Not sure if anyone else saw this, but today they had one of the UFC announcers and a Boxing promoter on sports center today; the boxing guy got killed. Instead of bringing up points as to why we should watch boxing or why boxing will bounce back, he attacked the UFC guy instantly destroying any sense for credibility he had. UFC is growing rapidly and boxing is basically dead. UFC is simple, one brand, one champion per weight class, and great marketing. The biggest thing that has killed boxing is the increase in defensive fighting and the increase brands like WBA, WBO, etc. The defensive boxing has slowed down fights so much that almost all fights just go to a judges score card rather than end in a knock out, like the UFC. I mean look at what probably is the greatest or one of the greatest fights of all time, Hagler-Hearns. It was just 8 straight minutes of punches flying, which is exactly what people want to see when they spend over $50 to watch a fight. That don't want to see a Mayweather-De La Hoya glorified sparing session where neither fighter truly has any care if they win or lose.
Right now there are 4...count them 4 heavyweight champions of the world in boxing. Why is there 4? This is the biggest problem in boxing, there is no uniform body that everyone can look to and say yes he is the world champ and thats final. All these competing sections or groups in boxing have actually hurt the sport rather than help it by diluting the amount of talent in fights.
Boxing can still be brought back from the brink of death, however it needs someone to step forward before its too late. They need to have 1 organizing body who controls everything, and shrink the ring size so that people can't just dance around for 15 rounds of pure bordem for the fans. The one controling body may also help fights not go the distance; if everyone is competing for one title that decreases the amount of chances someone can have, they will try harder to win which means more attacking, less defending.
Boxing can be fixed and brought back to fame, but for now...UFC all the way.
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As a boxing enthusiast, this article appealed to me. Sadly, I would agree that boxing is suffering from lack of interest from the general public. There was a day where boxing was a mainstream sport. Those days are past. Why is that?
One big reason is the heavyweight division is as lack luster as its ever been. To go from eras of Ali, Frazier, Foreman to Tyson, Holyfield, Lewis, to the non-appealing Klitscho, Rahman, Toney, Byrd just doesn’t cut it for most. People love to see knockouts, and they look for the stone-handed heavyweights to deliver. Another reason as you stated is the multiple sanctioned bodies representing multiple champions in each weight class. People only want one highlander to crown as the guy to beat. These multiple sanctioned bodes interfere with matches that people want to see being made.
Going back to the initial reason UFC is getting more attention that boxing – the knockouts. Whether one appreciates the sweet science of is boxing or not is a personal preference. However, there are many fights that under the surface that would have any average Joe leaping around his living room. Just last year the boxing world was treated with an incredible lightweight showdown between Diego Corrales and Jose Luis Castillo. A fight going relatively unnoticed by the public dispite being a 10 round Hagler-Hearns type of match, therefore going down as arguably the greatest fight in boxing history. Had these two warriors had top tier name recognition, their epic battle would’ve made household names of both. Rest in peace to Diego Corrales, who’s career was cut short this month from being killed in a motorcycle accident.
Where you are wrong is saying that fighters like Mayweather and De La Hoya don’t care if they win or lose. De La Hoya is one of the highest grossing boxers of all time, and is a successful boxing promoter. Money certainly wasn’t the draw for De La Hoya. Then you have Mayweather who if the first guy who will tell you boxing is a business. However, Mayweather was fighting for his claim of being the best pound-for-pound fighter of all time. Saying these two fighters didn’t care if they won or not simply because they don’t attack their opponent as if they were in a bar fight is a completely inaccurate statement. Boxing is often referred to as a chess match, and one must realize that there are many fighters who take a tactical approach. While this style will not appeal to the general public, these fighters shouldn’t be categorized as lacking the desire to win.
UFC is not always the thriller is it mad out to be either. Often you will see two guys squaring each other up, seemingly afraid of being hit. There’s also the familiar ground work, where two spend an entire round squirming, covering, holding, and jocking for position. UFC has had super fights which also failed to deliver. Ken Shamrock and Dan Severn were both goliaths of UFC, and had a 30 minute staredown in their second anticipated meeting. Implementing rounds into fights has helped this, but flops are still seen in UFC magafights. Which reminds me, 15 round fights have been gone for quite awhile now. Boxing now tops out at 12 rounds.
As a boxing fan, I recognize the problems. However, the action that the sport delivers can not be denied. Some will not be appreciated through mainstream. However, there are still many action packed fights that are just not getting the right exposure. This is one of several things UFC has going for it at the moment. With the attention MMA fighting is getting, one would be crazy to say UFC isn’t here to stay. Time will only tell if boxing will get back to its feet once again. Boxing is down, but not out, and does not plan on throwing in the towel.
I agree with most of the stuff you said except the Mayweather De La Hoya bit. I don't think either guy cared if they won or lost that fight, as long as they didn't get knocked out appeared to be their main concern. De La Hoya lost the fight on a split decision, but did you see his interviews after? He didn't say one thing about the judges or one thing about a rematch. That just shows me that he doesn't care enough about the sport. He should've been overly pissed off about the decision and immediatly said if Mayweather is any type of a real man he will face me again, in 5 months and we will see who wins next time. This whole boxing as a business stuff makes the 2 of them less likely to go all out like a Corrales Castillo fight, because they are too worried about messing up their faces for the after fight, or being embarrassed by getting knocked out. So they simply dance around for 12 or 15 rounds trading jabs and body punches, hoping to land a combo or 2 that will win them a decision.
I would love to see the two Kitscho brothers fight. I wonder what their parents would think?
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