Popularity of boxing in world

[dagilechia]

i just checked out, the difference between boxing and mma in Poland is still not that big as i thought, only 5 mma events without Mariusz Pudzianowski (he's a freak fighter so i don't count events when he fought) in history in Poland had more viewers than Szpilka vs Wach, last time in 2015. Golota vs Adamek is by far the most watched combat sports event with it's 8.000.000 of tv viewers. what mma does better though it's selling ppv.

[ValMar]

are you sure or it's just Hrgovic that is popular?

True, it may be Hrgovic. I was told that 47% if viewers watched his last fight.

43% as far as i know, but i think it's only Hrgović, and 90% out of those 43% couldn't name 10 current HW fighters

You are right 100 %. Twenty years ago, Mavrović has been very popular. There is nothing (almost nothing ) after Mavrović and before Hrgović. BTW, Croatia is in my neighbourhood, we use the same (or 98% the same) language, and I can follow Croatian tv channels, magazines and portals.

So, I think this might be the proper list of popularity of boxing by countries :
1. Cuba
2. Mexico
3. Puerto Rico
4. UK
5. Ukraina
6. Russia
7. Kazakhstan
8. Poland
9. Philipines
10. Japan

[KiwiRider]

True, it may be Hrgovic. I was told that 47% if viewers watched his last fight.

43% as far as i know, but i think it's only Hrgović, and 90% out of those 43% couldn't name 10 current HW fighters

You are right 100 %. Twenty years ago, Mavrović has been very popular. There is nothing (almost nothing ) after Mavrović and before Hrgović. BTW, Croatia is in my neighbourhood, we use the same (or 98% the same) language, and I can follow Croatian tv channels, magazines and portals.

So, I think this might be the proper list of popularity of boxing by countries :
1. Cuba
2. Mexico
3. Puerto Rico
4. UK
5. Ukraina
6. Russia
7. Kazakhstan
8. Poland
9. Philipines
10. Japan

Ghana!
They love their boxing, and their past and present world champions are public heroes. Bukem is the most boxing mad town in the world. Ghana is known for its love of the poofters game, but boxing comes in at #2.

[ValMar]

43% as far as i know, but i think it's only Hrgović, and 90% out of those 43% couldn't name 10 current HW fighters

You are right 100 %. Twenty years ago, Mavrović has been very popular. There is nothing (almost nothing ) after Mavrović and before Hrgović. BTW, Croatia is in my neighbourhood, we use the same (or 98% the same) language, and I can follow Croatian tv channels, magazines and portals.

So, I think this might be the proper list of popularity of boxing by countries :
1. Cuba
2. Mexico
3. Puerto Rico
4. UK
5. Ukraina
6. Russia
7. Kazakhstan
8. Poland
9. Philipines
10. Japan

Ghana!
They love their boxing, and their past and present world champions are public heroes.

It is possible, but, I don't know a lot about them. Unfortunately !

[KiwiRider]

You are right 100 %. Twenty years ago, Mavrović has been very popular. There is nothing (almost nothing ) after Mavrović and before Hrgović. BTW, Croatia is in my neighbourhood, we use the same (or 98% the same) language, and I can follow Croatian tv channels, magazines and portals.

So, I think this might be the proper list of popularity of boxing by countries :
1. Cuba
2. Mexico
3. Puerto Rico
4. UK
5. Ukraina
6. Russia
7. Kazakhstan
8. Poland
9. Philipines
10. Japan

Ghana!
They love their boxing, and their past and present world champions are public heroes.

It is possible, but, I don't know a lot about them. Unfortunately !

This will blow you away, virtually the whole town does boxing exercise every morning. Bukom is the most boxing place in the world.

[Gnome]

People have already mentioned the UK, and in Northern Ireland boxing is particularly popular. Everyone talks about the big fights.

[Skalamanga]

Popularity doesn't mean people will be good at boxing.

