Comments Thread For: The Panel: Where is boxing heading in the next five years?

[BoxingUpdates]

In this latest installment of the five-part series, the question is: Who is the best fighter in the world right now and why??
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[SteelFist01]

Good article, and great question! From this fan's perspective, I think that if the sport is going to grow and thrive, the focus needs to be on the fights and the fighters themselves, and like someone mentioned, less talking on social media and more action in the ring. And while I'm not a fan of Jake Paul and the circus type atmosphere that he and other 'influencer' fights, I am also not naive and I understand that a lot of people do want to see those fights. So maybe the promoters can continue to work together and produce cards that have the more recognizable names to the casual fans and general public, like Jake Paul, while showcasing more established fighters on the undercards, that would satisfy both the casuals and the diehard fans, with the hopes and intentions of getting more exposure for the 'legit' fighters in the process.


Another thing that would help the sport is the production value of the card. Let's just say that ESPN 's production leaves a lot to be desired. In between the fights, the commentators were discussing the action, but also some upcoming fights, both on their network, but also the big fights in general, and were also interviewing some fighters. The problem is that they didn't show the people in question; the broadcast was just showing a bird's eye view of the ring. Truly amateur hour. I think that HBO Boxing did it best. Not only with some of the best matches to be made, but also the build up to the fights with the 24/7 series. It was the combination of the fights and the stories behind them that hooked me as a young fan. And while to hardcore fans the action in the ring is what's important, I think that having the approach that HBO had was crucial in developing a passion for boxing to casual fans. It definitely worked with me.

What I think would be ideal for the sport, would be to have one organization with one champion per weight class, and maybe even go back to the original 8 weight classes. That would be a much easier 'sell' to casual fans by knowing who is the champion of a specific weight class, not much different than how the UFC operates. But, unlike the UFC, there could be tiers for the fighter's purses where the top dogs are still getting paid handsomely for their market value. But, like I said, I'm not naive, and the alphabet organizations will never agree to something like that, nor would a lot of the top fighters that are already making money, hand over fist. But, to me having a system like that in place would make it easier to follow the sport, and it could ensure that fans are seeing the best fighters fight each other regularly, which in theory would eliminate ducking, or 'marinating' fights for too long. And on top of all that, the fighters would have full medical insurance for life, and a good retirement plan as well. Right now that seems like a pure fantasy, haha, but I think that would be great.

Sorry for the long winded comment, haha. I just think that when done 'right', there's no better sport on earth that's better than boxing. And while it may never enjoy the prestige and success that it had in the 'golden' eras of the 70s and 80s, it could be in a better place than it is now, catering to both the casual fans and general public, and the hardcore fans alike.

[elfag]

Well a lot of the last guys who were supposed to be "stars" are nearing 30 and havent fought each other


shakur stevenson is 28

tank davis is 30


they had almost 10 ***ing years of being at the same division and rivals and wont fight each other.


imagine if trinidad and DLH just sat round talking **** for 10 years and never fought.


They used to not be afraid to fight



Some guys have basically aged out without ever really taking much risk or having a big career defining fight. The charlo brothers, Andrande, they literally fought nobody until their mid 30s then took a single cash out fight.

This type of boxing career strategy is becoming more common