Boxing is eating itself to death

the new generation of fighters arent very good these days.... pretty much all the best p4p fighters are coming up to 40 lol, the fact that pacquiao at 46 could come out and draw against a belt holder says it all. like him or hate him canelo will probably be the last 'superstar' boxer for a long time noone in the up and coming generation will become a crossover star Usyk is the goat and the best talents are now from Eastern Euro.but they are largely discriminated against Americans are mediocre now because they all want the easy way to big money, not a burning inner drive to be the best. Bud is an anomaly though.

the new generation of fighters arent very good these days.... pretty much all the best p4p fighters are coming up to 40 lol, the fact that pacquiao at 46 could come out and draw against a belt holder says it all. like him or hate him canelo will probably be the last 'superstar' boxer for a long time noone in the up and coming generation will become a crossover star

Everything seems scripted and controlled now, there are no unscripted moments like Jones getting KOed by Tarver Idk what you mean by there are no unscripted moments, as several fairly recent ones come to mind. Andy Ruiz knocking out Anthony Joshua in his U.S. debut at MSG, pretty much everything that Usyk has done since moving up to heavyweight, for most of the reasons that Tyson Fury tried to explain as to why he wouldn't face him in the first place (too small, poor English, not a Western fighter, not marketable, etc), the powers-that-be would have much rather had AJ or Fury with those belts, but Usyk upset the heavyweight apple cart by schooling the both of them anyway. They also probably didn't want AJ getting absolutely knackered by Dubois, but that still happened. The egg slap heard 'round the world at the Benn/Eubank presser didn't seem scripted, either (albeit the grand arrival of his estranged father on fight night DID feel scripted, I'll give you that one). Bivol was supposed to be a cherry pick for Canelo, he beat the Mexican from pillar to post. The Tank voluntary knee not being scored as a KD, Teo beating Loma only to turn around and get upset by George f'n Kambosos, Ryan Garcia knocking Haney down multiple times when everyone assumed he was going to get shutout, because all he had was a telegraphed left hook that Haney would nullify, Crawford annihilating Errol Spence, Bakhram destroying Tszyu, Brian Mendoza starching Fundora....there are a ton of recent examples that don't seem "scripted" to me, but like I said before, I guess it depends on what you are looking for.

Nah, it's not that. HBO and Showtime getting rid of boxing dealt a major blow to the sport. Both of those networks were boxing institutions for roughly the last 40 years. The reason these powerhouse networks both dropped boxing is because they lost the power to make the best fights, they were unable to force Mayweather into high risk fights, and then when he ducked Pacquiao that was the breaking point for HBO. Boxing is not interesting if the best do not face the best. Now even when the best vs best does happen, it's lost it's aura and allure and the trust of the public. Everything seems scripted and controlled now, there are no unscripted moments like Jones getting KOed by Tarver, the Lewis vs Tyson hype build up, Hopkins throwing the package of rice at Tito calling it his last meal, Duran trash talking Leonard and his wife, Holyfield telling Tyson at the press conf he's been everywhere Tyson has except for jail, which made Mike erupt into a rant. Boxing feels totally scripted now, Oh it's going to be a record breaking event blah blah blah...

In some ways I think that too but then ask myself is it the case or are things a changin and I'm a few stops into my journey leading to codgerville where I am yelling at clouds? Nah, it's not that. HBO and Showtime getting rid of boxing dealt a major blow to the sport. Both of those networks were boxing institutions for roughly the last 40 years.

This discussion is more interesting than anything the boxing media talks about.

Pollywog, it's eating itself. The Harlem Globetrotters was a sign that basketball was so popular, the public wanted more in any way shape or form. Tyson and Paul are Floyd's phony exhibitions are being produced because there isn't much product to sell outside of a few moderate stars Usyk Canelo Inouye Beterbiev Benavidez. Boxing has so few assets that it has to go back in time and dredge up the ghost of Tyson and some clown on you tube. Milking Tyson and Paul and Pacquiao because there is nothing else to milk.

