Boxing The Fourth Most Popular Sport by Gen Z

[JaBfromTokyo]

Emotions to the side. Not surprised in the least bit. When you have people that you know that don’t follow the sport start throwing out names like Wilder, Fury, Floyd, Tank, Ryan Garcia etc you know it’s gaining traction. Every division is loaded right now either with guys at the tip of their prime or potential young megastars. It’s much much more exciting than it was 6 years ago. When Floyd and Pac had their fight it made a way for a couple of new generations to come in. I like AB, yet it was never going to be AB.The fans that follow also includes millennials that would have been into Floyd and Pac. The Gen Z interest is even higher in interest level.

It was also the most watched combat sport in the US in 2019 (don’t have 2020’s numbers laid out), thanks in large part to Fox.

With the loaded schedules coming up for Showtime, the FOX PPVs, Joshua/Usyk, all we need are some big highlight reel KOs to start trending and this will be another successful year.

September and the 4th quarter are guaranteed to also have a couple of megafights.

I’m not even going to mention all the side show celebrity stuff, but it all adds to growth.

There is much much more to look forward to in boxing from a schedule perspective. This can be one of the best years in a long time.

[JaBfromTokyo]

I'd argue you aren't "very interested" in boxing if you aren't watching boxing on apps, cable & PPV. So they gotta be illegally streaming sh^t + using apps at a minimum. But that's just my take on what "very interested" is. I'm curious what the poll guys definition of "very interested" was.

What they don’t tell you and what they hide...

https://www.ringtv.com/587950-rating...rived-in-2019/

“For the 2019 calendar year, PBC Fight Night telecasts on FOX averaged 1,403,000 viewers.

Those figures are up:

+12% over 2018’s average of 1,254,000 viewers (4 tcs).

+103% better than ESPN’s average for Top Rank Boxing telecasts (vs. 692,000 viewers)

+35% better than ESPN’s UFC Fight Night

In 2019, Americans consumed over 2.1 billion minutes of PBC Fight Night on FOX, which was plus-147% more than last year’s 849 million (PBC FOX telecasts only).

What really stood out was FOX’s additional shoulder programming. Specifically, the Fight Camp series. The last Deontay Wilder–Luis Ortiz episode set FOX viewership records with almost 2.5-million watching, as well as the Countdown, Face To Face, and Inside PBC Boxing shows.”

Even the Countdown shows did ridiculous numbers. I suspect we’ll have the same with the Wilder/Fury Trilogy Countdown and the Spence/Pac countdown

[YoungManRumble]

Lol at the consistent downslope of baseball. Can't blame that in the slowest sport ever with the lamest unwritten rules for babies like, don't swing on 3-0, and don't try to get a home run if you're ahead by too much!

Nice to see boxing converging with that slope.

[Amir Imam]

Everyone wants to box now lol I’m seeing more people hit the mitts at the gym than I ever saw. I also believe Boxers are more dangerous in a fight.

[KTFOKING]

Boxing is being invested in as much as any point ever by more networks around the world than over. These youngsters like the sport far more than the previous generation did and so many social media stars want to get into the sport.

The purists and older generation talking about the 70s and 80s just need to get over themselves. Boxing isn't going anywhere and these exhibitions have not and will not hurt the sport.

I was looking for this thread last week but couldn't find it.

Thanks for posting in it so it popped up on the main page!

[daggum]

thank you logan paul for saving boxing

[BigZ44]

I'm fascinated by this, but I'm curious if boxing was filled in when people really meant combat sports. I only say this because I can never find ANYONE in real life that can talk boxing at all, but these fools always want to talk about UFC FFS. All the other data points make sense though, especially the fall of baseball and the rise of basketball and soccer. Do find it interesting that while still #1, football interest seems to be declining with the younger generations.

[BigZ44]

After reading the article, it makes more sense the numbers for boxing, but I'd argue these are not "boxing" fans, but fans of individual fighters. It makes a good point about the following of athletes over teams or groups among younger generations, but for boxing just probably means that guys like Canelo and Mayweather and Joshua can become huge mega stars, but the depth of the sport won't be there, hence nobody tuning in for fights like Donaire/Oubaali other than hardcores. I'd also argue 6,000 people is way too small of a datapoint considering the population of the country, so take the numbers with a grain of salt.

[KTFOKING]

I'm fascinated by this, but I'm curious if boxing was filled in when people really meant combat sports. I only say this because I can never find ANYONE in real life that can talk boxing at all, but these fools always want to talk about UFC FFS. All the other data points make sense though, especially the fall of baseball and the rise of basketball and soccer. Do find it interesting that while still #1, football interest seems to be declining with the younger generations.

Remember, Gen Z is I believe people 24 and younger. So mainly teenagers. I bet Mayweather/McGregor and then KSI/Paul etc helped elevate boxing for that generation.

[BigZ44]

Remember, Gen Z is I believe people 24 and younger. So mainly teenagers. I bet Mayweather/McGregor and then KSI/Paul etc helped elevate boxing for that generation.

Probably. I guess the long term question becomes if they elevated boxing or simply got them interested in everything related to those specific fighters. I'd love to see a study determine how many lasting fans were introduced through fights like that and how many consider themselves fans because they tune in only for youtubers and exhibitions.