BoxRec

I know it's true to say most countries have experienced a dip in boxing coverage in the last decade or so, and also that Australian boxing has always been a fairly distant cousin to American, European and Asian, but I wondered if there was ever a time when Aussie boxing was a truly major sport. In Britiain, it was second only to soccer at one time, but now it's behind cricket, rugby, tennis and probably F1 too. In Aus, I know it ranks even lower than that. But what were "the good old days" like, if indeed there ever were any?

I'll take that as a no, then!

It was huge in the early 1900's, I think during the 70s- 80's it was also fairly big .

It was pretty big in the mid 80's with Lester Ellis and Fenech. A lot of their fights were televised live free to air as were Tyson's fights both before and after winning the title

The late 60's to the mid 70's were also huge with Channel 7 televising live fights from Festival hall here in Melbourne and also from the tv studio. The channel 7 honcho at the time was head of the boxing control board). Apparently 100,000 turned up for a parade to welcome home Lionel Rose after winning the bantam title in the late 60's. That goes to show how boxing as a sport was viewed in those days

Besides a few surges and slumps in popularity boxing has overall been on the decline in each successive decade for about 40 years now. Coincidentally (not) about 40 years ago is when the 'one title and therefore one champ per weight class' started to change

I can go back to the days of TV Ringside. Boxing on network TV. It was Huge.
Hector Thompson, Mundine,Fammo, Rose, Connolly, Australian titles Then Commonwealth titles (packing out stadiums) and then the occasional world title.
Yes Oliver Boxing was big. Not only TV ringside but great fights almost every week. That meant something.
Did I metion Leo young, Mattioli, Ferrari .

gee grant i think some of those blokes u mentioned were over rated, you never mentioned the great kahu mahanga

BERNARD BRIGGS. wrote:gee grant i think some of those blokes u mentioned were over rated, you never mentioned the great kahu mahanga

Bernard, we only try to pass off people from overseas as aussies when they win a title

Grant wrote:

BERNARD BRIGGS. wrote:gee grant i think some of those blokes u mentioned were over rated, you never mentioned the great kahu mahanga

Bernard, we only try to pass off people from overseas as aussies when they win a title

Funnily enough, both Ellis and Barry were born in England

And then there's "Aussie Joe" :P

mate yes before tv it was a major attraction..

and when sydney staidum was still around still it was massive

billybob29 wrote:mate yes before tv it was a major attraction..

and when sydney staidum was still around still it was massive

I will never forgive Robin Askin and his band of thieves for pulling the old tin shed down for a Railway that over 30 years later still has not made a profit.

bollox wrote:

Grant wrote:

BERNARD BRIGGS. wrote:gee grant i think some of those blokes u mentioned were over rated, you never mentioned the great kahu mahanga

Bernard, we only try to pass off people from overseas as aussies when they win a title

Funnily enough, both Ellis and Barry were born in England

True, but I think they came here as children. Kahu Mahanga always lived in new Zealand.

Boxing was always a major sport from the 1900s till the mid 1950s in both participation and spectacting. The big peak was after the Great depression of 1929, where that old catch cry "hungry fighters make the best fighters" came true.

Another peak era was in the late 1960s to early 1970s, where TV Ringside on the 7 Network revised the sport and then the 3 other channels jumped on the bandwagon. Sadly the sport went into decline as it became over-exposed due to the same old faces cropping up all the time on the TV.

TV is a glutton for sports and will quickly milk a sport to achieve ratings.

It does not help when Fox Sports does not show one of the boxing programs tomprrow night, but one of their channels has a "Tennis Exhibition" on.

Not a tournament, but an "exhibition." Probably that shit between
Federer and Sampras, two of the more boring people in sport.

Brute wrote:It does not help when Fox Sports does not show one of the boxing programs tomprrow night, but one of their channels has a "Tennis Exhibition" on.

Not a tournament, but an "exhibition." Probably that shit between
Federer and Sampras, two of the more boring people in sport.

That is definitely a problem for the sweet science in Aus.