Oh no... Boxing is dying???

[shaolin-warrior]

Perhaps it is just evolving. Evolving into a sport that resembles a real sport of real competition, based on a legitimate ranking system where matches are made by who is a legitimate contender for a shot. A sport where there is some rhyme and reason for a contest. Not by how much the fighters/promoters can make or scam on Pay-per-view.

VERY TRUE. Lets not forget the real legends of the sport who fought for small purses and the right to be a champion.

[georgie]

i think with all the fatalities in the last 11 years ( 6 in nevada alone) it doesnt help the situation .....people like to see brutal gory violence but if one thinks about the sport now compared to say 15 -20 years ago there's just nobody that stands out as a celebrity type to keep interest in the sport either....the last household name boxer was tyson.... others were foreman , ali , marciano , holmes , duran etc.... back then everyone knew who these guys were nowadays most people dont even know who bernard hopkins is....at the sports height in popularity Ali was the champ ....coincidence? naw he was a celebrity...he knew how to charm the public with charisma and entertainment......everyone knew who he was at that time and now......will it die? the sport needs a new entertainer for sure.....to the average joe thats all it is ...entertainment.....as for MMA ? ive read the next "big" thing may be weapons!! sound crazy?http://www.dogbrothers.com/ ....nope! it looks entertaining though ...average people just want to see something they havent seen before ..theyll get bored of UFC eventually and look for a whole new brand of violence and excitement....this seems to be the age of extreme for sure.

[Piston]

Organised boxing has always been "extreme" and dirty right from the beginnings in ancient Greece.

It can be seen in one of the most brutal competitions in ancient greek olympics, the boxing match of Creugas and Damoxenos. They where in about in the finals and to cut a long story short, Damoxenos was huge, sturdy and powerful, whilst Creugas was small and nimble, Damoxenos was unable to hit Creugas, and Creugas couldn't seriously damage Damoxenos. The match went on and on, so in order to not have a draw, they decided the contest would be won by a single blow from each man. Creugas went first doing nothing whatsoever to Damoxenos. Damoxenos then jabbed at Creugas under the ribs with striaght fingers and sharp nails, tearing a hole in him, then he took a second strike to tear Creugas' guts out. Creugas died but was the winner because Damoxenos was disqualified for taking two strikes.

Of course nothing like this would happen today....Would it? *Cough* Tyson ear munching maniac *Cough*

[blitz]

If it dies, it will get reborn. Someone new will just be practicing punching his friend and they will invent things just like everything got invented. Then one day when his friend isn't there to train, he thinks of the heavy bag to punch, then he discovers that his knuckles are hurting and his wrist is twisting with punches, he invents the wraps and then the gloves because he broke his friends tooth. Then he wants to hit faster and he hangs a ball from the ceiling and alters it to make a speed bag!
What do you think ?