Agree for the most part with TS. When hbo/show and fnf left, boxing went downhill. Had a printout of boxing dates/times/channels/ppvs on my fridge that I looked at every day. Crossed fights off after they happened. Was a great time for boxing when those 3 networks had shows. Pbc looked like it might be boxing's savior, only for Haymon to pull his typical bs. There were so many interesting fights back then then that got people talking, buzzing, debating and then the fights were real. Then Floyd came along and every one of this fights looked like a soft controlled sparring session. HBO dumped Floyd for ducking Pacquiao - that is a fact - then Haymon manipulated Espinoza to buy Floyd for $150m guaranteed six fights and it was more rubbish. It ended up ruining Showtime boxing. Having been ripped off and robbed by Floyd Haymon, boxing fans pulled back Pre Floyd I couldn't wait to read all the fighter interviews and news about fights getting made, and it all felt real. Now every interview sounds scripted with cliches.

Back in the golden age there were so many fights to look forward to. So many magnetic personalities in the sport and media too. Today boxing has eaten itself to death. There is no big fights that draw you in. Usyk has some flair but the only challenger that is exciting for him is a 20 year old kid. The biggest star in the sport is a 60 year old former champion who smokes weed every day. His rigged sparring session exhibitions generate more money than the current elites. Bud Crawford has a year or two left but nobody knows who he is. Boxing's funeral is coming soon and then the resurrection will occur after the sanctioning body mafias shutdown operations. Moses Itauma will save the sport and lead it into a new golden age while inspiring a new generation of future stars the same way Ali and Leonard did!! Agree largely. Parker and Kabayel are decent opponents for Usyk though. The lower weights have been gutted by Al Haymon/PBC behaviour. Its been so so awful for ten years now.

What are some of the funniest claims and things that have contributed to the joke in recent years? "Gervonta is the face of boxing" is the first that comes to mind. Anyone got anything else? Lol Broner will be FOTD......... lol

Agree for the most part with TS. When hbo/show and fnf left, boxing went downhill. Had a printout of boxing dates/times/channels/ppvs on my fridge that I looked at every day. Crossed fights off after they happened. Was a great time for boxing when those 3 networks had shows. Pbc looked like it might be boxing's savior, only for Haymon to pull his typical bs.

Promoters constantly looking to pull the wool over punters eyes by selling over marinated fake goods past their use by date is the biggest cause. But its not like this is a new thing. The difference is Joe Public with the internet as his friend isnt as gullible as he used to be. He knows that a pig with lipstick on is still a pig and mutton dressed as lamb is still mutton. If you look at the heavyweight division, 2 U.K powerbrokers have had a stranglehold on the straps by hyping up flawed and fraudulent fighters who hold belts to ransom with a-side diva demands like rematch clauses, low ball offers and straight up manipulating of rankings. Even now they're still trying it on with Brit Joshua still being held up as the gold standard despite getting laid out in his last fight by another Brit guy who also got laid out and with a 20 year old Brit Itauma supposedly being an invincible GOAT without ever having been beyond the 6th round or faced a top 10 fighter. Boxing is not a Meritocracy, it is Cronyism at its worst and people have had a gutsful, but cant do anything about it except show disinterest which the broadcasters have picked up on and also looked the other way. There is simply too much other sports competing for the sponsors/advertising and gämbling dollar and what with Turkis entry into the sport splashing massive bucks on cards that are never intended to make a profit, elite boxers are holding out for paydays that far exceed their value to the sport while Turki looks to control the narrative by gagging, slaughtering and chopping up the free press. Boxers themselves long considered lunks getting pimped and ripped off by shonky promoters are now savvy business men more likely to earn as much from social media side hustles as prize money. So while i wouldnt say boxing boxing is eating itself, it is definitely sucking and nibbling it's own cameltoes and who wants to see that ?

