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Published: August 27, 2007
The golden age of boxing has come and gone, leaving a sport clinging to the dying vestiges of its former glory. For many years, Americans would gather round their radios and televisions to watch boxing and its highly tauted champions take on the up and coming stars of the sport. Yet interest has nearly petered out in the past decade or so, and though the boxing world still is nothing to sneeze at, it is no longer the force it once was.
Of course there are many factors that contribute to the waning popularity of boxing, such as high prices for tickets and pay-per-view events, the rise of other pugilistic sports, and a definite lack of star power.
One major problem with boxing today is tremendous prices for the biggest events. Tickets for the recent blockbuster bout between Floyd Mayweather and Oscar De La Hoya ran between $150 and $2000, far out of the price range of most Americans. Granted, the event broke pay-per-view records, but most left feeling disappointed in a bout billed as the fight to save boxing.
Known as a traditionally blue collar sport, when boxing began to raise the prices for tickets and TV events beyond affordable levels, they were bound to alienate many loyal fans. For a sport fading fast from the public eye, high prices seems like a poor strategy to bring in new fans and recapture the old. It seems as if boxing still feels a sense of general invulnerability, even as the cracks along their foundation begin to grow.
For years there was no other real alternative to boxing as no other sport could truly capture the raw, dangerous aspects of hand to hand combat. That unique distinction was lost when mixed martial arts began to gain popularity in the 90s. This new style of fighting, without gloves or protection and with fewer rules and restrictions, broke on to the scene. Soon, displaced fans of the overpriced and underpowered boxing began to warm to the new sport.
Though boxing has very little equipment, only a few protective devices such as gloves and mouth guards; mixed martial arts has little focus on protection. Instead, the goal of mixed martial arts seems to be a gritty fight where anything goes, as long as it is not dirty or life threatening. Fans of boxing argue mixed martial arts and its lack of equipment removes the strategy and the stamina from the game. Boxers can go as many as 12 rounds lasting three minutes each, whereas mixed martial arts rarely goes more than a few minutes in length.
Conflicting styles only amount so far, as each person is going to have their preference in whether boxing or mixed martial arts is the better sport to watch. The major flaw in boxing is a lack of big fights and personalities, something the young mixed martial arts leagues are designed to offer. This could be fixed with a less abstract league, where boxing promoters try to maneuver their young fighters through a vast network of federations and other promoters.
Unlike other major sports such as baseball, football and basketball, each which has a strong central league and commissioner, boxing has no such force behind it. Fighters are free to schedule fights as they see fit, and with established boxers fighting maybe three times a year at most, there are only so many blockbuster bouts possible. Yet these star powered fights fans want to see rarely come to fruition, getting lost amid negotiations and red tape. Instead, the best fighters end up boxing the same washed up opponents, and what is left is a hodge podge of indistinguishable, mediocre fighters no one is interested in.
What is worse is there is no real silver lining for boxing. There are no major boxing stars waiting in the wings, and dominant fighters of the 90s have all retired, leaving a handful of recognizable names and maybe only two or three who can claim to be a star. Meanwhile, mixed martial arts continues to gain momentum and popularity, as popular fighters such as Chuck Liddell and Randy Couture draw big crowds, attention and money to the sport.
With a league that pits the best against each other on a regular basis and offers a largely affordable TV package, the new fighters and rivalries continue to roll in as the fan base continues to grow. At this point, boxing may be stuck between mixed martial arts and a hard place, with few options aside from a major overhaul in their format. The days of boxing matches such as Ali versus Frazier have long gone, and fans are left with Joe Nobody 1 versus Joe Nobody 2, wondering why what many called "The Sweet Science" is leaving a sour taste in their mouths.
Sources:
"Boxing." Wikipedia. 21 Aug. 2007. Wikimedia Foundation, Inc.. 21 Aug. 2007. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Boxing.
"Mixed Martial Arts." Wikipedia. 17 Aug. 2007. Wikimedia Foundation, Inc.. 21 Aug. 2007. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mixed_martial_arts.
"Ticket Sales Set for Mayweather-De La Hoya Showdown." 17 Jan. 2007. MMA News. http://www.mmanews.com/boxing/Ticket-Sales-Set-For -Mayweather-De-La-Hoya-Showdown.html.