Some people, some nations. some regions - just cannot fight - are not good at boxing/fighting no matter how hard they try, and no excuses can be made for them. Not all people/nations can be good at everything

[Skalamanga]

Boxing isn't the #2 sport in England. Football, Rugby Union, Rugby League and Cricket are all more popular than boxing. Arguably horse racing as well.

Thank you

The misconception of boxing being really popular in the UK makes me laugh, and it really shows people lack of knowledge and stupidity,

As a huge boxing fan in the UK I can tell you It's very rare to come across anyone who is a big fan of boxing.

Football, Rugby Union, Rubgy League, Cricket,Horse Racing, Tennis, Formula One, Snooker, Darts, Athletics >>> all more popular than Boxing in the UK.

The only thing the UK has is the casual fan who is a football or Rugby fan, who will only watch the really big PPV events like the Joshua fights the Tyson Fury fights. But ask them who Ryan Burnett is , who Josh Warrington is, who Callum Smith, Carl Frampton, Scott Quigg, etc and they won't have a clue!

[Onetimeonly]

In America boxing is not popular at all. Pro that is, amateur boxings popularity is nonexistent.

[Your Boxing Club]

In Amateurs, I would say participants in Amateur Boxing is way more than MMA. But in viewing figures, Amateur boxing doesn't draw big crowds at all, half-empty halls and the people there are either club members or relatives of the boxers and that's even at the big tournaments. The TV has no interest in Amateur boxing except for the Olympics and then you have to search for it.

There are about 10 boxing clubs around a 50-mile radius near me and 1 MMA Club that I know of, the boxing clubs have kids from 5 years old and have high numbers, each age group declines in numbers as you go up in age, and local events are poorly advertised, many people learning of the event after it has happened. Then there is the odd MMA event, I see banners around for weeks before the event, tickets sell out, the place is ramed, the beer is flowing, the whole atmosphere is different. If the Amateurs could sort their stuff out it has potential, they're trying at the elite end to make changes and hopefully, this will help boxing.

When MMA is on TV my 6-year-old son watches it with more enthusiasm. When Boxing is on TV he lasts a couple rounds before departing the room.

In pro boxing, PPV kills boxing for the general masses, you won't gain new fans if they have to pay £20 to find out if they will even like it. And then add the start time of 3/4 am if it's in the states won't help. The advantage of having a champion who fights in your own country you get to see the fight at a reasonable time and for free in your local pub

[ezhmael]

I think here in Philippines, MMA is more popular than boxing. The casuals only know Pacman. The hell Donaire didn't get the recognition he deserve.

[oogiebe]

I always thought that horse racing was the number one watched sport in the world.

[Ilya Muromets]

If one of those Chinese heavyweights would pan out boxing would become an overnight sensation in the world's most populous country, but that's not likely.

[Ilya Muromets]

In America boxing is not popular at all. Pro that is, amateur boxings popularity is nonexistent.

None of the schools or colleges have boxing programs, with the exception of West Point and the Naval Academy as far as i know. When i was in college i wanted to go in for boxing but the only combat sport they had was wrestling.

[Petu v.d. Pajm]

In America boxing is not popular at all. Pro that is, amateur boxings popularity is nonexistent.

None of the schools or colleges have boxing programs, with the exception of West Point and the Naval Academy as far as i know. When i was in college i wanted to go in for boxing but the only combat sport they had was wrestling.

Boxing was stopped as a "real" university sport in 1960 due to waning interest & death of a college boxer Charlie Mohr (Wisconsin) in NCAA tournament.

