"They said boxng was dying when bareknuckling was outlawed, and when Dempsey retired, and when Marciano retired, and when the Butterfly retired. But boxing isn't dying. It's always going to be here. It'll have its ups and down, like we all do. But it'll survive. It always has and it always will. You watch. In another few years there will be some new kid who comes along, maybe out of my gym in Philly, and before you know it boxing will be the biggest thing out there again. It'll happen again. It always does."
-Smokin' Joe Frazier
What are your thoughts? Apparently, boxing has had many big downfalls, in Joe's book he says in the late 1950's that boxing was at a all time down....
I actually got some faith when I read this...
Can't you reply with a normal fucking answer?
I can.
But i didnt.
I thought it was just a very obvious statement, nothing against Frazier, he knows more than i ever will.
But the sport is in a very healthy state, it gets better, it gets worse, but keeps going, and is very popular.
That better sunshine?? :rolleyes:
One thing that would make boxing big again would be a sharp decline in living standards in the Western world. When things go to shit people start fighting, simple as that. So if you want boxing to get big again, pray for society's collapse :D .
Most likely Frazer was refering to the Heavyweight division, right now it needs a lot of improving.
Yes I think so too since several of the lower divisions are very good.
Another hope could be to move away from pay per view to the public channels more people would then watch boxing. I think that is one of the reasons Mike Tyson instantly was so big everywhere in the world. This may not create better boxers just more fans of course.
Joe Frazier is not exactly one of the major thinkers of our times.
Boxing is trudging along and there are a few people calling for it's demise. Just a few perhaps because it is "under the radar" right now. If the next Tyson or Ali suddenly appeared and caused huge interest the pacifists would start coming out of the woodwork. It would be under a microscope and if there were a couple of ring related deaths in a short time period, I fear that boxing would be outlawed. SOMEBODY running for high office would make it his personal "cause".
( I once said about Frazier..."He doesn't know the MEANING of the word "fear". He doesn't know what a lot of other words mean either ... but what the hell, He's a boxer not a fukking LINGUIST!")
To be fair that quote was in Frazier's book and he was only a co-author, so quite possibly this wasn't on original creation on his part.
Having said that boxing is due for a comeback sometime. Things change fast and the fact is that interest it the major pro sports has been fading for some time. I know, there are record attendance and revenue figures that will seemingly prove me wrong. But the fact is that the average person on the street, especially the average young person, isn't nearly as into sports as their equivalents 50 years ago. They might go to games and wear apparel, but they don't care as much as people used to do.
If there's a marked decline in interest in the major sports boxing just might fill the void. I mean, face it, a lot of people these days want a)more glitz and b)more violence for their entertainment dollar then what they get in most sports, and boxing offers plenty of both.
"They said boxng was dying when bareknuckling was outlawed, and when Dempsey retired, and when Marciano retired, and when the Butterfly retired. But boxing isn't dying. It's always going to be here. It'll have its ups and down, like we all do. But it'll survive. It always has and it always will. You watch. In another few years there will be some new kid who comes along, maybe out of my gym in Philly, and before you know it boxing will be the biggest thing out there again. It'll happen again. It always does."
-Smokin' Joe Frazier
What are your thoughts? Apparently, boxing has had many big downfalls, in Joe's book he says in the late 1950's that boxing was at a all time down....
I actually got some faith when I read this...
i certainly hope he is right
That's an interesting point because Oscar never made any kind of splash in the UK (to be fair, it had all gone to satellite then anyway) but Tyson was MASSIVE.
Always gotta listen to Joe. I always remember his line: "any man can take you out with one punch if he hits you clean on the clock." Roy Jones used to cry into his pillow thinking of that one to console him.
Well, few UK fighters have ever made a splash in the US,that didnt fight in the US
He's basically right, Boxing can be really exciting again if it could get that one fighter that can put boxing on the spotlight,like Tyson did,like de la hoya did.
He's right, boxing goes thru cycles every few years. Remember the 80's?
Dokes, Weaver, Witherspoon. The next dominate HW champ is out there, and has yet to be seen.