Is Mayweather starting to realize that popularity is moving to MMA? What does it mean for boxing?

[r0b0d0c]

IMO, the main problem with boxing: too many orgs, too many weight divisions (except at the heavy end), and too many "champions".

Seriously, at any given time, there can theoretically be 68 different "world champions" across 17 weight divisions in the 4 major sanctioning bodies. Often, the top 10 in one org doesn't overlap with the top 10 in another org. It's hard for people to get worked up over a championship fight when there are 3 other champs in the same weight division.

 

[ocfightfan]

He's pioneering entirely new ways to milk gullible combat sports fans.

 

[FootstompShonie]

IMO, the main problem with boxing: too many orgs, too many weight divisions (except at the heavy end), and too many "champions".

Seriously, at any given time, there can theoretically be 68 different "world champions" across 17 weight divisions in the 4 major sanctioning bodies. Often, the top 10 in one org doesn't overlap with the top 10 in another org. It's hard for people to get worked up over a championship fight when there are 3 other champs in the same weight division.

Yeah people like things to be uniform when it comes to sports. They want a singular champion not all these champions in a million weight classes with different belts.

I still think that's a major reason soccer hasn't got on in the US. The best players are all spread out over different leagues.

 

[LouisBolanos]

Do I really need to go through the long list of so-called "A level" athletes that got squashed in MMA? Intelligence is the most important factor, not athleticism. Just ask Tim -- half of it is 90% mental.

There hasn't been a single A level athlete who went into MMA in his prime and got squashed.

If intelligence could win you fist fights humans wouldn't get mauled to death by 160 lbs chimps.

 

[Chramelated]

@LouisBolanos straight bodying ppl itt. Well done son.

 

[FrankieNYC]

Boxing is not losing an audience to MMA
MMA is building their audience from a much younger demo.
Boxing is older demo's & as they die off or lose interest the mass number of fans lower.
Very few stop watching Boxing for MMA

 

[Queen B]

I don't mean the paydays I more mean the overall profit for promoters/organizations as well as public perception, in fact I think the ludicrous paydays of boxing is what is killing the sport in part. When you LOSE money on a card that sells a decently respectable 400,000 buys there's something wrong. The UFC doesn't lose money even if MM headlines.

I guess I should have switched out "money" for "popularity" in my title and it would have been more apt so I'll change it.

Really?

Last Saturday's boxing card averaged around 400k viewers on TV

Here is the payout compared to UFC

 

[CostumedExtrmst]

MMA will never have the tradition or lore of boxing. Never. Too many of these threads about boxing are so heavily laden with MMA fan insecurity and hatred, that they can't even be taken seriously. Boxing will be here and globally popular for-fucking-ever.

 

[HI SCOTT NEWMAN]

He has done all he can in boxing, made huge money and fought basically everyone. never be beaten. time to move on and have a fresh change, thats all it is

 

[FrankieNYC]

Really?

Last Saturday's boxing card averaged around 400k viewers on TV

Here is the payout compared to UFC

Those paydays are the AC reports for UFC & as anybody should know in 2016, they are far from the pay UFC fighters get

 

[John Wick]

Canelo made 15 million
Amir Khan made 12 million.

Not bad for two guys struggling to sell PPVs (according to TS)

 

[bd5919]

It won't be after this fight.

 

[Queen B]

Those paydays are the AC reports for UFC & as anybody should know in 2016, they are far from the pay UFC fighters get

Same goes for boxing.

They said Canelo only made $2.5 million

 

[LongTermLurker]

In my mind the future of boxing is directly correlated with the future of MMA.

It isn't. Different people watch boxing and mma. Look at the crowd at a boxing match vs. an mma crowd.

Each sport has its lane and potential issues.

 

[Mr Wings]

Seeing as how he wants to promote MMA, as well as promoting boxing I assume, he can benefit from whichever sport/fighter is popular.

Ask the boxing forum what this means for boxing. Just kidding. I imagine boxing will wax and wane in popularity, just as MMA does.

 

[FrankieNYC]

Same goes for boxing.

They said Canelo only made $2.5 million

I don't know why we still see these post & threads daily.
I understood 5+ years ago, but holy shit it is 2016 & the info is out there.
If you are a big enough MMA fan to join a board, no excuse for not knowing those figures are not the real numbers.

I get the casuals on Twitter being confused, but ...........

 

[noc]

MMA will never have the tradition or lore of boxing. Never. Too many of these threads about boxing are so heavily laden with MMA fan insecurity and hatred, that they can't even be taken seriously. Boxing will be here and globally popular for-fucking-ever.

OK Nostradamus

 

[cakemuncher]

I think most people think MMA is too brutal cuz they see a lot of blood coming from the superficial cuts.

It's easier for them to watch boxing cuz they can't really see all the dead brain cells.

 

[r0b0d0c]

Yeah people like things to be uniform when it comes to sports. They want a singular champion not all these champions in a million weight classes with different belts.

I still think that's a major reason soccer hasn't got on in the US. The best players are all spread out over different leagues.

That's a good point about soccer. But soccer will never catch on in the US because it's not TV (i.e., advertiser) friendly. Every major American sport has stoppages for commercials. If you can't sell commercials, it won't be on TV.

 

[12ga.]

Be cool if Mayweather started his own.

Mayweather is switching his attention to MMA because he knows all it takes to be an MMA champion is an A level athlete with 6 months training. It's easy money just like the Conor fight. All you gotta do is find someone in the NFL and ask him hey do you have a beta, less athletic bro in your family who can't make it in the NFL? You mind I train him in MMA?

1 year later BOOM, Jon Jones V2.0

Where are the A list HW boxers? Some russian/ukranian who couldnt even sell PPVs and had to move the Germany to sell out his fights? Its just fighting in general that if you have real chops you're going into real sport because getting hit in the face just doesn't appeal to most people. I dont think Lennox Lewis. Mike Tyson, Ali, or Holy-field could have played in NFL either.

The lighter weights do have real athletes because they cant do anything else but maybe soccer.