If you’re like me, a sports fan who also
dreams of being rich, then you have thought too about someday having the
opportunity to win a million dollars.
This is how it goes. I imagine
myself on a television game show and I am down to my last question and it’s for
a million dollars. Oh, and guess what
the category is. That’s right, it’s
boxing. This is great! I am a huge sports fan and I have seen many
of the best, world championship boxing matches of all time. I am already thinking about how I am going to
spend my million dollars, and then the question comes. Who is the current, undisputed heavyweight
boxing champion of the world? I suddenly
break into a sweat as I try not to blurt out “Mike Tyson”, because everyone
knows he has been retired for several years now. My heart hurts with disappointment because I
was so close to getting that cherry red convertible corvette that was going to
massage me through my mid-life crisis.
How could I miss that question?
Then I realize that I can’t remember the last time I watched boxing on
television. What happened to the sport
of boxing that we all used to love?
Where did it go?
The heavyweight boxing champion of the world used to be the most
glamorous and coveted title in all of sports.
Muhammad Ali, Joe Frazier and George Foreman are just a few household
names. These fighters are considered
legends but have been retired for decades now.
Can we name any current boxers?
Outside of Manny Pacquiao and Floyd Mayweather, there seems to be little
interest in contemporary boxing.
One of the theories as to what may have led to the disappearance of
boxing is summed up well by Jon Saraceno of USA Today. “Pro boxing once was one of America’s most
popular sports. But the public’s
confusion with multiple alphabet-group champions and anger at controversial
decisions weakened a tenuous infrastructure.
As advertisers drifted off, so did network television exposure”
(Saraceno, p. A01). I have friends that
subscribe to this theory. The problem is
that they are in denial and have a short memory. They would rant and rave about how their
favorite fighter got “robbed” by a controversial decision and they were never
going to watch boxing again. But the
very next time there was a big fight on television, we would once again gather
at one of our homes for a “fight night” with all the boys. Although this theory is reasonable and
probably did contribute to the decrease in the popularity of boxing, I believe
there is something else that has directly led to the disappearance of boxing in
our hearts and on our television sets.
This big, bad, bully pushing boxing out of American sports consciousness
is known by three letters, MMA. Mixed
Martial Arts has captured the imagination of disgruntled boxing fans as well as
the average American sports lover who has a deep, dark fear of being locked up
in a cage with another human being that wants to rip their head off. “Boxing has historically provided youths an
escape, discipline and a way to stay off the streets. But over the last several years the sport’s
popularity has faded in the face of rising interest in mixed martial arts,
which uses a variety of fighting techniques, including grappling and striking”
(Ahmed, p. 1). I don’t know if my
friends, who are huge boxing fans, even realize it or not, but the last five
“fight night” gatherings we have had were all centered on MMA fights. I am a little hesitant to admit it, but we
had a great time and boxing was never even talked about.
“For the younger generation of fight fans, MMA is quickly becoming the
only sport that matters” (Webster, 2009).
This is the unfortunate part.
Boxing just doesn’t matter anymore.
Who is going to put up a fight to bring boxing back to the forefront of
American sports? Maybe it will be the alienated boxing fans who have felt
betrayed by countless controversial decisions.
I think not. Maybe it will be the
new generation of fight fans who have been mesmerized by the raw, gladiator
excitement of MMA. I think not. Maybe boxing will help itself by the
promoters and sanctioning bodies figuring out a way to revive their sport. Yeah, you’re right, probably not. So, I guess this is goodbye then. Sorry boxing, we have somebody younger,
better looking and a lot more fun than you.
And she treats us with respect.
Maybe you can start dressing up the fighters in bright yellow spandex so
you can try to compete with professional wrestling.
References
Ahmed, A. (2009, Rocky days
for boxing; the fight game may be losing ground to mixed martial arts, but
purists are confident the sport can regain its swagger. Chicago Tribune, pp.
1.
Saraceno, J. (2004, De La Hoya
gives boxing punch of respectability; champion fighter hopes to revive
faltering sport. USA Today, pp. A 01.
Webster, R. (2009, The main
event: Mixed martial arts is gaining a rabid following in New Orleans. New
Orleans City Business,
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