Boxing's Image and perception .. and other thoughts

[MJ406]

Inspired by the topic regarding Cotto's "this fight is bad for the sport, shows how much boxing has fallen" quote

I made this topic to ask the open ended question regarding the image of boxing.

we've already discussed the whole MMA-Boxing comparisons endlessly

which fan bases like which .. why they do ... PPV vs Network TV yada yada and if I read another article explaining how PPV "limits the exposure of the sport" I think I'll eat cat food for a week.

yeah no kidding I get it, it's on PPV, meaning you either pay to see it, or don't

pretty self explanatory.


so anyway new topic, 2 parter

#1. How do you think the image of boxing is seen by the higher powers/American media and mainstream media and worldwide

and part 2 is .. What is your own opinion on the image of boxing?

**work around the idea that baseball= America's Past time

if baseball = America's past time ... then boxing = what

[MANGLER]

The world at large don't care about boxing that much anymore. Sad but true. The sport don't got a bad image, it just don't have a prominent one either. As a diehard fan, I'd obviously want everybody to watch boxing and see it as the great sport and fun entertainment it is.

[MJ406]

"The world at large don't care about boxing that much anymore."

yeah I'd strongly agree with this statement, I mean for some reason boxing doesn't suck the fan's interest's in .. or captivate them a great deal

boxing might not have a ''bad image'' .. but I don't think the corruption, lack of 1 Universal champ and PPV's for example give the sport a positive outlook

take the above example as the viewpoint of say a standard regular Sports fan

if there only a casual boxing fans .. what's the need for them to order so and so vs so and so for $49.95 on PPV when they can watch football, baseball or basketball on basic cable.

too bad that fight sports haven't caught on I would really like them to expand .. but there kinda hard to market .. especially if they don't play out as slugfests.

[Kball15]

if boxing had a league, like WBL (world boxing league) or something, with one champ in a division, the fanbase would grow endlessly.

The sport would be MUCH easier to follow.

Do you guys have any idea how many people there are out there, that used to be boxing fans and would LOOOOOOOOVE to come back? Not even exaggerating there are millions out there in America.

Before i die, i am going to make a boxing league

[Kball15]

The world at large don't care about boxing that much anymore. Sad but true. The sport don't got a bad image, it just don't have a prominent one either. As a diehard fan, I'd obviously want everybody to watch boxing and see it as the great sport and fun entertainment it is.

boxing has a HORRIBLE image of curruption and deceipt to the mainstream fan.

Something that could EASILY be corrected with a national commision and league, but creating that league seems near impossible since NOBODY of note seems interested in risking some money for the greater good of the sport

[MJ406]

Do you guys have any idea how many people there are out there, that used to be boxing fans and would LOOOOOOOOVE to come back? Not even exaggerating there are millions out there in America.

Before i die, i am going to make a boxing league[/QUOTE]


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what turned those fans off of boxing? just curious, as I find myself gradually drifting away from the sport

do it man.

[MANGLER]

People who ain't diehard followers could care less about the corruption and alphabet confusion so long as it don't affect the 1 or 2 fighters they enuf about to watch. This **** affects serious fans more cuz they're up on the happenings of the sport. Casual fans don't know enuf about the sanctionin fees and cherrypickin by top fighters to have a bad opinion on it. I'd say on the whole, boxing is closer to havin no image wit mainstream America than a bad image. My pops and some cats he knows talk the back in the day talk about how much better boxing used to be, but they love it too much to quit watchin completely. I don't personally know of anybody that used to be a diehard and is waitin for 1 good reason to get excited again, tho I'm sure there's a ****load of em out there.

[IwatchBoxing]

75 champions with (like)17 divsions its just not that easy to follow.

[MJ406]

People who ain't diehard followers could care less about the corruption and alphabet confusion so long as it don't affect the 1 or 2 fighters they enuf about to watch. This **** affects serious fans more cuz they're up on the happenings of the sport. Casual fans don't know enuf about the sanctionin fees and cherrypickin by top fighters to have a bad opinion on it. I'd say on the whole, boxing is closer to havin no image wit mainstream America than a bad image. My pops and some cats he knows talk the back in the day talk about how much better boxing used to be, but they love it too much to quit watchin completely. I don't personally know of anybody that used to be a diehard and is waitin for 1 good reason to get excited again, tho I'm sure there's a ****load of em out there.

well I just feel like combat sports in general aren't wildly popular .. at least here in states. (kind of like pro Soccer and Hockey for example ... both sports aren't terribly popular in the US)

and don't underestimate the corruption/alphabet confusion factor, because yeah average casual fans might not know the whole scoop behind it, but even reading an article on champions or etc the titles are brought up .. so even a fan who watches boxing once or twice a month might not know the exact "Alphabet title standings" but I'd think they would have SOME sort of idea.

and I feel that again your underestimating how much the casual fan might know/not know .. as sure they dunno the sanctioning fees

but finding out that Pro Boxing has 4 recognized Champs per weight division isn't exactly classified info .. so don't you think a casual fan that's even remotely interested about unifications, title eliminators and etc?

hell me myself as a casual fan, back in the day that's how I found out. seeing a photo of Bernard Hopkins as Undisputed Champ .. but holding 4 titles .. I researched it .. etc

don't you think curious fans could do the exact same thing I did?

and I can't say I know anybody in the real world who follows boxing, but me personally I used to be a die hard fan, but I really can't find myself getting excited for too many big fights the way I used to 2-3 years back

hate to say it but I find a lot of truth to Cotto's ''shows how much boxing has fallen''

although to be less dramatic Cotto shoulda added "off" as when compared to ''back in the day'' boxing today really has fallen off so to speak. at least how I see it.

[ßringer]

#1 - I don't care how the image of boxing is viewed by the mainstream media, or corporate network execs. I honestly don't care how anybody, aside from myself, views this sport.

#2 - I view this is as the greatest sport in existence, and at the same time, the most heartbreaking.