Boxing is the number 4 most popular sport in the US - Harris Poll

[dreamroom]

Pleasantly surprised. I thought me and my friends were outliers. I’m happy it’s popular, I’m disappointed that it’s become more of an entertainment event than a sport. When Clay/Ali hit the scene, it was fresh and original. The silly costumes, showmanship at weigh-ins etc. gets tiresome. Mike Tyson was a refreshing break from the foolishness.
Let’s get back to boxing, and let the greatest RIP. There is only one Ali, and there will never be another.

[Flickergrab98]

If this is true, then that presents a great opportunity for the sport. There needs to be an effort to fully hook the new eyes drawn to this sport and make them fans for life. That means there needs to be more single, undisputed champions. More best vs best fan favorite matchups. More money put into creative avenues of advertising to build hype. The right need to come together to do what’s for the sport they’re apart of.

[Willow The Wisp]

Professional Sports Ranked by Popularity

1961
USA (World's top sports market):
1. BASEBALL
2. BOXING
3. FOOTBALL
4. AUTO RACING
5. BASKETBALL

Outside the USA:
1. SOCCER
2. BOXING
3. CRICKET
4. RUGBY
5. ATHLETICS



2021
USA (World's top sports market):
1. FOOTBALL
2. BASEBALL
3. BASKETBALL
4. BOXING
5. MMA


Outside the USA:
1. SOCCER
2. BOXING
3. CRICKET
4. ATHLETICS
5. TENNIS

Source: The World Almanac and Encyclopedia. Press Publishing Company

[QueensburyRules]

Pleasantly surprised. I thought me and my friends were outliers. I’m happy it’s popular, I’m disappointed that it’s become more of an entertainment event than a sport. When Clay/Ali hit the scene, it was fresh and original. The silly costumes, showmanship at weigh-ins etc. gets tiresome. Mike Tyson was a refreshing break from the foolishness.
Let’s get back to boxing, and let the greatest RIP. There is only one Ali, and there will never be another.

- - Ali Rahmi, The Greatest Evah called out all the top names in his day.

https://boxrec.com/en/box-pro/561186

[Willow The Wisp]

If this is true, then that presents a great opportunity for the sport. There needs to be an effort to fully hook the new eyes drawn to this sport and make them fans for life. That means there needs to be more single, undisputed champions. More best vs best fan favorite matchups. More money put into creative avenues of advertising to build hype. The right need to come together to do what’s for the sport they’re apart of.

Soccer is the biggest sport on earth certainly. As a professional sport it is largely ignored however, in the US, and the first official World Cup was not played until 1930 (in Uruguay). And in recent years MMA has given boxing a real run for its money, at least in the US, owing to some brilliant marketing and turning it's unified earnings back into the building of the sport; creating a strong base among younger consumers.
However, from the broader historical perspective, Boxing is the only professional sport that shows up in the top five, BOTH inside the US, where big time pro sports was born, and Outside the US, in the word's other 194 countries. Making it top 5 in the US matters allot, obviously; because although it is home to just 4.25 percent of the world's population, the US owns a staggering 31% of the world's wealth.
If that weren't enough, boxing repeats that feat of being top 5 both in and out of the world's top sports market in every decade over the last 140 plus years.
By this particular measure at least, that effectively makes boxing "the biggest sport in the world". Adding to that, boxing has likely produced the greatest number of globally iconic superstars. Boxing essentially owned the 18th and 19th centuries in professional sports, and champions like Broughton, Mendoza, Cribb, Sullivan, Corbett, Johnson, Dempsey, Louis, Marciano, Robinson, Ali and Tyson were among the most famous people in the world - period, in their respective heydays. Poll the planet, and you're likely to discover that the fame of Muhammad Ali has endured better than even that of the great Pele; soccer's best equivalent.
And imagine, that Boxing has pulled all of this off while never, EVER missing an opportunity to **** on itself and shoot itself in the foot as a grossly mismanaged business with no central body, ever.
If Boxing were to better regulate itself and market it's product as a unified front, it's hard to imagine how good it might do.
But realistically, I'm not going to hold my breath. I think that the image, the esthetic of a good, clean stand up fight, done in the universal rules tradition of Mesopotamia, Assyria, Egypt, Greece, Rome, England and America simply speaks to people who are a stand up animal; and as such, Boxing is always going to have a place of high esteem on the world's stage of sports, no matter how crowded that stage becomes.

