Is Boxing Down For the Count?

Last night I did something I haven’t done in quite a while. I watched boxing. I have always been the type when channel surfing to avoid anything that resembles boxing, amatuer or professional. However, for whatever reason, last night was different. Maybe it was because I was tired or maybe dillusional. Regardless, I watched it and to tell you the truth I kind of enjoyed it. There is still something to be said for having guys stand 12 rounds and trade vicious jabs and uppercuts. However, the days of Muhammad Ali and George Foreman are long gone. For that matter, the days of Holyfield and Tyson are gone as well. The question that remains is; are those days gone forever?

Leading up to the last major fight that saw Oscar Del Hoya face off against Floyd Mayweather, skeptics were unofficially dubbing this the “Battle to Save Boxing”. It was thought that this fight could revive boxing to the days of its former glory. While the fight was not particularly spectacular, the ratings and revenue eclipsed all previous records, showing that boxing was in fact not dead and that the sport still had a strong following. However, the match took place over 2 years ago and in that time boxing failed to build on the fight’s success, eventually giving MMA, specifically the UFC, the opportunity to catch up to, if not surpass boxing, as the fighting sport of choice.

UFC 105 airs for free tonight on Spike TV

With that being said, there is a reason why boxing was so popular. However, to obtain the once former glory that the sport enjoyed a few, if not all, of the following areas should be addressed: