Joe Calzaghe Thinks Boxing Is in Trouble
by Andy R on Dec 10, 2008 5:28 PM EST
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Added to front page by Brent Brookhouse. Despite that I think he is wrong that boxing is dying (dying sports don't get 1.25 million ppv buys at $55 a pop), Calzaghe is right that there are things that desperately need addressing to get boxing as a whole back to good health:
From espn.com:
"I think boxing is a dying sport. Globally -- in America for instance -- you've got UFC, which has taken a lot off boxing, business-wise," Calzaghe said, referring to the mixed martial arts Ultimate Fighting Championship.
Calzaghe also gave his thoughts on why boxing is in trouble:
"There is too much politics in boxing, too many belts and too many champions, which dilutes real champions like myself," he said. "There are four world champions in each division and it's bad because there are no stars any more. It's a big problem."
"America only had one medalist in the Olympics this year," Calzaghe said. "In Britain, we did pretty good, but I'm glad I'm ending my career and not starting it because I don't think it's going to be that great in the future."
Calzaghe doesn't say anything ground breaking, but he does address a couple of interesting points. First, I think it's obvious boxing is feeling the heat from MMA, especially in North America. The UFC puts on a profitable pay-per-view every month. Further, the UFC hasn't seen a drop of in popularity in the over three years since The Ultimate Fighter first aired. This suggests MMA is more than just a passing fad.
Second, he's right about the lack of Olympic success hurting American boxing. America loves champions. One bronze medal simply doesn't cut it. Oscar De La Hoya and Roy Jones Jr. were Olympic stars before becoming big name professionals. A lack of Olympic success hurts boxing in America as sport.
Finally, it's striking how much everything Calzaghe said sounded like it came from Dana White. White has long pushed the idea that boxing is the sport of previous generations. Mixed martial arts is the combat sport of the future. The UFC has done everything in its power to maintain its independence as a brand and keep from descending into the political mess that plagues boxing. Zuffa has been able to create a mixed martial arts hegemon which can compete with boxing for air time, fans, and most importantly, money. Boxers are beginning to take notice.
The FanPosts are solely the subjective opinions of Bloody Elbow readers and do not necessarily reflect the views of Bloody Elbow editors or staff.
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His points are right...
except for the “boxing is dying” thing.
Contributing Editor - BloodyElbow.com - SBNation's mixed martial arts headquarters.
by Brent Brookhouse on Dec 10, 2008 5:37 PM EST up reply actions
I don’t understand why you can’t get over the fact that “dying” doesn’t mean “dead.” Compare boxing with it 20 or even 10 years ago. Would that not be the definition of “dying?”
oh...it's hurting...
but dying implies an impending death…which I don’t buy.
I know I’ve been defending boxing pretty hardcore lately. But the truth is after every successful boxing event (box office wise as obviously this wasn’t a competitive success) the MMA community goes ultra defensive about “BOXING IS DYING!” like we’re afraid that somehow a boxing success is an MMA danger.
Contributing Editor - BloodyElbow.com - SBNation's mixed martial arts headquarters.
by Brent Brookhouse on Dec 10, 2008 5:53 PM EST up reply actions
For the record...
I didn’t mean to imply I personally feel boxing is dying. Like you said, any sport which gets over one million pay-per-view buys isn’t about to go belly up. I thought given his comments the title was appropriate, but I should have been more clear on my own personal views. Thanks for the edit and the front :)
Why doesnt anyone in boxing listen?
If the stars of your sport(boxing) continue to talk about the death of this sport, and,
calzaghe isnt the first to do so, why does it seem no-one is doing anything about it?
money...
there is still money to be made by doing things the same way. Fixing the sport likely means less money going directly into the pockets of the promoters. I’m not saying less money overall…just less money for the greedy bastards on top.
Contributing Editor - BloodyElbow.com - SBNation's mixed martial arts headquarters.
by Brent Brookhouse on Dec 10, 2008 5:49 PM EST up reply actions
What can you do to save boxing?
The boxing industry is too fragmented to change.
The sport itself is so one dimensional that its kinda boring to watch compared to K-1 or UFC events.
Weak product, weak producers. Not a recipe for success.
eh...
I find K-1 to be extremely boring compared to boxing. So it’s more of a “to each his own” on that point.
Contributing Editor - BloodyElbow.com - SBNation's mixed martial arts headquarters.
by Brent Brookhouse on Dec 10, 2008 5:51 PM EST up reply actions
Same here, though I don’t really care that much for either.
Bolts from the Blue // People who have time on their hands will inevitably waste the time of people who have work to do.
by Richard Wade on Dec 10, 2008 6:04 PM EST up reply actions
Globally it will never die
because in a lot of countries, its bigger than MMA ever will be.
I am worried about its future in America though, as it may lose a lot of big names in the next few years (De La Hoya, Mayweather, Mosley, etc)
boxing needs to change it’s ppv format and instead of being so top heavy, it needs to have 4 or 5 good fights per ppv like mma. boxing fans are used to paying $50 plus for just 1 fight, but are getting tired of it. i know this b/c i am a converted boxing to mma fan and iv’e talked to several other fans who all say the same thing-I STILL LIKE BOXING, BUT…….
