By MH9: The case for:
In the most primitive sense of the word sport is proving that one person is better than another. Some use bats, balls, rackets or race over a course to prove this. Stripping this down boxing is a sport that pits one person against another without the complication of implements or rules to prove who is the better ‘man’ or ‘woman’. In the crudest sense when people dispute something it has been historically settle by a fist fight to prove who is best. Therefore the origins of boxing are a kin to the very essence of sport.
Furthermore, to excel in any sport there are fundamentally four performance factors; physical, mental, technical and tactical. One can argue that the true measure of a sport is how demanding it is on each of these elements. Boxing is undoubtedly in the upper escutcheons of sports that demand all of these factors. To look at a professional boxers (baring the odd heavyweight) on the scales could be mistook for a body builder. The physical demands of a boxer are well known to any of those who have trained or entered the ring and do not need to be explained. Mentally the courage to set foot in the ring separates boxing from other non combat sports. In addition, the dedication to train, make weight and the ability to implement a strategy when somebody is trying to render you unconscious is admirable. Technically, there are levels to boxing. At the top end fighters like Vasyl Lomachenko should rightly be held in as higher regard as the Roger Federers and Christian Ronaldos of this world. Tactically lesser fighters can secure victory by sticking to a well executed game plan the same as in other sports.
When compared to other sport it is easy to see that the demands on a boxer are evenly spread between the four performance factors. When compared to other sport such as athletics that are mainly physically orientated or conversely cricket or golf where the physical rigors are a lot less demanding boxing can be held in extremely high esteem.
The case against:
Out side of the four performance factors and the obvious set of rules that you need for a sport competition is intrinsically at the heart of sport. It is competition between one person and another that makes a sport a sport. The World Cup, The Ryder Cup, The Ashes and Wimbledon are the pinnacle competitions of their sport. Once the world heavyweight title was held in such high esteem, but professional boxing with its alphabet titles has lost this element of competition. Professional boxing has flirted with a number of competitions such as the Super Six, Prize Fighter and more recently the World Boxing Super Series, which is yet to come to a conclusion in either wait class. Due to the physical demands of boxing it proves hard to successfully complete a tournament/competition format in the professional ranks. This leaves professional boxing the ‘sport’ to follow its prize fighter mentality of creating and promoting a fight, for very little other than commercial reasons.
With this in mind there is not another sport in the world (outside of combat sports) where you chose your opponent. Boxing has no league, no competition only a very loose form of rankings that can be swerved and avoided by the smarter and more wealthy in the game. This results in the best not fighting the best, which is something that is always achieved in the majority of other sports.
Competition is the essence of sport. How many fights on your average card are competitive? In other sports leagues, seeding and play off systems ensure that competitive matches ensue. A boxer can get to 20 an 0 without facing a test. The art of match making removed the element of sport from professional boxing. Now Terence Crawford has moved up and the Cruiser Weight final has not took place can you say who is the best boxer in their division? With out certainty you can not. In a sport there is a natural conclusion, a winner crowned throughout a tournament or a league, professional boxing fails to deliver the most competitive fights. I look forward to hearing your thoughts for which camp you are in. Is professional boxing a sport or prize fighting?