Why Boxing is Dead...

[Gonzo]

If anyone is watching the card on Showtime, this is the reason boxing is dead and MMA is on the rise. Campillo just got absolutely robbed of the decision against Cloud. I've got no dog in this one, but watched it, and this decision was so corrupt it ******* stinks.

 

[NobodyBeatsCy]

Boxing died with Tyson.

 

[cy1010]

Boxing is Dead because there hasn't been a great American heavyweight for twenty years.

 

[cyflier]

If anyone is watching the card on Showtime, this is the reason boxing is dead and MMA is on the rise. Campillo just got absolutely robbed of the decision against Cloud. I've got no dog in this one, but watched it, and this decision was so corrupt it ******* stinks.

It's like gymnastics, it's too subjective, a lot of times there is not a clear winner. This is why I don't follow it.

 

[Gonzo]

I was a huge Tyson fan. Still, if you watched boxing in the late 1990s and early 2000s and caught the action of Oscar De La Hoya, Felix Trinidad, Ike Quartey, Shane Mosley, Fernando Vargas, Marco Antonio Barrera, Erik Morales, and others, it was a great time for boxing.

 

[psychlone99]

Boxing is Dead because there hasn't been a great American heavyweight for twenty years.

I'd put that closer to 10-15 years as Holyfield was still relevant into the early 2000s. But you're correct. Boxing died with the American heavyweight.

 

[Broodwich]

Boxing needs a Jeremy Lin.

 

[Cyclonepride]

Boxing died because there was no single unifying association, and half the champs dodged each other.

 

[cy1010]

Boxing died because there was no single unifying association, and half the champs dodged each other.

That's a good point too. That drives me crazy. I would follow boxing if I didn't need a degree in logistics to keep all the federations straight.

 

[Gonzo]

Boxing died because there was no single unifying association, and half the champs dodged each other.

Very true. But in the 70s and 80s those matchups with Leonard, Hearns, Hagler, Duran, and others were classic. The only fight that didn't happen when both fighters were in their prime was Leonard v. Hagler. Other than that, these guys didn't do much dodging. But I agree, it's ridiculous that we still haven't seen Pacquaio v. Mayweather when that's really the only fight out there, and probably won't.

Doesn't happen in MMA.

 

[cyclonez7]

Boxing needs a Jeremy Lin.

Ever heard of Manny Pacquiao? He was a poor kid on the streets of the Philippines, worked his butt off at every weight class, climbed his way to the top of the boxing ranks, and is one of the humblest athletes out there. He gives away a ton of money to the less fortunate people in his home country. Prays before and after every match. Can't wait to see him fight Mayweather if it ever happens.

 

[Broodwich]

Ever heard of Manny Pacquiao? He was a poor kid on the streets of the Philippines, worked his butt off at every weight class, climbed his way to the top of the boxing ranks, and is one of the humblest athletes out there. He gives away a ton of money to the less fortunate people in his home country. Prays before and after every match. Can't wait to see him fight Mayweather if it ever happens.

And a respected elected official.

I am aware. I love boxing. HATE MMA. Boxing needs a serious image make-over.

 

[xboxfever]

Bring back Prince Naseem and I may tune in again.

[ame=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jZvBDYS6hsY]Prince Naseem Hamed 'Thriller' ring entrance vs Wayne Mccullough - YouTube[/ame]

 

[cy1010]

And a respected elected official.

I am aware. I love boxing. HATE MMA. Boxing needs a serious image make-over.

It also just needs guys we want to watch. Heavyweights are a necessity. Although, the Ward-Gatti fights were the best fights I ever saw in my lifetime (I'm not that old).

 

[cayin]

I was a huge Tyson fan. Still, if you watched boxing in the late 1990s and early 2000s and caught the action of Oscar De La Hoya, Felix Trinidad, Ike Quartey, Shane Mosley, Fernando Vargas, Marco Antonio Barrera, Erik Morales, and others, it was a great time for boxing.

Vinny Pazienza, Mickey Ward, Artuo Gatti. Lenox Lewis.

 

[cayin]

It also just needs guys we want to watch. Heavyweights are a necessity. Although, the Ward-Gatti fights were the best fights I ever saw in my lifetime (I'm not that old).

The Klitschko bothers are actually pretty darn good. Not many boxers from any era can stand in with these guys. They are a different kind of heavy wt in that they are 6'5 to 6'6 245 lbs and athletic and very technically skilled. The 6'1 220 lb guys of yesteryear just could not stand in against that. Lenox Lewis was of the same mold, Tyson just didn't have the length or size to deal with it and got hammered.

 

[dmclone]

I think a big part is that everything is PPV

 

[ojoe2317]

I think a big part is that everything is PPV

I agree with this 100%. I think the other big factor is the frequency of fights, but clearly that is a safety issue and boxing shouldn't really go back on that one. But I think boxing would become much more popular if they just (1) consolidated all of the different "champions" and (2) put it on free tv (over the air, not just on cable).

I think it was on PTI that I first heard the boxing-football comparison. Not to hijack the thread, but I think the NFL needs to think really carefully about moving more games to the NFL network.

 

[Knownothing]

The reason the ufc is taking over is they fight each other. You have one guy who makes the matches and that is who you have fight. Its always the best two guys. You never hqve a manny vs. Floyr situation where the two best won't fight each other. In the ufc.those two would have fought years ago.

 

[BryceC]

IMO the Boxing meltdown started a long time ago.

MMA has the UFC, which is the undisputed prime distributor of the marquee fights. The fights are all set by Dana, so once you are the #1 contender you will always fight the champ. If boxing did this it would help immensely.

Boxing now has is much, much smaller on the grassroots level. You could probably watch an MMA match in central Iowa every weekend if you wanted to. I don't know where you'd even go to watch a boxing match let alone train.

There was recently that "tournament" for real boxers and that's a good idea. They need to get the promoters and federations as far from the real fights as possible. There are a lot of people that could get back into boxing but it's just so far off the radar now.