Yes it was ,in the Jack Johnson days to the late 70's it was very mainstream and on cable T.V that everyone watched ,the difference is theres more choices and hundreds of channels now so it goes unnoticed alot. Not until Ali left the sport did it dwindle ,it somewhat revived with Mike Tyson but only lasted during his reign in the 80's and went back into being a second hand sport in the U.S with the Lewis /Holyfield era.
Boxing of course had some Historic Mainstream Moments for sure and AGAIN certain fighters was able to make it Mainstream but as a whole hell no boxing was never Mainstream
It was shows like ABC's Wide World of Sports
https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/thumb/0/0f/Wwos.png/250px-Wwos.png
In which they would replay boxing fights while also previewing and promoting up and coming fights. This Helped the sport greatly, it also helped Ali become a Mainstream Crossover Superstar
Exactly why I think boxing needs to get back to being on FREE TV MORE. Even showing replays on Free TV Months later would be great exposure for the fighters
No because US white guys don’t excel in boxing.
White doesn’t want to see black and brown dominate any combat sport.
That’s why they’d rather watch dry humping over 3 rounds than 12 of the sweet science.
As a whole honestly...IT NEVER WAS MAIN STREAM!
Only Certain Fighters was able to make it Mainstream through out the history of this sport like Ali, Leonard, Tyson, Oscar, Mayweather, Pacquiao
Boxing had a lot of STARS that made a lot of money but not only a select few became True Crossover SUPERSTARS in the sport. So NO boxing will never become "Main Stream" in America but that doesn't mean the sport can't do well without being Mainstream
boxing was definitely mainstream back in the day. Prime time fights, saturday afternoon wide world of sports. Saturday and Sunday afternoon fights on NBC and CBS. And let's not forget the 50s when the top guys fought all the time. I would have loved to be alive back then. Imagine having what is considered a ppv fight every weekend or every other weekend :crazy:
Probably not. It's just too watered down nowadays. I don't see that changing either. Too many titles and too much focus on keeping "0s" instead of making the best fights.
If it does become mainstream again, it will need stars who are regularly on TV so they can build them up as names. This once or twice a year crap won't build up anybody. In his early days, Tyson was on TV all the time which is why he got to be so famous and he definitely brought a lot of fans in. We need guys like that with less titles and less BS. I don't see it happening soon though. Not until major money is lost will any real change happen.
When there are 4 or 5 fighters in the top 10 of each weight class with undefeated records, that is a problem. That means that the top fighters aren't fighting each other. They're also letting big fights wait for too long which leads to someone losing and the fight losing interest(Charlo/hurd, Wilder/Joshua). We all want to see Crawford/Spence. I like them both but Crawford has a dangerous style in which he gets hit entirely too much than he's supposed to. I will never be shocked if he loses.
How can it become mainstream when all it has are showcase fighters fighting bums most of the time? Nothing will improve until fans stopped supporting such fights.
The media is not even helping. They're too timid to call such fighters out and expose them for what they really are.
As long as there are 7 titles per division(WBC and WBA with their extra titles. And I'm not talking about interim titles), Superstars fighting twice a year, champions cherry picking protecting their undefeated record, and outrageous ppv costs for champions fighting cherry picked opponents, I'd say "no". We've got to get rid of all these GD belts. The WBO becoming a major title is crazy. it was bad enough when the IBF became one in the early 80s, but this is crazy. Eventually, some superstar is gonna win an IBO title and it will become major as well less than 10 years from now. This means Herbie Hide is a 2 time hw champion of the world.
If so how or if not why not?
Wilder couldve done it. Thats if he hadn't tried to impress hes hangers on with the daft talk about catching a body which no mainstream sponsors or media want to touch. A great heavyweight with a slick marketing machine really could do it. Never say never.
Maybe, maybe not..but fans of the sport can influence others, whether it's your friends, family or co-workers to gain interest in boxing. Two of my friends who had never watched a fight in their life, are now into boxing as much as I am. One of them is always asking me what I think the next big fight is, yet I've seen him watching fights involving lesser known boxers. Sometimes it's fights that I don't even devote the time to watch but he does. It's funny.
Probably not, the USA is going to be a third world country before the end of the century. Doesn't bode too well for PPV sales.
Boxing is a niche - unless they introduce transgender,LGBT, disabled, etc. Divisions to attract every single demographic.
As a whole honestly...IT NEVER WAS MAIN STREAM!
Only Certain Fighters was able to make it Mainstream through out the history of this sport like Ali, Leonard, Tyson, Oscar, Mayweather, Pacquiao
Boxing had a lot of STARS that made a lot of money but not only a select few became True Crossover SUPERSTARS in the sport. So NO boxing will never become "Main Stream" in America but that doesn't mean the sport can't do well without being Mainstream
I dont think so, unfortunately. Kids love the flash of bball, football, baseball and mma. Add to the fact that you dont have any charismatic fighters. Most want to follow the Money Mayweather blueprint....work smarter not harder, which is cool, but casuals wanna see slugfests and ko's. That's why a lot flocked to the mma. There's not really an appreciation for the sweet science. Lastly, the most popular fighter in the world at this point doesnt speak english, nor seems to be attempting to learn. The rest, for the most part either try too hard or have the personalities of wet mops.