It is nowadays run in smaller scale by National Collegiate Boxing Association and is included by these schools :

Eastern Collegiate Boxing Association

Kutztown University
Lock Haven University
Pennsylvania State University
Pennsylvania State University - Harrisburg
Shippensburg University
United States Military Academy (Army)
University of Massachusetts - Amherst
United States Coast Guard Academy
University of Connecticut
Trinity College, Hartford, CT
Salisbury University

Midwest Collegiate Boxing Association

Iowa State University
Miami University
Ohio State University
United States Naval Academy (Navy)
University of Cincinnati
University of Kansas
University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill
West Virginia University
Xavier University
University of Iowa

Far West Collegiate Boxing Association

California State University, Northridge
San José State University
Santa Clara University
United States Air Force Academy (Air Force)
University of California, Berkeley
University of California, Davis
University of California, Los Angeles
University of San Francisco
University of Southern California
University of Nevada, Reno
University of Nevada, Las Vegas
University of Washington, Seattle
University of Oregon
Oregon state University

[Gnome]

Boxing isn't the #2 sport in England. Football, Rugby Union, Rugby League and Cricket are all more popular than boxing. Arguably horse racing as well.

Thank you

The misconception of boxing being really popular in the UK makes me laugh, and it really shows people lack of knowledge and stupidity,

As a huge boxing fan in the UK I can tell you It's very rare to come across anyone who is a big fan of boxing.

Football, Rugby Union, Rubgy League, Cricket,Horse Racing, Tennis, Formula One, Snooker, Darts, Athletics >>> all more popular than Boxing in the UK.

The only thing the UK has is the casual fan who is a football or Rugby fan, who will only watch the really big PPV events like the Joshua fights the Tyson Fury fights. But ask them who Ryan Burnett is , who Josh Warrington is, who Callum Smith, Carl Frampton, Scott Quigg, etc and they won't have a clue!

Ease up, ffs.

[Stuarty]

I have a group chat and there's about 9/10 of my close pals on it. One of them is an ex pro boxer but he's not a hardcore fan. When there's a big fight on they're all buzzing but I'll post some normal generic boxing news and I'll not get so much as a weak reply!

Think that tells its own story. We love a niche sport. It's hard to find fellow boxing enthuisiasts! Think that's why we're all on here

[Mexi-Box]

True, it may be Hrgovic. I was told that 47% if viewers watched his last fight.

43% as far as i know, but i think it's only Hrgović, and 90% out of those 43% couldn't name 10 current HW fighters

You are right 100 %. Twenty years ago, Mavrović has been very popular. There is nothing (almost nothing ) after Mavrović and before Hrgović. BTW, Croatia is in my neighbourhood, we use the same (or 98% the same) language, and I can follow Croatian tv channels, magazines and portals.

So, I think this might be the proper list of popularity of boxing by countries :
1. Cuba
2. Mexico
3. Puerto Rico
4. UK
5. Ukraina
6. Russia
7. Kazakhstan
8. Poland
9. Philipines
10. Japan

You have Japan way too low. From what I get from those Asian Boxing articles, it seems like it's super popular over there. I mean they even have dedicated high school boxing teams. I'm not sure if boxing is as popular in Cuba as you think. None of their best fighters are even popular or can draw a dime: Rigondeaux, Ortiz, Barthelemy, Dorticos, etc.

Japan has to be in the top 4 at least from what I'm reading. I mean supposedly New Years in Japan for boxing fights is like Cinco De Mayo for Mexicans. I was looking for the Asian Boxing article that said that, but I can't find it anymore.

[Cent0089]

43% as far as i know, but i think it's only Hrgović, and 90% out of those 43% couldn't name 10 current HW fighters

You are right 100 %. Twenty years ago, Mavrović has been very popular. There is nothing (almost nothing ) after Mavrović and before Hrgović. BTW, Croatia is in my neighbourhood, we use the same (or 98% the same) language, and I can follow Croatian tv channels, magazines and portals.

So, I think this might be the proper list of popularity of boxing by countries :
1. Cuba
2. Mexico
3. Puerto Rico
4. UK
5. Ukraina
6. Russia
7. Kazakhstan
8. Poland
9. Philipines
10. Japan

You have Japan way too low. From what I get from those Asian Boxing articles, it seems like it's super popular over there. I mean they even have dedicated high school boxing teams. I'm not sure if boxing is as popular in Cuba as you think. None of their best fighters are even popular or can draw a dime: Rigondeaux, Ortiz, Barthelemy, Dorticos, etc.