[QueensburyRules]

Soccer is the biggest sport on earth certainly. As a professional sport it is largely ignored however, in the US, and the first official World Cup was not played until 1930 (in Uruguay). And in recent years MMA has given boxing a real run for its money, at least in the US, owing to some brilliant marketing and turning it's unified earnings back into the building of the sport; creating a strong base among yonger consumers.
However, from the broader historical perspective, Boxing the only professional sport that shows up in the top five, BOTH inside the US, where big time pro sports was born, and outside the US, in the word's other 194 countries. Making it top 5 in the US matters allot, obviously; because although it is home to just 4.25 percent of the world's population, it owns a staggering 31% of the world's wealth.
If that weren't enough, boxing repeats that feat of being top 5 both in and out of the world's top sports market in every decade over the last 140 plus years.
By this particular measure at least, that effectively makes boxing "the biggest sport in the world". Add to that, it has likely produced the greatest number of globally iconic superstars. Boxing essentially owned the 18th and 19th centuries in professional sports, and champions like Broughton, Mendoza, Cribb, Sullivan, Corbett, Johnson, Dempsey, Louis, Marciano, Robinson, Ali and Tyson were among the most famous people in the world period, in their respective heydays. Poll the planet, and you're likely to discover that the fame of Muhammad Ali has endured better than even the great Pele.
And imagine, that Boxing has pulled this off while never, EVER missing an opportunity to **** on itself and shoot itself in the foot as a grossly mismanaged business with no central body, ever.
If Boxing were to better regulate itself and market it's product as a unified front, it's hard to imagine how good it might do.
But realistically, I'm not going to hold my breath. I think that the the image, the acetic of a good, clean stand up fight, done in the universal rules tradition of Mesopotamia, Assyria, Egypt, Greece, Rome, England and America simply speaks to people who are a stand up animal; and as such, Boxing is always going to have a place of esteem on the world's stage of sports, no matter how crowded that stage becomes.

- - Not bad, Wispy.

I would add Manny may have supplanted all fighters in history by dint of belonging to the largest ethno/racial grouping, ie Asian.

However, in my experience it's a bit like Fury walking around LA asking folks if they knew who Wilder was who was apparently the best kept secret in boxing going into their first bout. That was better than any Harris poll because it was one on one in person and direct response.

In the meantime, Mexican referee Armando Garcia has a most excellent and most exhaustive guidebook meant to enhance the understanding and place of rules and referee in regards to any contest with outside the ring guidelines meant to enhance the professionalism of the ref.

If you got the time and concentration, I dare say it also assists a fan in understanding the myriad complexities encountered in a single bout much less in a career. Armando is a Saint!

The Professional Boxing Referee Manual - 2022-2023 - AG.pdf(Review) - Adobe cloud storage

[Willow The Wisp]

- - Not bad, Wispy.

I would add Manny may have supplanted all fighters in history by dint of belonging to the largest ethno/racial grouping, ie Asian.

However, in my experience it's a bit like Fury walking around LA asking folks if they knew who Wilder was who was apparently the best kept secret in boxing going into their first bout. That was better than any Harris poll because it was one on one in person and direct response.

In the meantime, Mexican referee Armando Garcia has a most excellent and most exhaustive guidebook meant to enhance the understanding and place of rules and referee in regards to any contest with outside the ring guidelines meant to enhance the professionalism of the ref.

If you got the time and concentration, I dare say it also assists a fan in understanding the myriad complexities encountered in a single bout much less in a career. Armando is a Saint!

The Professional Boxing Referee Manual - 2022-2023 - AG.pdf(Review) - Adobe cloud storage

Man, I do genuinely appreciate it when you try. Looking over your material from years ago there was plenty of quality, and a pattern of increased malaise is apparent. Happens to most of us who frequentthese hobby gigs. Ah, but who am I to judge? Who atall?

[dreamroom]

- - Ali Rahmi, The Greatest Evah called out all the top names in his day.

https://boxrec.com/en/box-pro/561186

Absolutely. Who could forget the huge battles, or dare I say WARS like Raymi vs Jaber, Raymi vs Abdulkhalik and Raymi vs Jawfi. And I'd be remiss if I left out the Raymi vs Maz campaign. Four fights in 5 months. The stellar record of 25 - 0 in the brutal Flyweight division says it all. RIP Ali Raymi.......