boxing popularity: uk vs usa

I can only comment about the UK, but here the level of 'Joe Public' knowledge about and interest in boxing has totally gone down the toilet in recent years.. really with the rise of satellite and PPV. I doubt few but fans could name an active British fighter other than Hatton (assuming he still is), Khan and Haye, and even Haye would be a question mark. Twenty years ago, you could ask your mates if they had seen 'the Big Fight' the night before, and they would know exactly what you were talking about. Today, unless they are 'into' boxing, they wouldn't have a f**king clue.

I say UK knows more, but its what the hardcore fans from everywhere know that counts its not even when uk fighters are on me and my mates really look forward to fights like, for example, vitali v arreola or hopkins v pavlick, where theres literally no-one youre particularly rooting for. just the chance of a decent fight with an interesting outcome seems to me that americans only like fights with a yank involved

I think Ricky Hatton is one of the most famous people in the U.K. Not so much Calzaghe, my nan would not know who he was. I reckon Khan is more famous than Calzaghe over here actually