Why Boxing is in Decline

Tale of the tape

The decline of boxing seems to be upon us. Mixed martial arts, or MMA, seemingly has a choke-hold on the 'sweet science' with no intention of letting go, leaving boxing fans around the world wondering what the next step for the sport should be. It can be argued that the 2006 rematch between MMA's Chuck Liddell and Tito Ortiz in UFC 66 signaled this change in momentum, with the PPV buy rate of the match still the 3rd highest in UFC history.

It should be noted that the buy rate for this fight was 1,050,000 in 2006, and the average buy rate for large fights in boxing averaging 1,060,000 from 2000-2006. This was during a time when Oscar De La Hoya was in his prime, and right after the fall of 'Iron' Mike Tyson! Boxing had gathered a large following, built on quality boxers and equally interesting personalities but all of a sudden with UFC 66, it had completely shifted.

In 2007, boxing saw a very brief revival with 'Pretty Boy' Floyd Mayweather squaring up against 'The Golden Boy' Oscar De La Hoya, with the PPV buy rate at 2,400,000 but subsequently saw a sharp decline in buy rates afterwards. Even with the emergence of the Philippine's own Manny 'The Pacman' Pacquiao stirring the waters, the PPV rates of headline boxing fights are at best still well below rates seen throughout the 90's. MMA on the other hand, is seeing somewhat steady growth ever since UFC 66 in 2006.

Is the age of boxing over?

A plethora of choice...

Casual boxing fans are flocking to MMA in droves, leaving true fans questioning whether boxing's golden age is well and truly over. What factors are contributing to this phenomenon you might ask? The biggest and most controversial of them, in my opinion, would arguably be the sheer number of titles, belts and organizations that exist. At any one time, there could be as many as 8 heavyweight champions of the world, leaving casual fans clueless as to the actual titleholder and die-hard fans bickering over why one is better than the other. Add in the factor of an exorbitant number of weight divisions and it makes it all the more confusing to follow and understand.

When I hear that someone is the 'Heavyweight Champion of the World', I want to know assuredly that this person is indeed, the legitimate champion of the world and not that there is in fact, eight of them. It's plain ludicrous, and each title, division and organization added to this once pure sport further dilutes the weight associated with these titles. At present, the sanctioning bodies for boxing are WBA, WBC, WBF, WBO, WBU, NABF, IBO and the IBF-USBA with a total of 17 weight divisions within those 8. This leaves 95 belts up for grabs at any one time, fingers crossed they don't add any more.

Money, money, money, money... MONEY!

The second most involved factor, in my opinion, would be money. This is a very close second too in my mind, and is most certainly the first in many others. Although MMA doesn't compare to boxing in terms of purses, the skill level of boxers has seemingly regressed in the past 20 years with subsequent increases in purses. It doesn't add up at all, with fighters only fighting one or two times a year in order to protect their records, big 'fights' are at present pawing matches.

There is far too much outside involvement in boxing and this is where MMA has really taken strides in creating an environment in which the best fight the best. If you want to succeed in MMA, you have to fight whoever you're paired up against. Unlike in boxing, where promoters and boxers dodge challenges with lame excuses, create extreme requirements or wait until their challenger is looking vulnerable to finally accept. I'm looking at you Mosley/Pacquiao. It's these kind of black-hat, underhanded tactics that leaves a bitter taste in not only true boxing fans mouths, but also for everyone that hears about it on the news, what little gets reported that is.

Promoters and television networks argue over the purses and how much money they'll each get, leaving the boxers the remainder. Mind you, this remainder is still well within the millions, so don't start feeling sorry for them any time soon, but the point still remains that boxing isn't for the sake of boxing anymore. Greed has consumed boxing, and continues to dilute the professionalism and intrigue of the sport year after year. It certainly doesn't help having almost every major fight on PPV, severely reducing viewer numbers and the future fan base. It's this kind of attitude that's destroying boxing from within, and which MMA has most definitely capitalized on.

Where does this leave boxing?

Although there are most definitely more underlying reasons as to the decline in modern boxing, it's debatable that these are the largest of the two. To take such a pure form of athleticism, and degrade what was once a highly respected sport to the extent it is today is shameful and without a serious intervention, may see boxing well and truly become underground in favor of the MMA revolution sweeping over the world. But that's not to say boxing will be crumbling soon. People love watching boxing, and as long as athletes continue to train, there will be those willing to watch. The decline of boxing may be upon us, but there's always the chance something will be done to remedy what's ailing the sport at the moment.