Japan has to be in the top 4 at least from what I'm reading. I mean supposedly New Years in Japan for boxing fights is like Cinco De Mayo for Mexicans. I was looking for the Asian Boxing article that said that, but I can't find it anymore.

There are about 10 thousand registered boxers in Cuba. Amateur boxing is what matters too. Trust me, it is a big deal there

[Ilya Muromets]

...

Thanks for that Info, Petu.

[dagilechia]

True, it may be Hrgovic. I was told that 47% if viewers watched his last fight.

43% as far as i know, but i think it's only Hrgović, and 90% out of those 43% couldn't name 10 current HW fighters

You are right 100 %. Twenty years ago, Mavrović has been very popular. There is nothing (almost nothing ) after Mavrović and before Hrgović. BTW, Croatia is in my neighbourhood, we use the same (or 98% the same) language, and I can follow Croatian tv channels, magazines and portals.

So, I think this might be the proper list of popularity of boxing by countries :
1. Cuba
2. Mexico
3. Puerto Rico
4. UK
5. Ukraina
6. Russia
7. Kazakhstan
8. Poland
9. Philipines
10. Japan

Poland is probably too high on that list. Glowacki vs Usyk couldn't even sell out and made poor ppv numbers. At least boxing is very well featured in Polish tv, there are 2 big tv stations that show boxing for free. Joshua's fights do a very decent numbers in Poland though, so do big Polish fights like Szpilka-Wach and Adamek fights.

[oogiebe]

https://www.pledgesports.org/wp-content ... ountry.png

https://www.pledgesports.org/2018/04/mo ... y-country/

[dagilechia]

https://www.pledgesports.org/wp-content ... ountry.png

https://www.pledgesports.org/2018/04/mo ... y-country/

this map is unbelievably wrong... basketball more popular than football in Spain, Italy, Argentina and France wrestling/boxing the most popular sport in Oman? i have never heard of any wrestler/boxer from Oman. are martial arts really that popular in Slovenia?? i doubt that it's more popular there than Football, Ski Jumping or even Basketball and maybe Handball.

[oogiebe]

https://www.pledgesports.org/wp-content ... ountry.png

https://www.pledgesports.org/2018/04/mo ... y-country/

this map is unbelievably wrong... basketball more popular than football in Spain, Italy, Argentina and France wrestling/boxing the most popular sport in Oman? i have never heard of any wrestler/boxer from Oman.

I just shared it, I didn't compile it.

[skanksta]

Boxing isn't the #2 sport in England. Football, Rugby Union, Rugby League and Cricket are all more popular than boxing. Arguably horse racing as well.

Thank you

The misconception of boxing being really popular in the UK makes me laugh, and it really shows people lack of knowledge and stupidity,

As a huge boxing fan in the UK I can tell you It's very rare to come across anyone who is a big fan of boxing.

Football, Rugby Union, Rubgy League, Cricket,Horse Racing, Tennis, Formula One, Snooker, Darts, Athletics >>> all more popular than Boxing in the UK.

The only thing the UK has is the casual fan who is a football or Rugby fan, who will only watch the really big PPV events like the Joshua fights the Tyson Fury fights. But ask them who Ryan Burnett is , who Josh Warrington is, who Callum Smith, Carl Frampton, Scott Quigg, etc and they won't have a clue!

That bit in bold is way over the top - get over yourself !

Apart from that - Yeah this x2.
What the UK (and Ireland at least as much) has more than other places, is a great fan culture. We're into supporting. We like going to live events and chanting - perhaps more than the actual sport itself. I guess it comes from football ? Wherever it comes from we're very good at supporting teams and individuals in huge numbers, regardless of whether they're any good.
We support - and that's that.

It's not that we have more boxing fans than the US - it's that we have more people that like being fans.