armchairgm
all sports, all you
+ Add Friends
You are not logged-in.
Sign Up - Log In
Main Page
Sports
Write
Articles
Hot Links
Images
Meet People
Fun
Explore
MLB - NFL - NBA - NHL - College Basketball - College Football - Soccer - Nascar - Other
Article - Locker Room Discussion
All Articles - New Articles - Today's Articles
Submit a Link - Approve Links
Picture Game - Ratings - Polls - Pick Game - Quiz Game - Spring Silliness
Random Page - Random Image - Random Fan
Edit
Page history Discuss pageWhat links here

Is Boxing Dead?

12
Vote

by Kdark11

With the emergence of MMA all I hear from the sports world is how boxing is a dead sport. Surely boxing has many issues to address to before they will be able to catch a second wind. MMA is clearly more exciting than boxing and that explains why many of the fans have jumped ship.

I am interested in hearing from all of you sports fans how boxing could improve the sport. Lets try to come up with a consensus on what boxing needs to do to improve. If you believe the major issue is based on poor, unmarketable match ups, please include those match ups you would pay to see.

Enable Comment Auto-Refresher
ChristofMVP
831 days ago
Score 2+-
It is not dead yet, but it is on life support.

Things can change if boxing can develop a super-star. In addition, they need to clean the sport up. Get rid of the less than honest promoters.

Oh. WHo am I kidding? This ain't going to happen.

So pretty much boxing will be dead in a few years.
Permalink | Reply
SSreportersLegend
831 days ago
Score 2+-
Boxing is dying, especially the impossible to watch heavyweight and middleweight divisions. I think the lack of boxing coverage on cable is hurting boxing as well.
Permalink
Manny StilesMajor Leaguer
830 days ago
Score 0+-
Boxing isn't dying, just the boxers are! (is the old joke from way back)
Permalink
IbeargRed-Shirting
831 days ago
Score 1+-
did they ever eradicate the millions of heavy weight title belts that existed or are they still around? cause that did not help at all.
Permalink | Reply
SSreportersLegend
831 days ago
Score 2+-
I don't know. The other thing with boxing, is that there is more holding than back in the 70's.
Permalink
Steel TownDraft Pick
830 days ago
Score 2+-
SS, I totally agree. Holding is nothing more than what they call staulling in other fighting sports. I think one thing boxing needs to do is make a staulling penalty. The fight I most recently paid for was Meriwether vs. De La Hoya. Two big names right? But the problem is, De La Hoya came to fight and Meriwether wanted to play chess. So the whole fight was Meriwether running backwards and De La Hoya missing punches. If they had a staulling penalty meriwether would have been forced to fight and it would have been exciting.
Permalink
Steel TownDraft Pick
830 days ago
Score 2+-
Sorry, Mayweather. I thought that looked funny.
Permalink
Tyrone BriggsHall of Famer
830 days ago
Score 2+-
Mike Tyson will bite the ears off anyone who dares suggest that boxing is dying.
Permalink | Reply
Kdark11Varsity
830 days ago
Score 1+-
What do you guys think of Kelly Pavlik, He will likely beat Jermain Taylor in my opinion. Can he be that 160-168 lbs Star the Middle weight or Super Middle weight division needs?
Permalink | Reply
SSreportersLegend
830 days ago
Score 3+-
Pavlik is a great fighter, and he should beat Taylor easily. The one boxer I can't stand is Winky Wright, he puts me to sleep all the time.
Permalink
Simms1156Div-I Stud
830 days ago
Score 1+-
I used to frequently watch boxing but heres the problem.

I was watching a UFC fight (I cant recall who was fighting but it doesnt really matter) There were 3 fights and they were all great. Later that night a "huge" boxing match was on. It was the fight between De La Hoya and Mayweather. After watching a few UFC matched boxing was ridiculously slow paced and soft hitting.


