When did the general public stop caring about boxing?

[Anthony342]

So yeah, just what the topic says. I mean, I'm only 36 and even when I was growing up it seemed everybody knew at least a little something about current boxing and cared about it. Even non fans or casual fans knew names like Sugar Ray Leonard, Marvin Hagler, Thomas Hearns, Roberto Duran, Mike Tyson, Evander Holyfield, Pernell Whitaker and Oscar De La Hoya. Every 4 years after the summer olympics, we would hear about the next class of top American boxers, most of which would win gold medals and major networks would cover them when they turned pro.

I'm thinking sometime around the mid to late '90s, maybe after the second Tyson/Holyfield fight. Also what's the last big fight you think everyone wanted to see and cared about? I say probably Hopkins/Trinidad in 2001, since it was in MSG and took place right after 9/11, even though when guys like Pacquiao, Mayweather or even Cotto fight there is major cable coverage and huge PPV buyrates, I just don't hear even casual fans talking about boxing today, like they used to.

So I guess my questions are why do you guys think this happened with boxing and when did it start? I say it started around the early 2000s, when De La Hoya was getting past his prime and after Lennox Lewis retired. I think it happened because of no more major network TV coverage, too many alphabet title belts, which started to confuse a lot of people and no dominant heavyweight that Americans consider exciting. Even when Lewis was champ, there might be some mention of him in the local news, some TV ads, talk show appearances, stuff like that. I think he was even on that Fantasy Island show, the version with Malcolm McDowell, at the time.

So why do so few people care about boxing these days and do you guys think it could someday be as big as it was even 10-20 years ago? Do you guys think boxing will ever be considered a major sport again? I know it'll never be as big as say, the '20s, when it was second only to baseball in sports popularity, but it would be nice to know some guys in person to be able to talk boxing with again, like I knew in high school and college.

[MRBOOMER]

It will become big again when top fighters fight constantly an fight other top fighter constantly it'll take a big shift in world economics to make that happen

[jaded]

It"s probably has had many ups and down's through-out it's history...but in recent times boxing took a major blow after Mike Tyson bit off Evander Hoyfield's ear. It would take until very recent after that until a boxer could get a TV commercial. Other than Floyd and Manny...I can't think off anyone else since having done TV a commercial...at least in this part of the world.

[forget]

When there became 4 title bouts in each division and all the champions where not expected to fight each other.

[JK1700]

In 2007, when Floyd Mayweather retired there was a huge drop off in interest in the sport and a similar thing happened between May 2010 and June 2011 when he was also on hiatus. This is no coincidence and the reason is simple. Floyd is the undisputed kingpin of this sport and there is nobody out there who's at his level and can fill his shoes when he's gone, in terms of entertainment inside the ring and/or outside the ring, so people get bored without him, even his so called haters suffer greatly during this period (whether they'll admit it or not). As far as I can tell though, the sport of boxing has been in pretty good shape in the last 10 years. There's plenty of exciting fighters out there right now who I would spent my time watching. The problem is there's not many that are worth paying to see. In fact there's really only one in Mayweather, and maybe Pacquiao when he fights a live opponent (that hardly ever happens though). Another problem is that there aren't many really good young ones on the come up. The fact that a C level fighter like Brandon "Bum Bum" Rios is being viewed as one of the future stars of the sport is very worrying and shows that there is major talent shortage as far as the young guys. It's a similar thing with that hypejob Adrien Broner.

[damuttz112]

I was young but in 90's i remember Tyson, Holyfield and Lewis (late 90's) and my fav David Tua. I think for the heavyweights the Elite guys (Holyfield, Lewis etc.) faced each other at least once or so but the fact was the lower Level guys faced each other alot (Ike, Morrison, Mercer, Tua, etc) and promptly we had at least one fight after another.

Whereas we have like one big heavyweight fight ever 6-12-24 months or so. The last biggest HW Fight in terms of the mainstream media was the Haye-Klitschko which was in 2010 and even that was'nt big in the casual fan base in America.

[TBear]

I give alot of credit to television dropping the sport.

[TBear]

When there became 4 title bouts in each division and all the champions where not expected to fight each other.

This has hurt boxing in the public's eye as well.

[SCtrojansbaby]

By general public you mean general US public right?

[taansend]

When there became 4 title bouts in each division and all the champions where not expected to fight each other.

^^^^^^^^^ This ^^^^^^^^^^

Also when so many extra weights were introduced. To save itself boxing needs to start over. Ten weights with the lightest being under 50 kilos (110 pounds) & the heaviest over 100 kilos (220). Have ONE champion at each weight & put more emphasis on regional champions.