I’m actually in the opposite boat from you. I was a hardcore mma fan first, and have recently been getting more into boxing as a result. There was a thread earlier which featured a lengthy discussion of the lack of quality of boxing undercards. One of the nice things about mma is when I buy an event or watch it on tv there are usually 3-4 fights which are really good, and most of the matches are relevant in some way. I don’t know too much about boxing, but it seemed to me there wasn’t much on the De La Hoya-Pacquiao card except the main event. It’s harder to justify dropping a big chunk of change for just one fight.
Considering how the sports press generally reviled just about everything about Olympic Boxing in 2008, I don’t see it as ever being a major springboard to stardom in America ever again unless some dramatic changes take place.
Well..
and I don’t want to sound like a mega-boxing expert or anything because I’m not. But if I can’t follow the rules of Olympic boxing…and Scott Christ of badlefthook has no clue what is going on…then it isn’t really “boxing” as boxing fans know it.
Olympic boxing is confusing, boring and just generally crappy…
Contributing Editor - BloodyElbow.com - SBNation's mixed martial arts headquarters.
by Brent Brookhouse on Dec 10, 2008 6:57 PM EST up reply actions
boxing in the Olympics is ridiculous
I genuinely don’t understand it at all and I remember someone asked ESPN’s Dan Rafael how the scoring in Olympic boxing works. His response? “No one really knows.” He was 100% serious.
"Yesterday I was lying, today I am telling the truth." -- Bob Arum
by Scott Christ on Dec 11, 2008 11:37 PM EST up reply actions
The comedy of Calzaghe bitching about the very things he did (and that ultimately contributed to his PPV with Roy Jones Jr. being an abject failure) is amazing.
They really...
…had no business promoting that show themselves…that was a train wreck from start to finish.
Contributing Editor - BloodyElbow.com - SBNation's mixed martial arts headquarters.
by Brent Brookhouse on Dec 10, 2008 6:58 PM EST up reply actions
Forget the show or promotion thereof. Calzaghe’s career is a collosal question mark. Maybe if he spent less time fighting in Cardiff against Miguel Angel Jimenez instead of beating any of the other title holders it would be a different story now. Calzaghe has the worst ratings of any HBO World Championship Boxing broadcast ever, and frankly its tough to argue that he didn’t deserve it.
The jones/calzaghe fight...
should have happened YEARS ago…
Contributing Editor - BloodyElbow.com - SBNation's mixed martial arts headquarters.
by Brent Brookhouse on Dec 11, 2008 12:28 AM EST up reply actions
when it would have been competitive...
Contributing Editor - BloodyElbow.com - SBNation's mixed martial arts headquarters.
by Brent Brookhouse on Dec 11, 2008 12:28 AM EST up reply actions
On an interesting side note joe’s stablemate enzo macarinelli ,the former wbo cruserweight champion has had discussions with dana white about starting an mma career,enzo has basic ground skills and would probalbly need extensive training,but just the mere thought that he is considering it explains joe’s perception that boxing is “nose diving”.
In the last couple of years the ufc has gained huge popularity in the u.k,personally i’ve been following it for 8-9 years,it receives quite a bit of mainstream media attention now and is definately following the u.s in terms of noteriety.
Enzo could be looking for traction when he tries to renegotiate a contract with Warren too. Not that Warren wouldn’t be fair or anything behind the table. Nor is it well known that Warren is known to have people search his name on the internet and throw out legal threats when they say things that aren’t complimentary. Unless someone is gonna offer him 6 figures, I can’t imagine Enzo leaving. He’s got a cake deal right now being one of the guys that’s adding to the ruination of boxing.
Also...
Enzo is a natural cruiserweight…and there is no money in the cruiserweight division so he is having to move to other divisions. Fighting at 200 or 205 in MMA is a lot better ticket for success than fighting at 200 in boxing.
Contributing Editor - BloodyElbow.com - SBNation's mixed martial arts headquarters.
by Brent Brookhouse on Dec 10, 2008 6:59 PM EST up reply actions
Fighting at 205 with no real MMA training for a 28 year old guy and he won’t make any more money doing than than if he just stayed in boxing and fought Bobby Gunn and Matthew Ellis for worthless baubles. Only way that’s different is if someone like Dana wants to spend a ton of money on him right away. Can’t see that happening, honestly.
I think something that gets ignored is how the strength of the boxing business in North America, for many years, was tied to the strength of the heavyweight division and – maybe most importantly – to a dominant American heavyweight. Ali, Foreman, Tyson; North American audiences seem to get more into boxing when there’s a big, hometown boy who can knock the other guy into next week.
That’s not to say that guys like Oscar don’t have power; they do. There just seems to be a strange correlation between boxing interest in NA generally and the presence of a healthy and/or dominant American heavyweight. And right now, the heavyweight division in boxing is hideous, and what big names there are, are not often American.
"I'm AJB and I endorse this nut-puncher."
In a recent interview on ESPN.COM....
Dana quoted Lorenzo Fertita as saying “Boxing is like Horse Racing, there’s 1 good race every year that everyone watches” I think this is a great analogy. It’s a good listen, check it out here
I don’t have anything real profound to say on this, but I don’t think boxing will ever “die”, and it can be fixed. It’s just that everyone, I mean EVERYONE involved in the sport is so greedy! And whatever happened to good boxing matches on regular network T.V., like back in the 70’s and 80’s? I don’t even know any of the boxers names anymore…
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