By Rod Bautista: Boxing used to be at the top of every sports fan’s list. Boxers were kings, darlings of the mainstream media. The toast of the town so to speak, but along the way somewhere between Mike Tyson going to jail and Evander Holyfield getting his ears bitten off boxing took a back seat to amongst other sports Golf.
Somewhere down the line the general public related to a sport played at country clubs more than the Sweet Science. Go figure people tuned in to see grown men in knickers more than they did gladiators in the squared circle.
Regardless of the reasoning behind it Boxing is now in the backseat of the professional sports landscape, and it needs a serious shot in the arm to become relevant again. To try and dissect the problem is not what we’re going to bring up here, but I do have a couple of ideas on how to try and fix the problem. I know it’s a pipe dream, but I think some of my suggestions will make at least some sense.
Boxing Needs More Exposure
I’ve been off the past week for the Holidays and of course like every male between the ages of 25 to 40 I’ve taken in a lot of television. I can tell you this with 100% certainty, it is much easier to find a MMA fight on TV than it is to find a good Boxing match. There are a host of MMA dedicated shows, and just on the Spike network there are at least a couple of daily doses of the UFC.
If boxing was on TV as much it would no doubt gain some fan base and momentum. Boxing is still as exciting as it always has been, and face it nothing beats a good fight for entertainment value. What MMA, namely the UFC has done is grabbed the attention of the very important 18 to 35 year old male demographic, as well as the females as well. I can tell you this if you would have told me 18 years ago while I was watching UFC 1 from my friends basement that women would love the UFC I would say you should be certified.
The UFC has managed not only to put it’s sport in front of the general public’s face , but they’ve managed to keep it there. Someone anyone should secure a deal with a network, to air boxing matches on a weekly basis. There should be a version of “Boxing Unleahed”, or a revamped “Contender” series on the air. Boxing needs to be in the public’s eye, and Friday Night Fights is not enough. If a sport that was banned in most of the United States can be a huge success on TV so can Boxing.
An Important Boxing Pay Per View Should Happen At Least Every Month
Like the UFC Boxing should have an important Pay Per View every month either preceding or directly after the UFC event for the month. Not only does the UFC hype up their fights on cable TV with their “Ultimate Fighter” series, they have an important match up every month that they hype up and advertise on all their shows, and they aren’t necessarily championship bouts either, but they tend to always be competitive.
However in order for that to happen Boxing needs to make it’s mark again, and give the American Public stars that they can relate to. Having that connection to the American Public is what Boxing sorely misses. The public needs a people’s champion, and when you watch the UFC you definitely get the feeling that the guys you’re watching could be found at the local watering hole. Boxing has long been out of touch with the general American Public.
Once we have some of our young stars in the public’s eye then these Pay Per View events will have more meaning to them. Imagine if we can get some Timothy Bradley and Devon Alexander fights regular play on cable TV, and introduce them to the world and truly hype up their match up with flashy programming and marketing that would appeal to the young men and women of this country that sure to be exciting fight could propel the sport.
The Mega Fight Needs To Happen
Of course a fight between Manny Pacquiao and Floyd Mayweather will accomplish all that and then some. Imagine all the hype and trash talking that will happen if and when this fight is signed. Boxing will be the lead story on Sport Center for the first time in a long time. This fight will undoubtedly give Boxing the shot in the arm it so desperately needs.
Boxing needs to take advantage of it’s first cross over star in a long time, Manny Pacquiao. Whether you like it or not Manny has brought the spotlight back to Boxing again, and the sport is as big as it ever has been in Asia. The most populous continent in the world. He has also made some noise here in North America, and a fight to determine a true pound for pound champion would be huge. Everyone in boxing should make every effort possible to make that fight happen for that very reason. If it doesn’t happen Boxing will not recover for quite some time.
Boxing Needs To Have Clear Leadership
What I mean to say with this statement is that it’s really hard to follow elite boxing. In Basketball we have the NBA, in Football the NFL, Baseball MLB and so on and so forth. With boxing there are simply way to many championships and organizations. There is the WBA, WBC, IBF, WBO, NABO and The Ring Magazine even gives out titles. How can we seriously keep track unless you are an ardent Boxing fan.
There needs to be a clear elite organization. Or at least just a few. Look at Golf for an example we have the PGA, European Tour, and also a host of smaller tours. You need to earn your stripes to get to the show, and somehow Boxing needs to adapt something similar.
I know its highly unlikely, but maybe the Ring should pony up some dough and take control and make sure the best fight the best and be the definitive championship. Whoever it is there are too many organizations out there and to be the undisputed champion is next to impossible now.
I don’t know maybe Golden Boy and Top Rank need to hold in house championships and eventually have co promotions to establish the true champions. In the same breath we should go back to the original 8 weight classes, and make that simpler too. Only true boxing fans know that Jr. Middleweight and Super Welterweight are the same thing. Go back to the old weight classes and things will be better.
In the end there are a lot of reasons for Boxing being where it is now. You can blame it on a lack of Heavyweight talent or blame it on Mike Tyson, a lot of people blame Don King and the likes of Bob Arum amongst other promoters. Whatever the reason Boxing isn’t the glamor sport any more.
I for one love this sport and want it to be bigger than ever. My suggestions might not do it, but they wouldn’t hurt boxing either. Regardless of where you stand and who your guy is the first step should be the Mega Fight, and the next step should be determined after that.
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