"Golden age of British boxing....."

[Fightnight Scores]

This phrase comes about every so often. I remember not long after I'd really started following the sport around 2007/08 or so there was a spell where the UK had about 7 or 8 recognised world titles. The likes of Calzaghe, Witter, Hatton...or it could have been a few years later with Froch, Brook, Gavin Rees... I am not sure when it was...

But it seemed we recently were in the midst of another "Golden" error of British boxing, spearheaded by Matchroom sports and the poster boy Anthony Joshua. We've had some decent talent grace the world stage over the last few years and enjoyed a good number of bumper shows.

However we have also seen some of our recent, former champions sent out to the slaughter....Rocky Fielding was destroyed by Alvarez, this weekend Crolla was dismantled by Lomachenko, and next weekend not many give Khan a chance against Crawford.

All the latest boxing news is about tv broadcasters or streaming services rather than fights being made. Fury shocked everybody with his performance against Wilder but has subsequently signed a deal which makes him facing Wilder or Joshua not a straight forward task. Joshua's ongoing saga with Wilder has turned people off, and he seems so far away from making one of those career defining fights agianst either Wilder or Fury.

Among our other "top" talents:

Callum Smith is seemingly cast to the wayside by Eddie as he ties up Dazn deals and remains focused on his biggets cash cow Joshua.
Billy Joe Saunders isn't a very likeable character, may struggle for meaningful fights following his return from a ban
Chris Eubank Jr really polarises fans, still has many question marks over his potential, his dad lingers around like a bad smell, and has a limited audience fighting on ITV Box Office.
Dillian Whyte is in limbo. Deserves his shot at a title but has maybe had Eddie inflate his worth. Demands PPV revenue which may bomb without strong support.
Carl Frampton, Kell Brook, Luke Campbell have all seen better years and on the downturn.
Liam Smith has boosted himself back up somewhat, but could be pushing it to believe he can make any waves at world level.

We have some positivity with the likes of Josh Warrington really making a name for himself and Josh Taylor, expected to shake up the light welter scene imminently.

There's some decent enough prospects coming through with Buatsi & Yarde at light heavy, Dubois (and maybe Gorman) at heavyweight, Lawrence Okolie maybe provided he doesn't put everyone viewing to sleep....

Do people even give a shot about the likes of Khalid Yafai, Jack Catterall, Scott Quigg, Terry Flanagan, Charlie Edwards, Kid Galahad.....??

Essentially, it seems these things go round in cycles, and IF there even had been some kind of "Golden" generation of late, I think it's fair to say it has come to an end.

There's so much uncertainty about the availability of boxing going forward, with the rise of Dazn and Eddie Hearn very much concentrating on that business model. Any half decent card ends up on Sky Sports. allegedly seemingly dying a death and BT Sport beginning their own PPV channel. ITV is showing SOME American content on free to air channels, but again and half high profile UK fight they pick up is behind a PPV wall.

Anyone have any thoughts, worries, or positive outlook on the current and immediate future of the UK boxing scene?

[Fightnight Scores]

Probably should have thrown this in the "British boxers taken to sacrificial altar in USA" thread!

Apologies.

[Ezzard]

I think many of the top talents like Brook, Frampton, Quigg, Groves, DeGale, Khan and more have either retired or are at the end of their careers.

At the same time we are now being served a lot of mismatches.

The world HW scene went from white hot to tepid within a few months...

It does go in cycles but right now we have a bit of an own goal.

I like the guys we have (Joshua, Warrington, Saunders??) and there are fighters like Buatsi and Yarde who look quality...

But the air has been released from the balloon at the moment.

[JimStone]

Promoters and broadcasters sell the idea of golden ages and such like. Truth is true top quality British operators are few and far between and always have been.

[Nightmare Roy]

I think Josh Taylor can become top 3 P4P fighter and a British GOAT

[Coco]

We have had times gone past when our top operators never got the opportunities.
Whether you love or hate SKY it is because of them that there is much more opportunity and money in the game.
Gone are the days when the likes of Colin Jones and Pat Cowdell couldn't win world titles, nowadays lesser fighters get their world title fights at home and only get slung to the lions at the end of their career for good paydays.

