Do you know what, lads?

[Boxerbeetle]

I still love it, even when it's bad! It's a bit like sex, even when it's bad it's good!

I dunno, I’ve had some sex that definitely wasn’t good in any shape or form

[mickey1975]

Boxing is far from perfect, I've never known it any other way. Still, I couldn't imagine not following it.

The small hall shows are considerably better than the big fights if you want a night at the boxing. The action may/may not be good but the crack is always good. Plus everyone mixes, you can meet the fighters etc.

The ams are far, far better. I know all the home fighters anyway, and have no interest in meeting their opponents. It's not Fury-AJ.

[KiwiRider]

To be honest I don't think the televised shows now are worse than in the 90's topped by the IBO, WBO etc

The difference being that anyone with a TV could watch those shows.
Now you need Sky with the add on sports package, DAZN, some form of ESPN, and that's not counting the PPVs and other platforms.
Just look at the best confirmed fight of the year-
Taylor Vs Ramirez.
Huge fight for the UK. But will as many citizens of Blighty actually even know it's happening, let alone figure out how to watch it?
Let alone afford to watch it?
It's not the same as the 90's, it's far far worse.

[margaret thatcher]

imo boxings easier to watch and there is more out there to watch than any time in history

[KiwiRider]

imo boxings easier to watch and there is more out there to watch than any time in history

It comes at a much higher cost for what has always been a working man's sport.

[margaret thatcher]

you can stream it if cost is an issue

[THEBUTCH]

It's either in your blood or it ain't

Once I was bitten by the boxing bug it never left.

There have been times when I've been disillusioned by the sport and I'm not as fanatical as I was years ago, but the truth is boxing is booming

I've been to see the undisputed heavyweight championship of the world at Madison Square garden and carried the spit bucket at some of the most dire hovels at amateur shows and loved them both

You still can't beat a British small hall show IMO and my admiration for the promoters who work their butt off to put together a good one is immense.

The thing is in boxing you simply cannot say "I've seen it all" because just when you think you have, something will come along and hit you upside your head

Hang in there mickey1975 because knowledgable posters are always appreciated

If you watched BBC's coverage of Michael Ayres' British title defence against Colin Dunne again, I couldn't believe that wouldn't stir up anyone's love for boxing.

[veriton]

I used to live and breathe boxing, then I saw someone I know get a brain injury. They were in out and out of hospitals for a year, couldn't walk or talk and wasted away before dying. It really hit me hard, but his family never blamed boxing. I never regained that passion though. I still watch it, subscribe to Boxing News, BT Sport and DAZN, but feel a lot more wary of it all.

[KiwiRider]

you can stream it if cost is an issue

conscience is the issue.

[Fray Bentos]

Good call, Mick.

I've posted on and off on here for nearly 20 years in various guises but I promise this will be my final post. I too have had enough of how professional boxing has gone. There is too much talk, too much social media, too much gambling, and too many celebrity 'fighters' getting paid a fortune to under-deliver.

I'm going to put my money and time exclusively into youth amateur boxing and youth amateur MMA.

Fair well, brothers, especially Counter-Puncher, Carlos and Deserter.

Well I (and many others...) hope to see you back, Jim. You don't have to spend any time on the the boxing forums - the OT will always be a good place to spill your opinions, it's been 20 years and I have to say, personally speaking, it is a really hard habit to break!

I wish you well and always glad to see you back here - hopefully soon! Take it easy!

[Fray Bentos]

I wrote about this subject quite awhile ago - I don't really care about it anymore though I did watch Saunders vs Canelo though I have been looking forward to this fight for the past four years maybe we're getting older and we are watching kids young enough to be our son/daughter - like taking interest in a scrap after school - I think you would rather break it up or walk on than take any interest.

Like Jimmy (and Mickey) has stated, there is a difference in developing young talent and nurturing them and being interesting in some distant athlete and their sporting glory - I have lost interest in football/soccer also.

Sport has took a big downward turn in my life - boxing more than most. Still, there will always be a particular fight that will get me hooked but they are few and far between.

[margaret thatcher]

you can stream it if cost is an issue

conscience is the issue.

well, if you'd be unable to watch a fight without a stream anyway, then just look at it like no one is really losing

[SticknMove]

The top end of the sport will always keep you watching. Big fights will keep the interest going with anyone that has ever been interested in this sport.

[Controversial]

I've definitely lost interest in the sport in recent years and if anything I'm even questioning myself about liking a sport that can cause brain trauma. I only really watch the big fights now. All the social media name calling is getting a bit tiresome now.

[high tower 1]

Even the amateurs a a high level have issues. Look at the ABAs over the last 10 years , the top amateurs don’t even compete in them due to England boxing / team GB. how messed up is that.

politics and greed has seeped into that as well.

