"The state of boxing" article

The following is a quote from an article, written to discuss "the state of boxing" and promote a fight. Read it, then guess the date.

Newspaper wrote:"Good fighters being scarce in this day and age and when boxing ... needs a couple of shots in the arm, it is pleasing to note that [insert name here] is finally to make an appearance...[insert description of upcoming fight and venue]...

In fact, for the general good of boxing there should be more [insert name] today...he always had the crowd in mind, for we know of repeated instances where he went out of his way to put on a good show. He had the right idea too, that the crowd was entitled to be pleased. Boxing could stand a lot of [insert name] today; then it wouldn't be in the state that it is in."

This article was written in 1940.

I have often thought that boxing isn't in quite as bad a state today as in the past - and that the greatest issue for boxing is the decline in media coverage, rather than weakness of the sport itself. That said, I believe that there are fewer fighters today than in the past and those fighters that there are fight less frequently.

Alternatively, are we, by nature, predisposed to gripe about the sport, when we should rather celebrate what we have available?

So questions to the floor...

1.) Does boxing need more newspaper coverage? If so; how does the sport gain newspaper coverage?
2.) Has every generation in history complained about the fighters around today? Will we be praiseing the talent of the 00s in 10 years time?
3.) Is the decline in interest of the sport terminal? If not, what does it need to regain some interest?

Alternatively, if you aren't stimulated by those questions - just have an "old v new" debate. We haven't done that before...

A number of quotes on this I've C&Ped from elsewhere:

“Boxing right now is dying with its superstar Muhammad Ali fighting competitors not worthy to try for his crown.”
Black Belt Magazine, 1976

“Legitimate professional wrestling has died. Boxing is dying. Swimming, tennis, golf, modern dance, and gymnastics are growing.”
James A Baley, 1974

Question: “Is boxing dying?”
Archie Moore (multiple title champion and ATG):
“Yes, it must be. They told me it was dying when I got into it as a professional in 1936. I think it started dying at about the dawn of history. So I guess it is still dying.“
Archie Moore, 1972

“And when the black man starts to excel in a particular sport the question starts floating around: “Is boxing dying?”
Eldridge Cleaver, 1969

“With the gradual dying of boxing as a national sport, judo seems the perfect replacement“
Black Belt Magazine, 1964

“The experts have been saying for years that boxing is dying because kids no longer are hungry, because boxing no longer is the way for a poor kid to get rich quick.”
LA Times, 1963

“Boxing is not dying”, said Jack Dempsey sadly, “it’s dead“. Even as the old champ spoke last week the corpse of a one lively sport was just barely twitching… Jack Dempsey was not the only old champ to grieve. Mickey Walker and Gene Tunney were equally mournful… “It’s gone, boxing. Today you show any style and they put you on TV. They’ll take anyone.” Neither Tunney nor Walker knew quite what to do with the corpse.”
Life Magazine, 1961

“Radio is not “causing the demise of big-time boxing“, John Ford, WTCN-Blue newscaster, told his audience in rebuttal to an attack on radio and boxing, published by Dick Cullum, sports editor of the Minneapolis Daily Times, 10 days ago.
Cullum had charged that because sponsors want their full time on the air in which to get in their commercials, fight broadcasts go without knockouts these days and become uninteresting dancing exhibitions.”
The Billboard, 1944

“The game of boxing is dying today because the boys do not know how to box. There is no one to teach them how and they won’t work anyway”.
LA Times, 1940

“Professional boxing is dying a natural death“
LA Times, 1913

“As it is, the school of boxing is rapidly dying out, and when the professors of the present day have passed away it will be hard to say where the new ones are to come from.”
Professor Ned Donelly, The art of boxing, 1879

Good article.

I think boxing is in a very healthy situation at the mo. We've had some great fights this year and there are plenty more to come. It's quite reassuring to know that the old 'things were better back in the day' arguement has been pedelled out for every generation.

Scottrf wrote:“With the gradual dying of boxing as a national sport, judo seems the perfect replacement“
Black Belt Magazine, 1964

Well that excellent list of quotes rather answered that article Scott. What shall we debate next?

I particularly love the above quote.

