bite.” One perfect example could be the Grudge Match on May 21st, 2011 between stable mates George Groves and James DeGale. The fight was scheduled to take place at the 02 Arena, London and there was a serious sense of animosity between the two boxers. Both were constantly slating each other off in somewhat immature yet entertaining fashions. Both Groves and DeGale, immaturely and unrealistically, predicted that they would win the fight within four rounds. Many pundits and fans from around Britain expected a tear-up; however would they expect the pair of them to respect one another? No. In fact the total opposite. Many were expecting anger and serious determination to play a big part in the fight between two men that appeared to show a vast amount of hatred for one another. Groves was quoted as saying “After I beat him, it will end James’s career.” Slightly ironic. James DeGale now has an up and coming European title fight. I wouldn’t exactly call that ending a career. Nevertheless there’s no excusing James DeGale as he said “you’re going to see the best James DeGale, guaranteed” and yet he loses. Now as far as I’m aware if you lose a fight, then you clearly weren’t at your best. The main fact that both fighters predicted that they would blow each other away within four rounds was simply a lie. The reason the fight was deader than a funeral service was down to only one of the fighters and that fighter is ‘Saint’ George Groves. Now to call him a ‘Saint’ is slightly bizarre in my opinion, due to the fact that you normally associate that term with honesty and good heartedness, yet pre-fight time he was extremely antagonistic towards James DeGale, mocking the way he boxed and was even quoted as saying that James DeGale will never beat me.” Fortunately for George Groves he wasn’t criticized after the fight, instead he was announced Best Young Fighter of the Year for 2011. Unfortunately the majority of the wider public were oblivious to the fact that Groves promised a tear up and what did they get? They got George Groves running around the ring like a sissy school girl. He fought like a coward. Like someone who never had the courage to fight with that sense of pride. A fighter, who simply couldn’t live up to his own hype. He said he would go toe-to-toe with James DeGale and from the word go you could sense that DeGale wanted a war to commence, yet George Groves never allowed for that to materialize. He isn’t a fighter, he’s a business man. He wanted to get the job done. He did that. He won the fight fair and square. Too bad he made himself out to look like a complete fool when he promised to go into the trenches with DeGale, yet decided to give the fans a sneak preview of him training for the London Marathon. He relied upon hype, hype that he failed to live up to.
Floyd Mayweather Jnr. Despite his undefeated record and the fact that he’s considered to be one the best pound-for-pound fighters on the planet, his pre-match hype has rarely lived up to expectation. He’s a very defensive boxer who is too much of a coward to trade blows with a fighter and would rather instead let his endurance get him through a 12 round tickle fight and leave it up the judges, knowing that he’s most likely won all the rounds, because you can’t beat what you can’t hit and to land combinations on Floyd Mayweather is an impossibility. Oscar De La Hoya fought Mayweather at the MGM Grand in Las Vegas, Nevada and Mayweather made clear that he was going to “kick his ass.” Yet, without much surprise, the fight went the 12 round distance and there wasn’t one instance when De La Hoya looked hurt or as if he was going to hit the canvas.
Boxing is a dying sport, due to fighters such as these. Fans don’t want to see fighters doing well in their careers, earning a lot of money, remaining undefeated or relying on pre-fight hype that they know will never come to fruition. The fans want to see excitement, entertainment, passion, desire, all the words that you can think of that don’t relate to boredom. The fans want to see boxers going toe-to-toe, showing the public exactly why they are boxers. Fighters, to me, are supposed to be brave, yet you don’t see much of that from Floyd Mayweather who’s constantly landing single punches and practically running away from his opponents to avoid getting hit. That’s not bravery. Many boxers, in this era, might box well, but that doesn’t mean they’re true fighters, which is what the sport is lacking in. That’s why I believe boxing is a dying sport, because there are too many “fighters” who are fighting for their careers, hyping up a fight so that it gains more money from fans, thereby benefiting them. Boxers should be fighting for pride and the idea that they are actually giving the fans what they want by living up to pre-fight hype. From the 20th century to the new Millennium boxing has changed drastically and, unfortunately, it might never be the same.
43 Responses to “Is boxing a dying sport?”
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hotprince: you what? LOL stop speaking out of your arse and learn to read the article. i was stating boxing was dying cos of PRE FIGHT HYPE, jheeze. carl froch is the best british fighter we have. standard. where does it say in my article any different? any besides carl froch doesnt hype up fights, he murks EVERYONE, hence why i didn’t mention him in this article. retard.
Oh yes and ufc will never ever have the same impact as boxing there will never be an ali tyson or sugar ray leonard or people with the carisma of say naseem hammed in mma, mma doesnt even come close to boxing and the skill levels and technicality required to do boxing are far superior i no from experance.
Boxing can never die it is a great sport and can only contenue to rise back up on to its feet (like the warriors the sport boasts), theres just to many donut critics to many govning bodys and to many donut referee’s and decisions. The politcs of boxing is whats damging to the sport and the money grabers are also damaging to the sport, dont worry in a couple of years i will light up the sport and set every thing straight.
