The NFL/Boxing Theory have some real weight behind it.

[croz]

It's also harder now for boxing to become a top sport in the USA again.
In Europe it's easy because in Europe it goes like this:

#1 Sport- Soccer

MASSIVE GAP

The Rest.

Boxing can easily become king of 'the rest'. They will forever be a distant #2 to Soccer in Europe, but boxing could easily become the 2nd most popular sport in Europe. Overtaking basketball there.


In America, there are too many sport leagues now. Like NBA-NFL-MLB-NHL-NASCAR etc. It's just harder to compete. The highest possible place I can see boxing ranked in America in terms of popurality is 3rd- behind NFL and NBA.

All they need is the right fights to get big ratings. Everything outside the NFL is actually close to being on the same level, averaging under 10 million for regular games. Only the major events from different sports can reach above 20 million. If HBO and Showtime were to give up some of their top boxers they could average NFL numbers all the time. Manny and May are unrealistic but let Canelo, Chavez Jr, Cotto, Khan have two fights each on CBS and they'd be right back nudging shoulders with the NFL. The worst possible card they could put on CBS was the exact card they did put on CBS.

[JDezi4]

The NFL was around and very popular in the 1970s, 1980s, 1990s, etc. So why didn't it impinge on US boxing in those eras as well?

The reason American HWs are not where they used to be is the fall of the Soviet Union and the freeing up of Eastern Europeans to fight professionally.

Had the Soviet Union not existed, the history of the HW division would likely be very different.

Its not that the NFL wasn't popular, its that the boxing was still VERY popular... Boxing isn't as popular anymore, so football seems like the obvious choice... Back then, to be the heavyweight champ actually meant something, now people would rather have a ring... To some degree, it means more

[Grimgash]

You really can't practice boxing without a local gym. If you were kids sparring in your front yard the cops could come and stop you. You have a bunch of kids slamming into each other playing football they think its great. It's a lot more accessible and a great road to college to play one of the big three sports. You can play them easily, and they're team based. If you have one kid whos great at boxing and no gym around even if you could do it easily, no one is going to play with him. Where as in team sports you can even them out and split the ability to make it more even.

To say other sports dont draw a lot of the extremely physically gifted athletes its absurd. The average minor leaguer in baseball makes more than the average boxer, and that's not a very high level to play at in comparison.

[Deathknight88]

The NFL was around and very popular in the 1970s, 1980s, 1990s, etc. So why didn't it impinge on US boxing in those eras as well?

The reason American HWs are not where they used to be is the fall of the Soviet Union and the freeing up of Eastern Europeans to fight professionally.

Had the Soviet Union not existed, the history of the HW division would likely be very different.

Your theory would make a lot of sense if the Eastern Europeans actually beat Heavyweights who have shown the skills of Tyson-Prime Bowe-Holyfield. THAN you can say 'yep, they did it, America's best is just inferior to Russia's best.

BUT there have been no American HW to test your claim. That's the issue with your theory. You can't seriously sit there and bite your teeth and claim Chris Arreloa is as good as Evander Holyfield skill wise or that Eddie Chambers=Mike Tyson. You just can't. When an American HW with the skills of Tyson or Ali shows up and he gets beaten by the Eastern Euros than your theory is valid.

[Tom Cruise]

It's also harder now for boxing to become a top sport in the USA again.
In Europe it's easy because in Europe it goes like this:

#1 Sport- Soccer

MASSIVE GAP

The Rest.

Boxing can easily become king of 'the rest'. They will forever be a distant #2 to Soccer in Europe, but boxing could easily become the 2nd most popular sport in Europe. Overtaking basketball there.


In America, there are too many sport leagues now. Like NBA-NFL-MLB-NHL-NASCAR etc. It's just harder to compete. The highest possible place I can see boxing ranked in America in terms of popurality is 3rd- behind NFL and NBA.

Um no. In Britain we have football, rugby union, rugby league, cricket (see freddie flintoff haha), all taking talent, same as you guys do with NFL NBA etc

Im sure other countries are the same.

[ShoulderRoll]

Um no. In Britain we have football, rugby union, rugby league, cricket (see freddie flintoff haha), all taking talent, same as you guys do with NFL NBA etc

Im sure other countries are the same.

Did Britain or these other countries go from dominating the heavyweight division for 100 years to all of a sudden not having any credible contenders?

[Tom Cruise]

Did Britain or these other countries go from dominating the heavyweight division for 100 years to all of a sudden not having any credible contenders?

Has pro boxing ever been as popular any where else as it was in the US?

What is your point??

America does not have a brand of superhuman that other countries dont.

Ive never denied that NFL NBA take talent from boxing in the US, but why is that different from rugby or football taking talent over here, because football and rugby have been huge for ages and so weve never 'dominated'?

Also taking 'talent' doesnt mean taking elite talent. Just because you have been perfectly designed for one sport doesnt mean you are for another.

There isnt anyone in the NFL NBA who is/could have been better than the Klitschko brothers.

[Tom Cruise]

Guess the point im trying to make is if you want to analyze the decline then analyze the decline. DONT analyze the result of the decline. Because its completely pointless.

Its like me making a thread saying 'the sky is black when a few hours ago it was blue, i think the reason this happened is because the sky went black'. Rather than seeing that the sun has just gone down.

[KO'er]

We never know guys.

David Price from Liverpool, England, looks solid. Deontay Wilder could turn out to be the real thing when he moves up a tier.

Heavyweight boxing was trash after Ali retired. From 1978 (his last title defence) until 1986 (when Tyson won titles) it was crap. That's 8 years. Sure, it has been 9 years since Lewis retired, but it's only a bit longer. Heavyweight boxing could be on it's legs before long.

I mean, IMO we do already have great heavyweight champions, Wladimir and Vitali Klitschko. These guys would be tough for any past time greats. It's just that the opposition is so bad that the division looks bad. The top champions are there like as before, but the contenders not ATM.

There is no denying that if a teenage kid was told "Do you want to be a top NFL player who makes $10 million per annum?" or "Do you want to be the next great American heavyweight, making $30 million per fight, and have your name etched next to Ali, Louis, etc in the boxing hall of hame?" the kid would choose the boxing. Making 30 mill a fight like Mayweather ATM.

It's just the risk which prevents these kids from pursuing the boxing route. There is no doubt being the next great American heavyweight would be the best option, if you couldn't fail.

[ShoulderRoll]

Has pro boxing ever been as popular any where else as it was in the US?

What is your point??

Britain invented modern boxing so I would imagine it was pretty popular there?

In any case the popularity and rich history of heavyweight boxing in the US can't be denied. The question is why the steep dropoff all of a sudden, seemingly out of the blue?