Comments Thread For: Horn Promoter Shakes Head on Anthony Mundine Showdown

[Tomjas]

Very true.

For young kids, the pathways to elite boxing are blocked or at least discouraged, and the programs are a shambles.
A kid would have to really want to be a fighter to divert from the huge promotion, money and investment in grassroots football here in Australia.

depending on the capital city, its AFL (Australian Rules Football), Rugby League (Sydney & Brisbane) Rugby Union, Soccer (everywhere) Cricket (everywhere), Tennis (everywhere), then Olympic sports like swimming, and every other sport in the book in a country that is sports mad and seeks it's identity and self-belief through sport, but boxing is an afterthought if it's mentioned at all.

Take into account a population of 25-30 million, and you have a country over saturated with sport.

On top of that certain states ban boxing for kids until they are 14, and that pretty much puts boxing dead last.

The irony is, MMA is booming, especially with the promotion of women's sport, so every pub is broadcasting MMA every week when historically we used to head to the pub or leagues club or RSL club to watch the boxing. No more.

Main Events (Foxtel subsidiary) has over-priced boxing PPV to the point where businesses are charged $2-3000 dollars to screen a fight where maybe ten-20 people turn up.

UFC is a lot smarter by being a lot cheaper hence a lot more popular.

Boxing lies dead for a time here until a Kostya Tszyu, Mundine, Katsidis, Fenech, come along with genuine talent and capture the headlines and pride of Australians.

The last big draw was Mundine, and that was because most people hated him and what came out of his mouth, as well as the under-current of racism that runs through white Australia still.

All true

Plus junior basketball registrations have increased by 25% where we live in the last year

Show me 1 kid that wants to be a boxer and I will show you a thousand who want to be the next LeBron/Simmons

[Marvlus Marv]

Won't happen unless some things radically change

Fact is that the vast majority of elite junior sportsmen are targeted at a young age by other sports and given incentives to commit elsewhere e.g. my 11yo played for the state last year in another sport and was offered 3 full scholarships to high schools as a result on condition that he plays that sport

Boxing can't/doesn't offer the same so only a tiny % will ever contemplate taking up the sport

Far more likely to see more Australians at the top level in MMA than boxing as many youngsters practice those sports from a young age

I remember always being impressed by Aussie amateurs at the Olympics but I guess only a small % go into the pro ranks, and as you say it's because the money pull from 'bigger' sports beats boxing. It would've been nice if Kostya had inspired a new generation of Aussie stars. Sometimes I wonder if other countries' boxing fans admired him more than the Aussies did. Did he get less love because he had Russian/Korean lineage? I don't know about that but he's certainly one of my all time great fighters. Top 5 for me. The Thunder From Down Under.

[Tomjas]

I remember always being impressed by Aussie amateurs at the Olympics but I guess only a small % go into the pro ranks, and as you say it's because the money pull from 'bigger' sports beats boxing. It would've been nice if Kostya had inspired a new generation of Aussie stars. Sometimes I wonder if other countries' boxing fans admired him more than the Aussies did. Did he get less love because he had Russian/Korean lineage? I don't know about that but he's certainly one of my all time great fighters. Top 5 for me. The Thunder From Down Under.

Australians loved Kostya with his events being massively supported here

Pretty sure that he lives in Russia these days so kids don't have him to look up to

Fenech is also a **** so ....

The sport here is facing a perfect storm

Competition from other sports is overwhelming

Australia is a wealthy country with ample opportunities so economic need is not a driver

The PC brigade hammers the sport

Boxing facilities are scarce with even the local PCYCs being fitness centres now

Future is pretty grim on the local scene for a wholesale renaissance but we'll still throw up the odd class fighter just the same

[Marvlus Marv]

Australians loved Kostya with his events being massively supported here

Pretty sure that he lives in Russia these days so kids don't have him to look up to

Fenech is also a **** so ....

The sport here is facing a perfect storm

Competition from other sports is overwhelming

Australia is a wealthy country with ample opportunities so economic need is not a driver

The PC brigade hammers the sport

Boxing facilities are scarce with even the local PCYCs being fitness centres now

Future is pretty grim on the local scene for a wholesale renaissance but we'll still throw up the odd class fighter just the same

I think that's the killer. I had no idea it was rampant in Oz as well. It really is like a worldwide cancer. The BBC don't show boxing at all anymore but they do shove women's football down our throats even though the stadiums are fkn empty. No agenda at all!

[Tomjas]

I think that's the killer. I had no idea it was rampant in Oz as well. It really is like a worldwide cancer. The BBC don't show boxing at all anymore but they do shove women's football down our throats even though the stadiums are fkn empty. No agenda at all!

Happened years ago

Like the UK, focus is now on women's sport, pay equality in sport and to make matters worse, their participation in commentary

I'm sorry but when I'm watching the State of Origin rugby league, I couldn't give a **** about some female presenter's opinion

[Marvlus Marv]

Happened years ago

Like the UK, focus is now on women's sport, pay equality in sport and to make matters worse, their participation in commentary

I'm sorry but when I'm watching the State of Origin rugby league, I couldn't give a **** about some female presenter's opinion

Haha! My thoughts exactly.