Boxing isn't popular anymore because it has become a sport for the rich.

Your right and some fighters like Cotto and Martinez go for safer money making fights rather than take less money to fight their top challengers on top of only fighting once a year. I wouldn't care if they weren't champions but champions should fight high ranked fighters in their same weight class at least 2 times a year. When they become a world champion they have an obligation to the sport and the contenders. Hagler fought top contenders at least 4 times a year and set the standard of a real good champion. GGG is fighting the best guys willing to fight him 4 or 5 times a year. Arum just gave Cotto 3 names. Bundrage, Bradley and Rios. Not a top middleweight in the bunch. Boxing is the only sport I like and I am not rich. I get HBO and Showtime and watch and tape all the boxing I can from those two channels. I have never paid the 50 to 80+ dollars they want for a pay for view and I never will. I can't afford that much money to watch one boxing card no matter how good it is. Mayweather-Pacquiao is a great event and when HBO or Showtime shows it for free weeks or months or years latter I will watch it and tape it. I agree with you. It seems boxers are becoming spoiled and expecting to get paid millions for relatively safe fights. Now I understand boxing is a dangerous sport but that doesn't give promoters and fights the right to say "fuk" the fans and make the fights they want to. Because at the end of the day we're paying the wages and I don't know about you but I'm getting a little fed up with price increases every year but worst and worst fights getting made.

Your right and some fighters like Cotto and Martinez go for safer money making fights rather than take less money to fight their top challengers on top of only fighting once a year. I wouldn't care if they weren't champions but champions should fight high ranked fighters in their same weight class at least 2 times a year. When they become a world champion they have an obligation to the sport and the contenders. Hagler fought top contenders at least 4 times a year and set the standard of a real good champion. GGG is fighting the best guys willing to fight him 4 or 5 times a year. Arum just gave Cotto 3 names. Bundrage, Bradley and Rios. Not a top middleweight in the bunch. Boxing is the only sport I like and I am not rich. I get HBO and Showtime and watch and tape all the boxing I can from those two channels. I have never paid the 50 to 80+ dollars they want for a pay for view and I never will. I can't afford that much money to watch one boxing card no matter how good it is. Mayweather-Pacquiao is a great event and when HBO or Showtime shows it for free weeks or months or years latter I will watch it and tape it. And who started this culture? Some one by the name of Floyd may weather, Cotto been fighting top opponents his whole career, how u gonna say Cotto and martinez been doing that when it's an outright lie , seriously Mayweather has brought this culture in and it has destroyed boxing so,blame him!

Boxing isn't popular because it's crooked and harder to watch than most sports. Hopefully Haymon takes advantage of these dates on network TV to change some minds. He has the opportunity to become a real hero to this sport.

Ticket prices aren't that big of a deal, but going to premium cable killed boxing's mainstream popularity. Haymon's pathetic matchmaking and torpedoing of great fights sickens me. But his NBC move is the best chance boxing has of reversing the damage that has been done.

Your right and some fighters like Cotto and Martinez go for safer money making fights rather than take less money to fight their top challengers on top of only fighting once a year. I wouldn't care if they weren't champions but champions should fight high ranked fighters in their same weight class at least 2 times a year. When they become a world champion they have an obligation to the sport and the contenders. Hagler fought top contenders at least 4 times a year and set the standard of a real good champion. GGG is fighting the best guys willing to fight him 4 or 5 times a year. Arum just gave Cotto 3 names. Bundrage, Bradley and Rios. Not a top middleweight in the bunch. Boxing is the only sport I like and I am not rich. I get HBO and Showtime and watch and tape all the boxing I can from those two channels. I have never paid the 50 to 80+ dollars they want for a pay for view and I never will. I can't afford that much money to watch one boxing card no matter how good it is. Mayweather-Pacquiao is a great event and when HBO or Showtime shows it for free weeks or months or years latter I will watch it and tape it.

"Boxing isn't popular anymore" Boxing is still setting records. There's an event coming on May 2nd which seems like it has some attention. This NBC deal should make high level boxing accessible to everyone though.

Boxing is pretty cheap. How many of the world class boxers you see today came from rich families?

I actually will pay to see May vs Pac.. why because it's worth it, however I am not paying to see Canelo vs Cotto (not that its happening) and other than my friends who are pro's I wont pay to see it, I have a yearly sub with them online streaming sites through my friend who offer not HD but half decent quality footage on fight night, except 5 seconds behind real time.

You can stream it or watch it couple hours later on YouTube You couldn't do that before

I think the main reason boxing has a hard time being mainstream in America is because it's now a sport for the wealthy. Boxing has pretty much shunned the lower class by having fights exclusively on HBO and Showtime, both premium networks. And to make matters worst all the big fights are held on PPV, which seems to increase every year. And not many people are willing to shell out $65 for a sport they have very little interest in. Then many of the best fights are being held at Casinos where it's nearly impossible for average Joe to get a good seat or even a seat at all. Add in the fact that biggest stars only fight once or twice a year and you start and boxing can sometimes be a hard sport to comprehend and you start see why it will never be as mainstream as it once was. It's not the price that keeps me from buying PPV it's corrupt judging but last time I look most kids who box are from the ghetto so I would't call that the sport of the wealthy

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Watching sports in general isn't as cheap as it used to be. Although, boxing is definitely not a cheap sport to follow. As superstars paydays and wages increased over the years, it basically comes out of the pockets of the fans. We pay for the pay per views, tickets and buy the stuff they are sponsored by.

Only Mayweather and Pacquiao fights. Every other fight you can sit ringside at a cost cheaper than an NFL, NBA, MLB or NHL regular season game. Mayweather and Pacquiao fights are the equivalent of the Super Bowl or the NBA finals. Tickets are impossible to get and cost a ton.