Just an impression

[dalcumly]

I have mentioned often that the gradual descent of interest in boxing by the general public, from its peak as the second most popular sport in the UK in the 1950's , to one of little concern and on a downward slope to extinction, could not be halted.

But , gut feeling tells me that this might not be the case after all. I just think that boxing is on the rise again. People I know , or meet, who have shown very little interest previously seem to be changing their views. Why that is , I can only guess. Perhaps it 's a knock on from the Olympics , or high profile events like Froch v Kessler, or simply a need by people to look beyond football.

I think there are many ways to guage if I'm right or wrong. Sales of Boxing News / Boxing Monthly , numbers of professional shows in the UK, total viewing figures ( SKY, BN, Channel 5 , etc), articles/reports in the national press , and hits on online boxing websites are just some examples.

If this is indeed the case , we have to keep the momentum going. More public shows at local locations - quality match ups on TV - reasonably coherent interviews of boxers ( Quigg, Crolla , Burns are good examples , Tony Thompson and Derek Chisora are not good examples !!!) and very important is the ratings system. If someone new is taking an interest in boxing they don't want to hear that Burns / Cleverley/Froch may, or may not, be world champions depending on which organisation they fight for!! There is no dispute about who is number one in golf, tennis or who won whichever league or cup in football.

Does anyone share my gut feeling, that our old sport's descent has finally bottomed out ?

[mrbassie]

Audley Harrison is solely responsible for the renewed interest in the sport.

I only started watching boxing in the ninties in the hope that someday Audley would come along.

[rm1]

yes i think you are right but it will need terrestrial TV and continued Olympic success to maintain it oh a heavyweight world champion would help too.

[iamasadlittleboy]

I think what we are seeing is a bigger globalisation of the sport. Go back to the 50's and you had the US, the UK, some mainland Europe and some Latin America.

Japan didn't have their first world champion until 1952 they are now one of the dominant forces in the sport and just look at the explosion in Eastern Europe, Germany have gone from a bit part player in the sport to the most powerful force in Europe (yes I'd say they are bigger than us).

As the competition has increased the domination of the UK and US has diminished so the interest in those countries has also diminished.

A similar example is Korea, look at what the Koreans were doing in the 1980's then compare it to now.

[mrbassie]

I only started watching boxing in the ninties in the hope that someday Audley would come along.

Same reason I watched Rocky so many times growing up.

[lefty]

I've only heard two boxing named regularly mentioned by my non-boxing associates: Haye and Fury. Haye was mentioned largely in conversations with girls I know who know I like boxing and had seen David on IACGMOOH. Fury has been mentioned frequently by both sexes. Terrestrial television.

By any chance was it referencing his good looks? Ive heard quite a few women who arent interested in boxing otherwise say how Haye is 'fit', etc.

[mickey1975]

I've only heard two boxing named regularly mentioned by my non-boxing associates: Haye and Fury. Haye was mentioned largely in conversations with girls I know who know I like boxing and had seen David on IACGMOOH. Fury has been mentioned frequently by both sexes. Terrestrial television.

Campbell got a lot of coverage on DOI.

[Mimmy]

I think it all depends on the era you were brought up on (in boxing) im sure the guys who are around 10 years older than me who where growing up in the 70's would say it was a fantastic decade, you had Ali and Holmes etc and in the 80's When I was around 13 I remember my fist taste of boxing was when Tony Tubbs and Tim Witherspoon fought for the heavyweight title. Then along came the big names that made me sit up and listen. In the UK we had the like of Benn who emerged in 1987 Herol Graham came a few years before hand but was established and proberly well known by the boxing fans by the mid 80's. There was numbers of British fights and a very good tv coverage of fights, whether live or recorded. Over the water a new phenomenon emerged in the mid 80's who was taking the boxing scene over, this was of course Mike Tyson. We also had the likes of Hearns, Hagler and Ray Leonard. The 80's was like a mad disco of boxing names all on TV. Then satallite tv came along and to begin with boxing was on most evenings and early hours not just on UK sites but German and spanish tv too, we had FightNight on Tyne Tees TV and Pro Box in Yorkshire TV. There was enough boxing on TV to keep any fan happy.

