Where does Boxing rank as far as in popularity in American sports ?

[Beercules]

NHL is not ahead of combat sports. It’s not good on TV. It’s a very expensive sport. Most of the country doesn’t even play it. Maybe 15 years ago when it was still on ESPN but not now. Leaving ESPN and going to NBCSports was a bad decision. Great sport to watch live though.

I love going to Hockey game's. It really is fun, live TV doesn't do justice.




Prudential is real nice.

[Luilun]

Probably up there with Tennis if it wasn’t for half of Mexico moving here it would Probably be up there with marbles

[Eff Pandas]

It is on a fight by fight basis.

A big fight with a lot of hype can outdraw one of the major sports.

This.

It's #1 or at least top 3 on it's biggest night(s). On a regular basis it's not in the top 5 & depending on how seriously we are dividing up sports, for example is football all football or are the NFL & NCAA 2 different things, it isn't even in the top 10.

[Eff Pandas]

can any1 really say how popular a sport is in a country? Is it the amount of boxing gyms in areas? if u look at top 20 per weight class, the amount of fighters from that country? the amount of ppv sales on events? viewership figures in general?

Good point. It's debatable how you actually measure sports against each other. And boxings biggest events are working on a different model than most sports.

Like for example how many folks woulda watched Floyd vs Manny if it was on free TV or basic cable? And how many mfers would pay $100 to watch the Super Bowl or NBA Finals? Those are considerations when measuring sports against each other that bring in revenue differently.

Personally I consider it a mix of ratings/sales & my feelings on how much folks talk about the people in specific sports & those sports in general.

[PRINCEKOOL]

nah. its just no longer a sport where alot of kids grow up wanting to become HW champ like it was back in the day. since boxing switched over to ppv in the 80s it really limited their reach as a sacrifice for more $$.

Kids have never grown up, wanting to be heavyweight champion universally 'Boxing is a sport that requires you to be different'. At no point in human history have children in mass, collectively wanted to become the heavyweight Champion 'Boxing is a brutal activity'.

Lets not forget? The term sport was used to describe pursuits and past-times such as Track and Field athletics, which was the only other real global sport pre-1950 along with Boxing etc 'Boxing for 90% of its history was also never described as a sport or leisure activity' Because it is not a leisure activity.

The world has changed, society gives people many more opportunities to make a living or propel themselves to stardom and great esteem 'The kids that pursue boxing, have to be different' even from other kids who are also pursuing ambitions in other sports. They have to be different, because the risks on a daily basis are not the same 'Boxing is the hurt game'.

Boxing in my opinion? Is doing fine.

[Tony Trick-Pony]

I highly doubt it. The NBA, NFL, NHL and MLB are the most popular sports in America. I really doubt boxing being fifth either. I think UFC has boxing beat. I think it definitely could be but it's ran like s h i t. And there's very few boxing gyms. And it's just not pushed to the young people the way the other sports are. Maybe they should do a show like Cobra Kai with young wimps taking boxing lessons and toughening up. That would help I think. Hell, the Anaheim Mighty Ducks came along solely because they made a movie about young kids playing hockey. Some kind of promotion at all would help.

[anonymous2.0]

Is Boxing still in the top 5 most popular sports in America ?

Still? Boxing ain't even in the top 10 of American sports

[champion4ever]

No, Boxing is no longer a mainstream sport in the U.S. Boxing hasn't been mainstream here in over 20 years.

The fight that jumped the shark was the first Lewis/Holyfield bout back in 1999; For the undisputed heavyweight championship of the world. It was a fight in which Lewis received a Draw. However, to most ringside observers and television viewing audience alike; They believed that Lewis easily won the fight and should have been awarded a decision victory on points.

However, the judges didn't view it that way and ruled the fight an official Draw. That appears to have been the watershed moment as far as boxing's popularity in the states were concerned.

It turned many American casual fans off. From that time, boxing has never been the same or recovered as we have witnessed a gradual dwindling and waning of it's popularity ever since.

[QballLobo]

A lot of casual support for boxing died after Mayweather/Pacquiao finally happened and was a dud.

[GrandpaBernard]

A major heavyweight match always has people involved

Last fight a buncha people cared about was Fury Wilder