Judo is and has always been an amateur sport. So precisely how is it going to move into the space created by boxing? Furthermore, you require a certain level of knowledge to appreciate it. Furthermore, it is incredibly cruel - (I am biased) but I know of no other sport where a seconds slip in concentration ends your entire tournament. Yes - in boxing that slip might get you knocked down - but you can get back up again and you've 12 rounds to put things right. In judo 1 slip in concentration is the end of your event in internationals; and 2 slips the end of your day in any tournament.

make the big fights, simple. people who can either take or leave boxing would watch a the big fights but arent interested in a one sided battering. also its a male dominated sport, so greater coverage of womans boxing would bring in female fans (not that i'd be watching).

Thanks for the interesting article and points raised, Oxring, and also cheers to Scott for the quotes he's provided. While there's always been the odd naysayer in terms of boxing's health, I do think the idea that it's currently in its worst shape for a while does have plenty of truth in it, rather than it just being a repeated phenomenon.

Coverage is down, undisputed / unified champions are down and the number of truly 'big' fights is down - although in fairness 2011 has, so far, provided an improvement for the latter. We'll be here all week if we explore all the reasons why and all the possible things that could be done to rectify it, though, so I'll just put my thoughts as simply as I can; the sport needs to be made more accessible, and less complicated. There badly needs to be a reduction in championship belts available, and each sanctioning body needs to be a little more willing to rank champions from other bodies, so as to give the fans more undisputed champions.

I genuinely believe - like a lot of others do - that this would be a huge step towards getting boxing back in to the public eye seriously, and naturally this would lead to more coverage and interest, which has been lacking in recent times. Sadly, I have no idea how anyone could convince the money-grabbing barstewards who control the sport to make this happen. If you do, then let me know.

Accept certain inalienable truths, prices will rise, politicians will
philander, you too will get old, and when you do you’ll fantasize
that when you were young prices were reasonable, politicians were
noble and children respected their elders.

We look back at the past with nostalgia, we ten to remember the good points and forgot the bad.

People like to complain, especially about current events and judge them more harshly.

In reality this a very good era of boxing but it may take 30-40 years for the masses to realise it.

I agree with D4 people look back on things with nostalgia. Their are top quality fighters out there to make good matches and we have seen a few this year already.
The domestic scene is very strong at the moment and it would be great for the sport if ITV could get involved again. Boxing does have problems but so do most sports. More media coverage and fights on free to air TV would be helpful imo.

If having ageing stars at the top of the sport still makes it a very good era then past eras must have been magnificent

if ITV got onboard again it would be huge for boxing in the UK. the talent and the boxers are there its just the coverage thats needed. boxing is an unusual sport in the sense that you can have world class acts such as froch, cleverly, chisora, burns, degale who are completly unknown to non boxing fans, yet as them who audley harrison is and they will tell you. is the equivilent of people knowing who MK dons and dag & red are but not having heard of man u

Eddy it's strange but true my Mum knows who Audley is and Ricky Burns but we're Scottish and I've been to a few of his fights with my dad. But she has never heard of Froch, Cleverly, Chisora or DeGale. Casual fans don't see as much boxing which isn't good for the sport.
Do Sky sign contracts with promoters where they can't go to any other channel?

prettyboykev wrote:Do Sky sign contracts with promoters where they can't go to any other channel?

Yes, in the UK anyway. Hatton wasn't allowed to promote the Khan fight after it went to Primetime.

We are living in an age of great high quality competitive fights and people still complain.

I think when people look back at the past they have very selective memories, just remembering the good bits and gloss over the not so good.

I for one am enjoying boxing great talented boxers, fighting competitive exciting fight almost every week and with the age of the internet everybody can have access to them. Not just those to can go to the fight, and will have to make do with somebody telling you about it in the paper.

Scottrf wrote:

prettyboykev wrote:Do Sky sign contracts with promoters where they can't go to any other channel?

Yes, in the UK anyway. Hatton wasn't allowed to promote the Khan fight after it went to Primetime.

I don't think that's good for boxing. IMO it would benefit Sky if their was boxing on free to air TV. It would generate more interest in the sport and Sky have more money so would still get their pick of the biggest fights.