Very true beer party movement
boxing will never b dead.if u like to wach mma more than boxing,than somethink 4 mma.dont get me wrong.
I never bother to watch UFC or MMA fights, even though it is for free. First of all because the level of talent is so low. And secondly because its just about raw violence, stomping on your opponents face, does not have enything to do with sport. Im sure if dogfighting was allowed and broadcast on tv, there will be a lot of people watching it.
money controls the sport after all it is a business, however UFC is on the right track people don’t think twice before ordering the PPV event every event it’s based on sure raw talent and if the champ looses he can come back but he needs to get in line and prove that he is worthy again for a belt or a big pay day, unlike boxing all you need is a popular last name, for example why why did morales get a championship fight after coming after a loose against maidana? answer becaue Suleman is a corrupt money hungry pig that is more interested in making money than in showing a good boxing mathch and that is why boxing will turn into
wrestling in the very near future. greed will kill talent in boxing and that is sad. i think suleman needs to step down and allowe new administration to take over and do thinkgs right.
Boxers can win convincingly without being so brutal. They must think that it is just a sport to entertain people. They should also show mercy if the opponent seem to fade. Fighters should never damage the opponent up to the permanent level.
For example, when Pacquiao battered Margarito, it was Pacquiao who initiated to the referree, the doctor and Margarito’s corner to stop the fight. He can clearly see the damage in Margarito’s face and running away to avoid causing more damage. He continued to fight hitting Margarito’s body instead.
While Margarito used a hard plaster in his fists before putting up gloves which is illegal, this fighter should be banned & fined so others fighters will not do the same. That is a brutal cheat and can cost lives.
I guess the writer didn’t pay attention to Mayweather’s last 2 fights, where he walked down his opponents and was the aggressor.
You talk about Boxing being more than throwing “punches in bunches” then complain about boxers who throw one punch at a time.
LOL says:
November 20, 2011 at 7:46 pm
P.s Dom if that was you who commented below, I can’t believe you didn’t mention Froch. Look at his record of fights, and the fact he’s in the super 6 tournament, and it is VERY disappointing a writer for a boxing website apparently forgets all about him.
Froch is a bum ward will own him my son how dare you mention froch lol
LOL says:
November 20, 2011 at 7:46 pm
P.s Dom if that was you who commented below, I can’t believe you didn’t mention Froch. Look at his record of fights, and the fact he’s in the super 6 tournament, and it is VERY disappointing a writer for a boxing website apparently forgets all about him.
Froch is a bum ward will own him my son h
P.s Dom if that was you who commented below, I can’t believe you didn’t mention Froch. Look at his record of fights, and the fact he’s in the super 6 tournament, and it is VERY disappointing a writer for a boxing website apparently forgets all about him.
Note the ppv sales for floyd v ortiz. Besides, whatever anyone thinks, it really doesn’t matter. Boxing and MMA are here to say permanently.
Boxing still breaks ppv records. UFC ppvs still are laughable compared to the likes Floyd and manny and others bring in. Boxings bigger, better, more popular, and is never going away. This argument is boring and has been done already, they’re both different and have different fans, only boxing can draw a larger audience for the big fights.
yes it is that is why UFC is taking all the big PPV purses, as long as Suleman doesn’t stop doing his garbaage he will continue on taking boxing to an even lower lever. this man arum should be thrown out of his position for commiting sabatage to boxing, he is in his 80s and his decisions should be more than just questioned, by 80 alsheimers a long with bad judgement that comes with age is what we are seen, Suleman is responsible for these chavez jr trash!!!!!! i mean seriously he actually thhinks that people are stupid and can’t see that he is behind this how disrespectful is that and how stupid does he think we are, this mean should be inpached the hell out of office before he ruins it even further with his old antiquated corrupt ways of running modern boxing.
its not the fighters its the sanctioning bodies and the promoters
MMA/UFC appeals to a different crowd; they want to see blood and guts every time. Boxing is for folks who like to see subtle shifts in strategy, the momentum changes in the fight, and the technical brilliance in full display, AND are willing to wait for a great fight and know every fight isn’t “one for the ages.”
I guess what I’m trying to say is you have to be patient. I know that’s hard these days in our instant-gratification society (that’s why MMA is popular), but a great boxing match is worth waiting for.
got that wrong ufc has taken over.
ufc is taking over mma rules.
@ Dom You’re condensing the past — Robinson, Ali & Hamed. Yes, all were exciting to watch but look at the time between those fighters. Here’s the thing, we have some awesome fighters right now — Pacquaio, Marquez, Mayweather, Hopkins, the Klit brothers, Ward, Donaire and a bunch of others who are exciting to watch. We’re fortunate! Will every fight be a barn burner? No. Certain styles don’t mesh, sometimes fighters don’t prepare like they should, sometimes their mental side is missing… stuff happens. But when you wait through a few fights/few months, and then finally get to watch an awsome fight, it’s suddenly great to be a boxing fan!
