Tris, I have question about boxing’s popularity in the UK versus its “niche sport” status here in the US.
I’ve seen boxing’s popularity steadily decline here since the late 80’s & 90’s for a multitude of reasons. However, in the UK boxing is booming and thriving. To what do you attribute boxing’s success & popularity in the UK? Do you feel it’s cultural or is it something that the US market can learn from?
David Gomez
Don’t let anyone tell you it’s not a niche sport here, or that it’s not treated like one. Let me provide some context.
Twenty years ago British title fights would appear in every newspaper. Now, I’d be surprised if Dalton Smith bouts get a mention. Now, newspapers don’t have a dedicated boxing guy.
At small hall level, Steve Goodwin has quit trying to make it work and Johnny Clark is giving it to the end of the year before jacking it in if things don’t work.
At Team GB level, in the amateurs, the heavy days of Beijing and London are in the past and we’ve declined ever since.
What’s mad about this all is boxing still does massive numbers and has a huge casual audience.
TalkSPORT, the big radio broadcaster, has turned boxing into its second sport - behind football/soccer - and I heard cable channel TNT Sports, formerly BT Sport, wanted to do the same but they lost their bid, whatever they were going for. I’m not sure if it was Zuffa or Misfits but they were in for something a year or so ago.
But when Eddie Hearn came in and started to sign fighters at the start, you could see the quality of fighters in or near the top…. Kell Brook, Tony Bellew, Darren Barker, Carl Froch, Carl Frampton, Scott Quigg…. That’s before you pack in the 2012 Olympians. If a promoter came in now, I’m not sure you’ve got anything like such strength as an equivalent.
Also, as the former editor of Boxing News, while reading habits have – of course – changed, the drop off after the Hatton and Calzaghe era was steep and even Haye, Froch and Khan issues never reached the same heights.
Tris who do you think is the most poorly promoted and undervalued fighter in the sport at the moment? Writing a bit about Bautsi currently, occurred to me he’s 33 and his career so far just feels so underwhelming - anyone at the moment who’s a nearly guy in that vein and how would you maximise the rest of their career from here on out?
Danny, In-Boxing
Ouch, this is a hard one and tough to answer without throwing someone under a bus.