[JimStone]

True but how many are ever really best in their divisions? It's good that they are earning of course but I still don't like the charade that they are 'world champions'.

[kbackup408]

boxing is very cyclical, as british consumers we are spoiled for choice BT, Sky, ITV, Youtube

I expect very big things from Josh Taylor that victory against postol should not be overlooked!

[Coco]

True but how many are ever really best in their divisions? It's good that they are earning of course but I still don't like the charade that they are 'world champions'.

AJ or Fury and possibly Smith and Warrington.
We can prob add 20 belt holders on to that, but they would all be outclassed at elite level.
While I expect Khan to get Ko'd I expect him to be very much in the fight untill it happens.

[Fightnight Scores]

Guess this one goes to show the literation of world titles available that some fair "mediocre" calibre fighter can get themselves to a world title.

[Oiky]

Far too much is made of f***ing network deals & models & all that rubbish

josh Taylor is on his way to big things I think

But we are in a bit of a lull atm

[Coco]

Far too much is made of f***ing network deals & models & all that rubbish

josh Taylor is on his way to big things I think

But we are in a bit of a lull atm

Contractual battles with McGuigan could prove harder than any bout

[Oiky]

Contractual battles with McGuigan could prove harder than any bout

Wouldlnt disagree with you at all there

[Fightnight Scores]

Far too much is made of f***ing network deals & models & all that rubbish

Do you mean in terms of boxing fans moaning about these issues.....or that it is actually a big thing that's harming the sport currently?

[Oiky]

Do you mean in terms of boxing fans moaning about these issues.....or that it is actually a big thing that's harming the sport currently?

Both,and in a big way

[olij999]

But we are in a bit of a lull atm

That's my view too. Doesn't feel like a golden age to me - far too many fighters not fighting each other, even allowing for the age-old issues of purses, different promoters, taking time to build up a fight, contractual disputes etc. While we plainly have a load of good British fighters, it's fairly irrelevant if they are not in good fights. And that's before getting on to the number of 40-36s week in, week out, which feels like it is at an all time high (and yes, I know the arguments about the benefits of journeymen etc etc).

[Fightnight Scores]

That's my view too. Doesn't feel like a golden age to me - far too many fighters not fighting each other, even allowing for the age-old issues of purses, different promoters, taking time to build up a fight, contractual disputes etc. While we plainly have a load of good British fighters, it's fairly irrelevant if they are not in good fights. And that's before getting on to the number of 40-36s week in, week out, which feels like it is at an all time high (and yes, I know the arguments about the benefits of journeymen etc etc).

Oh there's certainly no correlation to just general "golden age" within boxing as a whole, and the British scene alone.

Even in those "golden" ages for British boxing, it only really alluded to times when we have half a dozen or more recognised world champions, and even several of those are where Uncle Frank had well managed some good domestic talents rather well and got them to a WBO title. Enzo Mac, Gavin Rees, Nathan Cleverly, Nicky Cook....and the like.

There were always better world champions around them, but the literation of belts gave them that opportunity!

But yeah, even at domestic level it's rare we are seeing unbeaten prospects share a ring because that all important 0 losses is seen as so damaging to a career in this day and age.

[Coco]

If we had to choose, when do people think our best time was?
Off the top of my had I can't think of a time when we had more than a couple who were regarded as elite class or the best in the world.

Hatton was regarded number 1 at light welter but fell well short against Pac and PBF.
AJ, Fury and Lewis can be thought as as elite class
Calazaghe yes too.
While Froch was competitive in elite class he never got there.
David Haye at cruiser. Perhaps Nelson was number 1 at the time
Hamed too, who more?
Eubank or Benn were regarded as no 1's, maybe Benn after Mcelland, but no one thought that they would have beaten Roy Jones.
Conten, Hope, Magri,, Watt?

[jamamb]

there are a lot of ppl who think len is the greatest hw ever head to head. in other words the best hw ever.