Lui, Chi Kong. "Fight Critic: Why MMA versus boxing is good for both." 17 May 2007. GameCritics.com. 21 Aug. 2007. http://www.gamecritics.com/fight-critic-mma-vs-box ing.
One major problem with boxing today is tremendous prices for the biggest events. Tickets for the recent blockbuster bout between Floyd Mayweather and Oscar De La Hoya ran between $150 and $2000, far out of the price range of most Americans. Granted, the event broke pay-per-view records, but most left feeling disappointed in a bout billed as the fight to save boxing.
Known as a traditionally blue collar sport, when boxing began to raise the prices for tickets and TV events beyond affordable levels, they were bound to alienate many loyal fans. For a sport fading fast from the public eye, high prices seems like a poor strategy to bring in new fans and recapture the old. It seems as if boxing still feels a sense of general invulnerability, even as the cracks along their foundation begin to grow.
For years there was no other real alternative to boxing as no other sport could truly capture the raw, dangerous aspects of hand to hand combat. That unique distinction was lost when mixed martial arts began to gain popularity in the 90s. This new style of fighting, without gloves or protection and with fewer rules and restrictions, broke on to the scene. Soon, displaced fans of the overpriced and underpowered boxing began to warm to the new sport.
Though boxing has very little equipment, only a few protective devices such as gloves and mouth guards; mixed martial arts has little focus on protection. Instead, the goal of mixed martial arts seems to be a gritty fight where anything goes, as long as it is not dirty or life threatening. Fans of boxing argue mixed martial arts and its lack of equipment removes the strategy and the stamina from the game. Boxers can go as many as 12 rounds lasting three minutes each, whereas mixed martial arts rarely goes more than a few minutes in length.
Conflicting styles only amount so far, as each person is going to have their preference in whether boxing or mixed martial arts is the better sport to watch. The major flaw in boxing is a lack of big fights and personalities, something the young mixed martial arts leagues are designed to offer. This could be fixed with a less abstract league, where boxing promoters try to maneuver their young fighters through a vast network of federations and other promoters.
Unlike other major sports such as baseball, football and basketball, each which has a strong central league and commissioner, boxing has no such force behind it. Fighters are free to schedule fights as they see fit, and with established boxers fighting maybe three times a year at most, there are only so many blockbuster bouts possible. Yet these star powered fights fans want to see rarely come to fruition, getting lost amid negotiations and red tape. Instead, the best fighters end up boxing the same washed up opponents, and what is left is a hodge podge of indistinguishable, mediocre fighters no one is interested in.
What is worse is there is no real silver lining for boxing. There are no major boxing stars waiting in the wings, and dominant fighters of the 90s have all retired, leaving a handful of recognizable names and maybe only two or three who can claim to be a star. Meanwhile, mixed martial arts continues to gain momentum and popularity, as popular fighters such as Chuck Liddell and Randy Couture draw big crowds, attention and money to the sport.
With a league that pits the best against each other on a regular basis and offers a largely affordable TV package, the new fighters and rivalries continue to roll in as the fan base continues to grow. At this point, boxing may be stuck between mixed martial arts and a hard place, with few options aside from a major overhaul in their format. The days of boxing matches such as Ali versus Frazier have long gone, and fans are left with Joe Nobody 1 versus Joe Nobody 2, wondering why what many called "The Sweet Science" is leaving a sour taste in their mouths.
Sources:
"Boxing." Wikipedia. 21 Aug. 2007. Wikimedia Foundation, Inc.. 21 Aug. 2007. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Boxing.
"Mixed Martial Arts." Wikipedia. 17 Aug. 2007. Wikimedia Foundation, Inc.. 21 Aug. 2007. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mixed_martial_arts.
"Ticket Sales Set for Mayweather-De La Hoya Showdown." 17 Jan. 2007. MMA News. http://www.mmanews.com/boxing/Ticket-Sales-Set-For -Mayweather-De-La-Hoya-Showdown.html.
Lui, Chi Kong. "Fight Critic: Why MMA versus boxing is good for both." 17 May 2007. GameCritics.com. 21 Aug. 2007. http://www.gamecritics.com/fight-critic-mma-vs-box ing.
