IS boxing the worst sport for the athlete?

[jmrf4435]

With the damage and risk guys take for the upside definitely.

I mean the worst player in the NFL is taking home 6 digits a year I'd assume. And I imagine most other sports have a similar minimum pay that's respectable. Meanwhile most boxers won't see 100k in their career.

Boxing is so sketch in so many ways. Entertaining as hell but also sketch

[GhostofDempsey]

Yes, considering anyone who can pass a physical can be a professional boxer. Not everyone can be a professional football, hockey, basketball player etc. You really do have to manage your career and choose trainers and coaches very carefully. You have to invest your money, which most young fighters don't know how to do. They come into the sport poor and they are easily taken advantage of by managers, promoters, accountants, and attorneys once they start making big money. Once they get hurt it is game over. No players union, no healthcare, no pension, no merchandise royalties, etc.

[darius45]

Of course the physical risk when you are in the ring is significant. But the fact no one is really looking out for you, aside from your trainer is kinda crazy.

The promoter is trying to take advantage of you (it should be mutually beneficial but most of the time it's not) the judges don't usually care about you either.

There is no league to uphold either, fighters have no collective take in anything, it's all so rouge- It seems like the fighter has to have everything around him semi perfect to make a decent career and not get hurt or financially taken advantage of.

I cannot think of any sport even remotely as disadvataged as boxers are. I mean, they can win a fight and get completely robbed.

The reason for this is largely in part because boxing isn't nearly as popular as ball sports. There's no public outcry really for the poor treatment of fighters.

It seems as though for a fighter to be successful in boxing (finacially and without getting physically destroyed) he needs to be a one in million athlete. Boxing only rewards the very very best, while in all other professional sports, once you've made it to the "professionals" you're fairly well provided for. Being a "professional" boxer really doesn't mean anything. It doesn't mean you've made it once you've become a professional.

It's almost as if boxing solely exists to lift a few rare individuals into the spotlight at the expense of everyone else. On the amateur levels it's a regular sport. But on the professional level it suddenly becomes this sleazy, dog eat dog, cut throat business.

[Eff Pandas]

You have to invest your money, which most young fighters don't know how to do.

Sh^t man most fighters don't even make enough to invest. There's 20k active fighters at any given time. For sure more than half of them won't see 100k during there whole career.

It's a select few who even get paid enough to consider investing and f#ck up by thinking the money will keep coming indefinitely.

[jmrf4435]

Yes, considering anyone who can pass a physical can be a professional boxer. Not everyone can be a professional football, hockey, basketball player etc. You really do have to manage your career and choose trainers and coaches very carefully. You have to invest your money, which most young fighters don't know how to do. They come into the sport poor and they are easily taken advantage of by managers, promoters, accountants, and attorneys once they start making big money. Once they get hurt it is game over. No players union, no healthcare, no pension, no merchandise royalties, etc.

Exactly--If you examine boxing closely it seems like laws are violated behind closed doors often. They need some kind of union, but as you said they come into in poor and uneducated and gush at the first sight of any kind of check

They get fighters to sign on the dotted line, then they do whatever they want with them

[Boxfan83]

Even training can be brutal on the body. It's an unforgiving sport. I think mma results in more injuries, because of the grappling aspect. But, they're in the same vein.

Theres so many crazy ways to get injured in MMA. With that said, Ive noticed MMArtist tend not to go all out sparring and grappling. Boxing gyms on the other hand, sparring gets hella real and out of hand A LOT. Not saying MMArtist dont go hard from time to time but injuries in MMA can go from concussions to spiral fractures of the limbs.

[Floyd is TBE]

The idea with college athletes is that they get their tuition and living completely paid for.

If you've eveer lived with student loans you would know that alone can really help you out in life.

Student loans are debilitating. Salaries aren't high enough for recent college grads to pay their loans

Nah man. Unless you're an elite Division 1 athlete(unlikely) the best you'll be getting is a partial scholarship. Meaning you're going to be drowning in student loan debt just like everyone else.

[GhostofDempsey]

Sh^t man most fighters don't even make enough to invest. There's 20k active fighters at any given time. For sure more than half of them won't see 100k during there whole career.

It's a select few who even get paid enough to consider investing and f#ck up by thinking the money will keep coming indefinitely.

Not only that, the ones who do earn big paydays are lucky to walk away with 25-35% of their money after taxes, promoters, manager/trainer fees are deducted. A $50K purse can easily be $15K after all is said and done, maybe less.

[The D3vil]

The idea with college athletes is that they get their tuition and living completely paid for.

If you've eveer lived with student loans you would know that alone can really help you out in life.

Student loans are debilitating. Salaries aren't high enough for recent college grads to pay their loans

But they're purposely herded into majors that are designed to solely keep them eligible to play and won't benefit them post sports.

They're basically there to play a sport, but can't get paid and the education they get will be substandard by design

[Eff Pandas]

Not only that, the ones who do earn big paydays are lucky to walk away with 25-35% of their money after taxes, promoters, manager/trainer fees are deducted. A $50K purse can easily be $15K after all is said and done, maybe less.

Yeah true. Even the cats making money aren't making as much as fans think when you take into account all the hands being held in front of them post-fight.