Live fight from the States on ITV, McGuigan in Vegas for example. All free for the viewer to enjoy.

Obviously now its all dried up we have dull fighters (not saying everyone is dull) so the fan of today does not have the mentality of what boxing was like in the 80's and early 90's. As soon as Sky started coverage it all went tits up.

You will never see a era like the 80's and 90's not again never. Its not just boxing, take snooker, no Higgins. Take darts, no Jockey Wilson and Bristow. All the characters have gone.

[loaded_gloves]

You will never see a era like the 80's and 90's not again never. Its not just boxing, take snooker, no Higgins. Take darts, no Jockey Wilson and Bristow. All the characters have gone.

It's a very good point about characters. The sport has always been character-driven.

Look at the UK in the 90s. Among others Bruno, Hamed, Eubank, Benn - all totally different personalities, strange, charismatic, absorbing, all of them their own man. The Americans as always were throwing up innumerable zany, colourful fighters.

Nowadays boxers seem to be homogenised, all of them exactly the same with a total charisma bypass. The general British boxer is dull and predictable, and speaks only in pre-made boxing cliches. The Olympians are the same, no characters, all of them seem like they could have been created in the exact same BBBOC subterranean vat.

[lefty]

You will never see a era like the 80's and 90's not again never. Its not just boxing, take snooker, no Higgins. Take darts, no Jockey Wilson and Bristow. All the characters have gone.

It's a very good point about characters. The sport has always been character-driven.

Look at the UK in the 90s. Among others Bruno, Hamed, Eubank, Benn - all totally different personalities, strange, charismatic, absorbing, all of them their own man. The Americans as always were throwing up innumerable zany, colourful fighters.

Nowadays boxers seem to be homogenised, all of them exactly the same with a total charisma bypass. The general British boxer is dull and predictable, and speaks only in pre-made boxing cliches. The Olympians are the same, no characters, all of them seem like they could have been created in the exact same BBBOC subterranean vat.

I think Mayweathers personality ie Brash, arrogant and so forth along with his undeniable talent is why he's such a big name in the sport. If Mayweather had the talent but didnt have the persona he does I doubt he would of made the money he has so it's very true.

[expe]

I've only heard two boxing named regularly mentioned by my non-boxing associates: Haye and Fury. Haye was mentioned largely in conversations with girls I know who know I like boxing and had seen David on IACGMOOH. Fury has been mentioned frequently by both sexes. Terrestrial television.

Campbell got a lot of coverage on DOI.

Dancing on ice is for middle aged women though.

[palooka]

I've only heard two boxing named regularly mentioned by my non-boxing associates: Haye and Fury. Haye was mentioned largely in conversations with girls I know who know I like boxing and had seen David on IACGMOOH. Fury has been mentioned frequently by both sexes. Terrestrial television.

Campbell got a lot of coverage on DOI.

Dancing on ice is for middle aged women though.

x2 though it gave Luke a break from a strict routine of hard training and competing he'd held for about 3 years; he maybe needed a change.

[mickey1975]

The gays love it. He is a gay icon. Seriously. Not sure how well they would "go down" at a live show in Hull though.

[lefty]

The gays love it. He is a gay icon. Seriously. Not sure how well they would "go down" at a live show in Hull though.

Gay icon

[magnus]

I've posted before about the natural tendency for people to view their younger days through rose-tinted glasses, at the expense of the present.

When I were a lad, it seemed like all letters in BN/The Ring were telling me how shit modern boxing (i.e. early 90s fighters) was, compared to the 70s.

In 20 years time Columbo (sorry mate, I'm assuming you're younger than me) will probably be telling other boxing fans that in his day he had real characters in the game like Fury, Haye and Hatton.

Eubank and Naz were unique characters, never to be seen again I suspect, how many 80s or 70s boxers could compare to them in that respect, so it's unfair to criticise Anthony Ogogo because he doesn't ride a rhino into the ring whilst wearing a monocle.