What will it take to make Boxing main stream?

**Double** · 06-20-2008, 04:06 PM

A big name plain and simple a guy like Tyson who KO's everyone in the HW class or an Olympic gold medalist with charisma and mass appeal a la De La Hoya, Ali or Sugar ray Leonard.

**Domain** · 06-20-2008, 04:40 PM

Reach the White Trendy young rich kids like UFC did...They reached a market that wants to be just as bad ass as black guys...so UFC reached a market and now white kids can say they are bad ass fighters because they can lay and pray on you instead of fighting like a man toe 2 toe.

Instead they can mount you like a woman and ride you and not feel gay about it.

Boxing needs to get more Americans involved they need more kelly pavliks to get it into mainstream so the majority of whites will watch...because if you lack a white audience that means you are not getting the mega numbers you need to go mainstream.

**Eaner0919** · 06-20-2008, 04:48 PM

Originally posted by MrMark1

I think we all agree on this : )

1) 1 belt in each divisions. (i dont even mind that theirs so many promoters. It just sucks that one promoter doesnt want to work with another promoter. Which sucks for us the boxing fans.)

2) Boxing defiantly needs some type of boxing union.

3) Like back in the days. Live boxing on channel ABC or FOX or NBC on a Saturday afternoon. (theres just way to much ppv BS) boxer should get more main stream exposer.

Some might disagree with this but : (

4) Weighting yourself lets say 4-8 hours before your fight or something like that not 24 hours before.

What will it take to make Boxing main stream again?

1) 1 belt rule wouldn't necessarily work IMO. Imagine having one belt and one ranking system for that belt. Do you think the #1 ranked guy will want to fight the number 2 ranked guy if he knows he is next in line for a title shot? heck how about the 4th and 5th ranked fighters? too many fighters would be leery about their rankings and take the safe route or not fighting anyone of note for fear of a loss

2) a boxing union for the US? Remember this is a GLOBAL sport so how do you regulate fighters who are not from here? Even if they are from here what makes anyone think they can regulate boxing when 50 states have 50 different sets of rules?

3) network TV DID have boxing on Sat afternoons as late as I think 2002 with the NBC series that showcased Main Event fighters like Juan Diaz Rocky Juarez and Panchito Bojado. If we go network it should be primte time weekday where the most # of viewers will be. Also, boxing should treat network TV as an infomercial where it sells not only the sport but the fighter as well. Having a guy like Pavlik on TV during a midweek prime time slot might get people interested in boxing again

4) nah thats crazy you cannot possibly expect a fighter to have mere hours to rehydrate that would be disasterous.

**Mr. Ryan** · 06-20-2008, 04:52 PM

Originally posted by Eaner0919

1) 1 belt rule wouldn't necessarily work IMO. Imagine having one belt and one ranking system for that belt. Do you think the #1 ranked guy will want to fight the number 2 ranked guy if he knows he is next in line for a title shot? heck how about the 4th and 5th ranked fighters? too many fighters would be leery about their rankings and take the safe route or not fighting anyone of note for fear of a loss

They do this now anyways, but I can see it being much worse under different circumstances.

**2501** · 06-20-2008, 04:54 PM

the "stars" of boxing actually putting on exciting fights. thats all that really is the issue here.

**T-97** · 06-20-2008, 04:55 PM

Originally posted by Double

A big name plain and simple a guy like Tyson who KO's everyone in the HW class or an Olympic gold medalist with charisma and mass appeal a la De La Hoya, Ali or Sugar ray Leonard.

David Haye.....I hope

**Bhopreign** · 06-20-2008, 05:08 PM

Originally posted by Eaner0919

1) 1 belt rule wouldn't necessarily work IMO. Imagine having one belt and one ranking system for that belt. Do you think the #1 ranked guy will want to fight the number 2 ranked guy if he knows he is next in line for a title shot? heck how about the 4th and 5th ranked fighters? too many fighters would be leery about their rankings and take the safe route or not fighting anyone of note for fear of a loss

2) a boxing union for the US? Remember this is a GLOBAL sport so how do you regulate fighters who are not from here? Even if they are from here what makes anyone think they can regulate boxing when 50 states have 50 different sets of rules?

3) network TV DID have boxing on Sat afternoons as late as I think 2002 with the NBC series that showcased Main Event fighters like Juan Diaz Rocky Juarez and Panchito Bojado. If we go network it should be primte time weekday where the most # of viewers will be. Also, boxing should treat network TV as an infomercial where it sells not only the sport but the fighter as well. Having a guy like Pavlik on TV during a midweek prime time slot might get people interested in boxing again

4) nah thats crazy you cannot possibly expect a fighter to have mere hours to rehydrate that would be disasterous.

Having the weigh-in 4-8 hours before a fight would be great because you wouldnt have fighters fighting out of their natural weight classes, Ive been saying this for years now.

**shadeyfizzle** · 06-20-2008, 05:21 PM

Boxing has always been and still is mainstream in alot of places. Just not the US. US is all about instant gratification nowadays. its just the norm in US society. And when the US has sports like MMA which increasingly has less and less to do with actual martial arts but touts the fact they can take random tough guys off the street like kimbo and compete at a world class level right away then boxing cannot compete. Why would any aspiring fighter between 15-21 want to dedicate a whole lifestyle to boxing when they can take a couple of jiujitsu classes, run for a few hours, and be good enough to step into a cage and be a certified badass right off the bat??

**Eaner0919** · 06-20-2008, 05:35 PM

Originally posted by SinatraFan

They do this now anyways, but I can see it being much worse under different circumstances.

true but I can see a fighter holding on to his ranking, not fighting anyone of note, until someone above him gets knocked off. If it was one sanctioning body they would have to enforce a way of creating matchups amongst the elite keeping this moving rather than stagnating while everyone jockeys for position

Having the weigh-in 4-8 hours before a fight would be great because you wouldnt have fighters fighting out of their natural weight classes, Ive been saying this for years now.

nah thats a dangerous game and assumption that you would be undertaking. Do you honestly think that fighters will now say "well damn I guess I got to fight at my actual weight" instead of "**** I have extra time to lose weight"? It could cause serious damage because fighters do need to recover from the weigh ins by properly hydrating which, Im no expert, I heard also includes the fluid surrounding the brain having to hydrate.

What will it take to make Boxing main stream?