Why do you watch?

[dan-b]

In my twenty years observing boxing fans in the online space, I have found them to be the most angry, disgruntled and dissatisfied cohort I've encountered. Rarely happy with the fight schedule, and often severely hostile to the fighters themselves, boxing seems to make so-called "hardcores" extremely unhappy. So why do they watch?

1. Is it lack of imagination? An inability to find alternative ways to fill their time?
2. Are they holding out for a boxing utopia? Where every fight happens at exactly the right time?
3. A form of masochism? Self-punishment by doing something they dislike?
4. Or are they less unhappy than they appear and just like acting out online?

Boxing fans always seem ready to give the worst interpretation of everything. "He's ducking", "it's fixed", "corruption", etc. So again, why watch something like that if you really believe it?

[Roadblock]

Boxing fans either love them or hate them, but for some reason it seems hate is by far the majority, hate the fighter hate anyone associated with the fighter in or out of the ring doesn't matter just find something to hate on them with, there is very little rational thinking in boxing fans, and I feel the biggest driver is age, the vast majority are teenage boys and young men in their 20s, this demographic is ego driven tough guy mentality, they don't have much life experience and come from my Tonka truck is better culture and so much is about being a tough guy which is what they want to see in boxing.

When I was a boy my dad took me to a Bar with him to watch Ali Liston on a small B/W TV in the corner, I can remember lots of young men hating on Ali something fierce, when Liston was on the canvas fights broke out it was unreal how they went off because Ali won, he was called a runner and a coward and everything in between, I remember the hate for Ali like it was yesterday, and I guess its one of deep-seated reasons why I hate haters today.

[Smash]

boxing is a fluid sport, promoters, organisations, managers, teams, tactics, styles, nationalities, races, many belts and sub belts, not having a fixed schedule that players/fighters need to follow leads to uncertainty and debate

[Marchegiano]

excitement, drama, comedy, and physics

[Roadblock]

excitement, drama, comedy, and physics

You read the headline but didn't read or relate to anything the original poster said, the context is what the thread is about, I see this everyday in here where only the headline is seen.

[RJJ-94-02=GOAT]

“As much as I love boxing, I hate it. And as much as I hate it, I love it”.

Budd Schulberg.

[ELPacman]

It's a love hate sport. One for the sport itself when it shoots itself in the foot on nearly a monthly basis. As far as the forums and fans go, it's mostly just the toxic nature of the social media world nowadays. It's gotten worse and it spreads into the forums.

Back during a time on Boxingscene when some of you might of not existed, I'd say 2004-2005, when I first joined, it was an awesome place to just discuss fights. There wasn't much, trying to get popular on a forum and trash each other the way it is now. In fact, I left for a bit on this forum because it was depressing being here. I enjoyed watching the fights but discussing them (at least on this forum) was almost pointless. It turned into just who can insult the other the best and get the most likes.

Again, this style of posting has taken flight mostly since social media exploded. That social media mindset carried over into the forums and it becomes a popularity contest for attention. Not something I'm into. There are "other" forums less toxic but they should be kept private to prevent the spill over.

[QueensburyRules]

In my twenty years observing boxing fans in the online space, I have found them to be the most angry, disgruntled and dissatisfied cohort I've encountered. Rarely happy with the fight schedule, and often severely hostile to the fighters themselves, boxing seems to make so-called "hardcores" extremely unhappy. So why do they watch?

1. Is it lack of imagination? An inability to find alternative ways to fill their time?
2. Are they holding out for a boxing utopia? Where every fight happens at exactly the right time?
3. A form of masochism? Self-punishment by doing something they dislike?
4. Or are they less unhappy than they appear and just like acting out online?

Boxing fans always seem ready to give the worst interpretation of everything. "He's ducking", "it's fixed", "corruption", etc. So again, why watch something like that if you really believe it?

- - Western male emasculation once the former Soviet territories took over boxing, esp the heavy division.

They rather watch Disney channels than be boxers, and the few that do box high in the ratings are primarily runner/stinkers or floater/sinkers needing referee and judging help to advance.

[Tails]

I grew up in the sport to the point where even the women in my family watch.

As for fans that are negative and extreme in their views I would like to think they are very few but just extremely vocal.

Everyone in my circle is reasonable when it comes to our takes and give props to any fighter. At live events for instance we never boo any fighter and clap and show support to both even if we are bigger fans of one over another

[Roadblock]

I grew up in the sport to the point where even the women in my family watch.

As for fans that are negative and extreme in their views I would like to think they are very few but just extremely vocal.

Everyone in my circle is reasonable when it comes to our takes and give props to any fighter. At live events for instance we never boo any fighter and clap and show support to both even if we are bigger fans of one over another

That is true in circles of real life face to face, in an anonymous form the toxic hate erupts like a volcano, I've always thought some of these people can't be like this in the real world they would get flattened in a heartbeat.