The Other problem is that, like Christof said they have no star quality. Then need a new Superstar to identify with the people

The last good boxing match I saw was Rocky Balboa vs. Ivan Drago
Permalink | Reply
SSreportersLegend
830 days ago
Score 3+-
They need more Manny Pacquiaos.
Permalink
Ea34Div-I Stud
830 days ago
Score 1+-
Boxing is on its last legs. It'll be as good as dead in 5-7 years. With salaries in other sports being what they are, and with actual health care provided by the leagues, why would any young athlete subject himself to getting his skull caved in for a living?
Permalink | Reply
Ea34Div-I Stud
830 days ago
Score 2+-
The only thing that will save bxing is a series of fights with Morales-Barrera, Gatti-Ward and the second coming of a showman like Pernell Whitaker.
Permalink | Reply
Kdark11Varsity
830 days ago
Score 1+-
Vernon Forrest looked sharp in his last outing and I think he could step it up becoming a great showman similar to Pernell Whitaker
Permalink
RomiezzoLegend
830 days ago
Score 2+-
I think the reason why boxing isn't popular now is because there are no more feuds. If there was ONE major feud, people would pay attention. Look at Tyson/Holyfield. That brought the attention to EVERYONE and everyone started paying more attention to boxing.
Permalink | Reply
Brendan.CanneyDiv-I Stud
830 days ago
Score 4+-
The problem with boxing is that it doesn't advertise itself at all. It doesn't have to do with guys being well known or with outstanding feuds. Boxing hasn't been able to promote a superstar except Floyd Mayweather Jr. for years now. There are also too many sanctioning bodies,weight classes, and too little TV exposure. Until boxing organizes itself, the UFC (which also has it's problems, see Steroids) is going to be more popular.
Permalink | Reply
RomiezzoLegend
830 days ago
Score 4+-
Yes, advertising has a lot to do with it, but like I said before, I think that feuds have something to do with it. I mean, isn't it ironic that since Tyson left, things went downhill for boxing. There was no one to talk about. All people talked about in boxing was Tyson, and when he stopped doing what he was doing, no one cared anymore.
Permalink
Brendan.CanneyDiv-I Stud
830 days ago
Score 4+-
It wasn't because of his feud with Holyfield though. You have to remember that Tyson was the last great and charismatic heavyweight the sport has seen. The heavyweight division has carried and will always carry boxing. Current heavyweight champs include Wladimir Klitschko (IBF), Oleg Maskaev (WBC), Ruslan Chagaev (WBA), and Sultan Ibragimov (WBO). Who? Exactly.
Permalink
RomiezzoLegend
830 days ago
Score 2+-
And the thing is, nothing significant has happened. Whenever I see boxing, I find it kinda boring. Tyson, Holyfield, and all those other guys that we remember did remarkable things. I think we're just expecting too much from boxers nowadays because we've seen what boxers can do, and we expect everyone else to reach peaks like the ones that one or two have been on before.
Permalink
Mitch usafSoccer Kid
830 days ago
Score 1+-
It's no suprise that boxing is a dying like an old hunting dog. With all the bad press that has surrounded boxing throughout the years, not to mention fixed fights and crooked deals...Basketball might not be too far behind, seems it's on the track
Permalink | Reply
RawbeezeitzMajor Leaguer
830 days ago
Score 5+-
Why boxing is dying:

Too many sanctioning bodies

Too many weight classes

Too much time in between fights

Not enough big fights ending in knockouts

Bad reputation with corruption and gambling

Difficult for little kids to "play" like they would football or baseball

Fighter personalities aren't developed

Fights are slow, and they're covered slowly, and everything drags

You have to pay to watch the best fights

The actual art of boxing is a somewhat boring fighting form compared to the more liberal fighting formats out there that allow much more kinds of hitting