I am hesitant to say boxing is in a death spiral, and I know this is something that is always said (rose tinted glasses and all) but I do think there are some problems. Number one is promoters and promotional groups that care more about taking a small scrap for themselves as opposed to having the sport grow. Boxing is the only major sport that is fractured in this way, and it has been a problem for as long as it has existed. But then again this problem existed a decade ago, and I believe boxing right now isnt as good as it was several years back, so there has to be other factors. I think the disappearance of televised boxing, both regular cable and network (ESPN, CBS, etc) and pay channels (HBO, Showtime) have contributed to this decline. I get that the way many people consume media has changed. But you couple no major television outlet with the fractured nature of the promoters and this has doubly made things bad. Covid may have also played a role in all of this, and I kind of feel as if that was a turning point. Moreover, I feel as if a lot of the fighters from the previous generation have aged out, and a lot of fighters from the next generation have somewhat stalled in their ascension. For example, I picked a random recent year before Covid (2016) and I looked at the year end ring ratngs, which to me shows what things were like going into 2017. I see a lot of depth in the weight classes, maybe not of great fighters, but at least good fighters- and most notably in their PRIME good fighters. These fighters would go on to fight each other over the next few years. Take heavyweight for example, I know most of ya'll hate one of the following I am gonna list (and since you are internet people you will let your hate of them blur your vision to the point) but consider Wlad, Fury, Wilder, Pulev, Ortiz, AJ, Parker, Stiverne, Haye, and Ruiz were all the top fighters at the time most of them were in their prime, and most would fight others on the list. You can look at other weight classes Lt Heavy- Ward and Kov. SMW- Degale and Jack. MW- Canelo, GGG, Jacobs, Saunders, Lemieux WW- Brook, Tthurman, Porter, Garcia JW- Bud and Postol and On and On, Lightweight, Feather, Superfly. Depth of good fighters who fought each other while still being good fighters, AND we recognized them as being good at the time. Now look at the weight classes heading into this year. Most heavies are old, Lt heavy has a couple at the top, but they may be done with each other. SMW, MW, WW, JWW, not a lot of good fighters who have shown to be such. Some classes have potential, like JMW, but you have injuries or cases like Bud just stopping by the weight class. I have no doubt that there are stars in the making in boxing right now, but I just feel as if right now, its in a lull. Give it a couple years (and hopefully some TV deals) and it will be back.

This weekend main event is alright Vergil card is decent TOTALLY FREE to witness a dwarf take on a giant with Gervonta Jake on Nov 14 David Nov 22 is a good card Naoya Dec 27 is a great card manny fights again in January with Keith as the co-main Top Soviet Bivol-Artur Unfinished Business in February. Turki please put Callum-Cuban David on this card!

I have a problem with the lack of exposure, primarily through network television, in today's boxing landscape, and the fact that they are putting far too many events on as pay-per-view, but I disagree with the sentiment that there is a lack of magnetic personalities or big fights. I guess it depends on what you are looking for.

What are some of the funniest claims and things that have contributed to the joke in recent years? "Gervonta is the face of boxing" is the first that comes to mind. Anyone got anything else? Lol

Boxing really isn’t what it used to be. Nope. It's a ghost of it's once great self though it was always corrupt. But one man can change it all. It's the crazy ones who change the world.

No pressure for Itauma. Moses will chew that pressure up and spit it out into diamonds

Boxing really isn’t what it used to be. Back in the day, fights had storylines, rivalries, personalities that made you feel something. Now it’s all politics, belts, and social media hype. Still, I think you’re right, someone like Moses Itauma could light that fire again. He’s young, hungry, and has that spark the sport’s missing. Watching boxing fade hurts, but maybe that’s the cycle of all great things, they fall before they rise. Kind of like how I once had to call Urevo customer service after my treadmill broke, frustrating, but rebuilding feels good.

Back in the golden age there were so many fights to look forward to. So many magnetic personalities in the sport and media too. Today boxing has eaten itself to death. There is no big fights that draw you in. Usyk has some flair but the only challenger that is exciting for him is a 20 year old kid. The biggest star in the sport is a 60 year old former champion who smokes weed every day. His rigged sparring session exhibitions generate more money than the current elites. Bud Crawford has a year or two left but nobody knows who he is. Boxing's funeral is coming soon and then the resurrection will occur after the sanctioning body mafias shutdown operations. Moses Itauma will save the sport and lead it into a new golden age while inspiring a new generation of future stars the same way Ali and Leonard did!! No pressure for Itauma.