The Olympics are every 4 years and who cares about some international tournament in Uzbekistan with 2 people watching. They should really push the regional and national tournaments like they did in the past.

[garethhop]

There was a real sweet spot a few years ago for me when you would have WSB on allegedly on a Thursday, Friday Night Fights on ESPN on a Saturday early morning and then reasonable shows on a Saturday on Sky and occasionally allegedly, plus overnight fights broadcast mainly by allegedly but sometimes Sky. Plus the occasional European show on a Friday night in Eurosport.

Just through those channels you would get pretty much 95% of anything worth watching and you were guaranteed a couple of shows a weekend.

Now we've got Premier Sports, Fite TV, Sky, Dazn, allegedly, BT Sports, Channel 5, MTK on IFL YouTube, plus PPVs.

Probably more boxing than ever but spread so far and wide and with differing presenters etc and no wrap around coverage, that I watch much less than I use to.

[coghaugen11]

The fact that domestic level fat men Chisora and Whyte are banking tens of millions of pounds for being domestic level fat men should be an eye opener that very sick, creepy things are happening.

[Foggy]

When I was really into boxing circa 2005ish I thought the Sky shows were great, Saturday fight night was on every week, and Euro Sport had bits n bobs in the week, that was well enough for me

[JamesPhilips]

I’m not sure if it’s boxing or just the whole world gone to sh*t. Too many announcements about announcements, click bait, social media, flimsy articles.

I lament the passing of Boxing Monthly.... Boxing News has good and poor issues and I think Matt Christie has done a decent job.... but always too much space on women’s boxing which is in its infancy and doesn’t deserve the coverage it gets. Soon they will reduce the men’s boxing divisions at the Olympics to make way for more women’s boxing. And everytime there’s women’s boxing we get told ‘what a great advert for women’s boxing’ and get repeatedly told how good the fighters are and how exciting the fights are when our eyes say something different.

Plus celebrity fights and 60 year old boxers getting hyped. Mayweather vs genuine boxing novices getting airtime and on PPV.

Few big fights being made and feeble ones are on PPV just cos they feature heavyweights.... a female fight.... and Campbell Hatton who should be on small hall shows.

Pro boxing is a joke now essentially.

[Fray Bentos]

I’m not sure if it’s boxing or just the whole world gone to sh*t. Too many announcements about announcements, click bait, social media, flimsy articles.

I lament the passing of Boxing Monthly.... Boxing News has good and poor issues and I think Matt Christie has done a decent job.... but always too much space on women’s boxing which is in its infancy and doesn’t deserve the coverage it gets. Soon they will reduce the men’s boxing divisions at the Olympics to make way for more women’s boxing. And everytime there’s women’s boxing we get told ‘what a great advert for women’s boxing’ and get repeatedly told how good the fighters are and how exciting the fights are when our eyes say something different.

Plus celebrity fights and 60 year old boxers getting hyped. Mayweather vs genuine boxing novices getting airtime and on PPV.

Few big fights being made and feeble ones are on PPV just cos they feature heavyweights.... a female fight.... and Campbell Hatton who should be on small hall shows.

Pro boxing is a joke now essentially.

That's the end of the sport... because that match up is going to make a lot of money and will gain a lot of viewers on the night...

[ironbeard]

When two of the top four topics on CS are FMJ v Paul and Holyfield v McBride, you need no more evidence of the state of the sport.

But...at least Taylor v Ramirez is mañana.

Oops...in eight days.

[maverick23]

When I was really into boxing circa 2005ish I thought the Sky shows were great, Saturday fight night was on every week, and Euro Sport had bits n bobs in the week, that was well enough for me

I think a lot of people look back really fondly on that era. I was also really in to it back then but, on the whole, I don’t think the quality of shows then was better than it is now. It has to be true though that there was simply a lot more boxing on. We had Sky doing weekly shows (and sometimes twice a week), Eurosport doing bits and bobs and BBC/ITV doing bits and bobs. I remember going crazy when Clinton Woods beat Rico Hoye for the world title. A fight like that nowadays would be on a PPV undercard.

If there was a bad show back then it wouldn’t stay long in the memory whilst we’ve got one show on Sky Sports this month and none from BT.

[Controversial]

Most things are now subscription based and we are now getting events that wouldn’t have been PPV being sold as some major event. Fighters are wanting title shots and not really having the careers the older fighters had which is spoiling things.

[mickey1975]

2005 I went to Hatton-Kostya, Khan debut, 2006 Calzaghe-Lacy, 07 JC-Kessler.... plus countless others. Not Buatsi being told he was the best thing since sliced bread.

[maverick23]

2005 I went to Hatton-Kostya, Khan debut, 2006 Calzaghe-Lacy, 07 JC-Kessler.... plus countless others. Not Buatsi being told he was the best thing since sliced bread.

Now we’ve got Mayweather vs Logan Paul on Sky Sports box office!