Easy to bet on, but you're betting on judges picking your guy, not your guy actually winning
Permalink | Reply
Brendan.CanneyDiv-I Stud
830 days ago
Score 1+-
A good fight doesn't have to end in a knockout. All the MMA and UFC people are spoiled with knockouts because they swing there arms like maniacs and happen to connect with one.
Permalink
Steel TownDraft Pick
830 days ago
Score 1+-
Yes, but its that exact swinging their arms like maniacs attitude we all want to see. The fans are sick of these slow, boring chess matches between boxers. We want to see all out boxing with the intent of knocking the opponent out, not landing more jabs for the points.
Permalink
RawbeezeitzMajor Leaguer
830 days ago
Score 4+-
I just don't like it when a fight is hyped up, you watch it, it's a great, nearly even match, and a group of three dudes decides who won based on how many punches a guy hit. It's anti-climactic, and you often get the sense that the winner didn't really win anything but a decision.
Permalink
Brendan.CanneyDiv-I Stud
830 days ago
Score 6+-
Let's not forget that boxing was a poor man's sport. It was blue collar and it's anything but that presently.
Permalink | Reply
RawbeezeitzMajor Leaguer
830 days ago
Score 1+-
Very good point.
Permalink
RomiezzoLegend
830 days ago
Score 1+-
So is basketball, but look at all THEIR fans.
Permalink
Ea34Div-I Stud
830 days ago
Score 1+-
Yeah. But basketball is getting close to needing some help as well.
Permalink
RomiezzoLegend
829 days ago
Score 0+-
Basketball is getting close, but they'll never be close. It is almost every black person's dream to play in the NBA and make millions of dollars. They get a lot more money than boxers do. There's no college boxing. There are certain leagues, I believe, but nothing close to basketball.
Permalink
MetsJetsDevilsDraft Pick
830 days ago
Score 1+-
Yes
Permalink | Reply
Niteowl049AAA-er
830 days ago
Score 1+-
Boxing is just not the same as it was in the days of Ali. Couldn't even tell you who the Heavyweight Champion is today. Was watching on TV when Emile Griffith killed Benny "Kid" Paret in the ring about 40 years ago. Will never forget how Paret couldn't even fall Griffith was hitting him so fast and furiously.
Permalink | Reply
Manny StilesMajor Leaguer
830 days ago
Score 1+-
Boxing isn't dead, but it is down for the count! Let's dig up Jack Johnson and grow a whole league of fighters/superpimps from his DNA!!!
Permalink | Reply
Oh No RomoDraft Pick
829 days ago
Score 1+-
I'm an MMA guy, this much I will say, boxing isn't dying, nor will it ever. I think pro wrestling stands a better chance of dying than boxing does at this point. Why else would all the guys from Wrestling News web sites be reporting on MMA.
Permalink | Reply
Anonymous Fanatic #1
754 days ago
Score 0+-
boxing doesn't need a stualing penalty they need unlimited rounds.this would make boxers fight. sure they can hold all day long but its gonna come down to who wants it. with unlimited rounds you have to win by KO or make the other guy throw in the towel. this will creat fighters like mayweather who fight at a distance to put his strength to the test and actually KO someone.
Permalink | Reply
Breakman09Tee-Baller
176 days ago
Score 0+-
gatti-ward....forrest-mosely....six heads lewis-mayorga..barrera-everyone....forrest-mayorga....de la hoya-vargas....trinidad-vargas....letterlough-gonzalez..ward-burton....mayweather-corrales....freitas-corrales....oquiendo-etienne...oquiendo-tua...Butler-grant(ouch!)...spinks-mayorga.....clay bey-etienne....tsyzu-Hatton...echols-brewer....brewer-calzaghe....I can keep going. Boxing is indeed on life support. Just a few years ago I gladly paid for both hbo and showtime just for the fights...now, not so much..It's sad, the sweet science is just not the same...Had a decent run (98'- 05') of good mid level and a select few PPV fights.Now it's done. Say it ain't so!!
Permalink | Reply
Add your Comment
ArmchairGM welcomes all comments. If you don't want to be anonymous, Register or Login. It's free


Retrieved from "http://armchairgm.wikia.com/Is_Boxing_Dead%3F"

This page was last modified 21:02, 23 August 2007. Content is available under the GFDL.

Contribute

ArmchairGM's pages can be edited.
Is this page incomplete? Is there anything wrong?
Change it!

Edit this page Discuss this page Page history

Recent contributors to this page

The following people recently contributed to this article.

Embed this on your site

Main Page About Special Pages Help Terms of Use Advertise