Why has American boxing declined to it's current pitiful state?

[fourtheboys96]

American fighters doesn't take risks unlike before. Even prospects and contenders prefers low risks nowadays. More concerned with protecting their "0". And when they win a belt, they suddenly deserve the highest pay with the lowest risk. And finally, they dont care how the fans feel as long as they get paid.

[KingHippo]

This is not a valid argument, it is not valid now and it has never been valid. You talk as if MMA is all encompassing, it isn't. It registers a handful of good PPVs but that's it. There are no MMA fighters that are part of the collective American consciousness like Paqcuiao, Mayweather, Oscar, Tyson, Holyfield et al have been in recent history. McG might be a star but he is nowhere near that level .

Moving onto the likes of other sports, yes the NBA and NFL are bigger, add in baseball but you act as if there aren't other sports, bigger sports on a global level may I add in other countries. Especially football in Europe and yet in the UK, certain fighters have managed to become household names, a handful of fighters have done the same in Germany.

the real problem is two fold and a lot less uncomfortable for Americans to admit:

1. American fighters, those who have had their careers this decadei n particular lack the star quality. What I mean by that is a ocmbination of skill set, charisma and the desire to fight the best. Take the case of Ward (gonna upset a lot of Americans) but after a middling super six, where had an ugly fight with Bika, an ugly, foul filled fight with Kessler and a pretty good performance v AA, he moved onto a final with Froch. That night, he turned in a terrific performance.

What did he do after that? He took a long time off, refused to face the next challenger in line, let Froch steal the show on that one and then spent 4 or 5 years bouncing about in weight, fighting no names. By the time he returned, the entire landscape had changed and apart from the boxing press, no one cared about what Ward had done half a decade ago. A questionable win over KOvalev did not help matters at all. Much like most American fighters, he refused to strike while the iron was hot (Crawford and Thurman are in the same boat right now).

2. An amateur system that has been superseded by the Kazakhs, Ukrainians, Brits and a few other nations. There is little development at grass roots level, subpar competition at national level leading to below par performances against world class amateurs around the world.

This is uncomfortable reading but it's the truth.

My point is completely valid. This generation of fight fans think boxing is for *******. They're all about the violence.

Second, there is no reason for a top level American athlete to pursue boxing. It's just a dumb decision. There is no reason to raise a kid to become a boxer if he has the potential the become a baseball, football or basketball player.

[MrRolltide91]

Because other sports supplanted boxing 30+ years ago. Our youth are pushed into football, basketball, baseball, soccer, hockey, and just about everything else at very early ages. Each of those sports offer easier money and better chances of making it than boxing. So no one gives a **** about boxing anymore. Over the years our youth culture and American culture in general has increasingly revolved around the NFL, MLB, and NBA.

I couldn't even tell you where to find a boxing gym.

Facts......

[MrRolltide91]

Boxing died when it switched from cable to PPV, the masses were exposed to the NBA/NFL/Baseball etc. which absolutely exploded around the 1980's. The average NBA salary was just $35,000 in 1970, fast forward 20 years later the average salary was $800,000. Today the average salary is $4,600,000 in the NBA.

It's not a coincidence Wilder, a former football/basketball player is America's HW champ. Even Andre Ward was a football player in high school.

Holyfield was another former football player that found boxing at his local YMCA. James Toney, football, Shawn Porter football etc.

Wilder would be just another college flame out if he played football, instead he's the champ.

Yep the other sports you become a millionaire quicker and better chances of making it.


A first round draft pick is automatically a millionaire and it takes boxers years to become a millionaire.

[HAMMER77777]

Because other sports supplanted boxing 30+ years ago. Our youth are pushed into football, basketball, baseball, soccer, hockey, and just about everything else at very early ages. Each of those sports offer easier money and better chances of making it than boxing. So no one gives a **** about boxing anymore. Over the years our youth culture and American culture in general has increasingly revolved around the NFL, MLB, and NBA.

I couldn't even tell you where to find a boxing gym.

This isn't true. People DO like Boxing. The World's Highest Payed athlete is a Boxer. Enough Said. If I go to A Random Bar, and ask them to put Boxing on, (on Espn 2 or whatever), invariably, at least a few people will gather around that TV to Watch The Fights, even if they don't Know the Boxers by name. They will usually ask me who is Fighting, and I'll let them Know. And I live in North Dakota, not exactly a Boxing Hotbed. So if they will Watch It here, they will surely Watch It even more, in Boxing towns like Philly, NY, etc.. Boxing is here to stay!