It is dying because guys fight only in house fighters with hand picked judges.
yes it is dying because of CHEAP SHOT and then the trainer will declare nobody will defeat his boy.
Boxing may not be dead but it has been crippled by bad promotion, crybaby fighters, and blind fans who do not demand top performance for top dollars! Its a shame but its the truth!
Take a look at Team GB Olympic squad and tell me boxing is a dying sport. Boxing has changed from the all the big fights being staged over in the US as the middleweight and Heavyweight divisions are topped by a lot of Europeans.
Sorry my computer is acting up.
Bottom line: sorry folks but the growing medical evidence about head injuries and concussions on developing and developed brains will ultimately signal the death knell for boxing in the not too distant future.
Wish it wasn’t true but I certainly can’t see any nation defending amateur boxing with young men and women getting repeatedly hit in the head. With the end of the amateurs the pros wont be long to follow.
1/ growing medical evidence surrounding concussions will soon lead to amateur boxing being legislated out of existance. Society will soon force a halt to the developing brains of youth being repetitvely hit.
2/ boxing unfortunately for the average joe public revolves around the heavy weights and with all the heavyweight titles in Russia, there is little interest now in western Europe and North America.
3/ boxing can’t seem to capture the imagination of the youth market which it needs as they all sadly flock to MMA. I can’t see this trend changing.
4/ boxing is shooting its self in the foot with the regular garbage pay per view fights with the antics of first Hopkins and then Vargas and the like.
But sadly, the big problem will be the medical evidence coming forward as brain testing improves and the medical community will demand boxings abolition.
Unfortunately I think boxings days are numbered for a variety of reasons:
1/
Boxing has a couple bad fights and the sport is “dying.” Why don’t they ever say the same thing about other sports when there a couple bad games, bad playoff series, etc?
I didn’t read this article so I’m not criticizing it’s content, but in general I am so bored of this same debate over and over again. Boxing is always going to be around, and it just goes through different cycles of popularity for non-boxing fans. Boxing fans will always watch boxing.
I think boxing is holding steady in popularity. But we need to take some strategies from the UFC to get to the next level. 1st throw out the match makers & some of these bs belts.
jrldev says:
November 20, 2011 at 12:25 pm
The answer it yes – at least in the USA. One very big reason for it the influence of the gamblers and promoters and networks – like HBO and Showtime have with the boxing judges. Last week fight between Pac-man and JMM is an example of that. MMA is taking over the new audiences where up to now there is no indication of manipulating the judges decision in a fight.
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I agree with you. This is what you get when those profiting like Arum pick the venues, the opposition, the judges, etc…It will be a better sport when Arum is out for good.
I think this writer is really just a Pactard trying to write an article with different subject matter while still trying to talk sh1t about Mayweather.
This writer criticizes Mayweather. How about Mr. Pacquiao and friends? He lets his crooked promoter set up total mismatches. When he finally gets challenged as he did with Marquez, the obviously “influenced” judges rob the real winner of the ibout. You have the most popular fighter(Pacquiao) not being allowed to fight the best fighter(Mayweather).Bob Arum may not be the sole reason for this dying sport but, he is a huge part of it.
This writer criticizes Mayweather. How about Mr. Pacquiao and friends? He lets his crooked promoter set up total mismatches. When he finally gets challened as he did with Marquez, the obviously “influenced” judges rob the real winner of the bout. You have the most popular fighter(Pacquiao) not being allowed to fight the best fighter(Mayweather).Bob Arum may not be the sole reason for this dying sport but, he is a huge part of it.
yes, only in america. because they change the boxing rule to hit but not being hit. imagine pacman and dinamita each landed less than 10 punch in 1 round. yes, boxing lost its savory.
They’ve been saying boxing is a dying sport for several hundred years, but it has outlived everyone who ever said it.
It’s going nowhwere.
Höpöhöpö..
The answer it yes – at least in the USA. One very big reason for it the influence of the gamblers and promoters and networks – like HBO and Showtime have with the boxing judges. Last week fight between Pac-man and JMM is an example of that. MMA is taking over the new audiences where up to now there is no indication of manipulating the judges decision in a fight.
I just read the Headline & the Ans = YES!
Boxing is turning into the WWE.
SImple answer YES – too much politics invovled – manny vs pack-man not happening has made the sport worse
The sport will eventualy pick itself up if boxing gets decent referee,s .I the Chavez fight,Manfredo could well have taken over the fight while Chaveaz punched himself out.But the stoppage was good for Julio only.If the referee stopped the Angulo barrage on Kirkland ,Angulo would have won.But he was a good solid referee,and let the fight be just that.Manfredo was a 20 to 25 top middlewieght,thats it>
Spot on