US boxing

What is happening? Outside of Floyd, Ward and Broner who else is there?

No Olympic medalists (except for that exceptional female boxer who took gold). Is it that their amateurs are training for the pro game and ignoring the amateur style of scoring by numbers? It is a shame because boxing needs a US superstar to give the sport a shot in the arm it needs. No one can sell a fight like they can. Forget the eastern euros. Their style is boring and doesn't do anything for me.

Who will be the next US breakout star?

Dawson, Alexander, Bradley, Garcia, malignaggi, berto, Ortiz, Guerrero etc.

Wilder is arguably being lined up to be (i.e. they'll hype a new african-american world HW champ beyond belief) but he won't actually be a star in the sense of the three you've mentioned who're head and shoulders ahead of everyone else out there.

Don't think Kirkland will go on to any great shakes. Danny Garcia just doesn't look top draw at all to me and I think BamBam could get exposed.

Other than that it's just Bradley but he's dull as dishwater, take a lot of polish to make that star shine.

Rios got totally exposed by Abril, that fight was an absolute roberry, it annoys me just thinking about it.

I re-watched the entire fight yesterday and I can't see how you can give Rios more than 3 rounds, even if you were gifting him the less one sided ones!

The heavy division looks to be stepping out of its slump but only slightly as the quality of the up and comers isnt great but they will be competitive against each other. The eastern europeans will move into the flashier styles - its only fairly recently that theyve come into power in the game and as their participation increases so will the quality and variety flower as fighters will adapt to get ahead. As for the americans - weve got serious hard times ahead and they will when unable to pick up other sports drift into boxing.

Imperial Ghosty wrote:Dawson, Alexander, Bradley, Garcia, malignaggi, berto, Ortiz, Guerrero etc.

Yeah. That is the problem.

ShahenshahG wrote:The heavy division looks to be stepping out of its slump but only slightly as the quality of the up and comers isnt great but they will be competitive against each other. The eastern europeans will move into the flashier styles - its only fairly recently that theyve come into power in the game and as their participation increases so will the quality and variety flower as fighters will adapt to get ahead. As for the americans - weve got serious hard times ahead and they will when unable to pick up other sports drift into boxing.

It isn't about having a flashy style. Its about being good and being able to stand out from the crowd. Broner tries hard but to me he is too contrived and I simply hope he gets knocked out to next week. Can't tolerate the gimp.

Look back a few years. We had Holmes, Spinks, Hagler, SRL/Hearns, Pryor all active at the same time. All American and all relatively known.

Now we have K2, errrr who else?

If ever there is a thread to coax that gobby yank Trussman its this one...

I half mentioned it in a recent post on the Froch thread,

For me, an outsider looking in, the dwindling number of 'stand out' American fighters is purely down to the decrease in actual interest in boxing as a sport (in terms of media coverage).

As a sport in America I believe that Boxing has regressed by quite some distance in terms of the want/need for it.

Other sports are far more financially lucrative right now and those kids which 30 years ago saw boxing as a way out of poverty and into the riches can now turn to sports such as Basketball, American Football, Baseball.

These big three whilst they have always been popular provide riches which are way above anything in boxing unless you reach the very pinnacle. Even then what you earn in baseball etc is a guaranteed salary....in boxing what you earn is a % of whatever is left after paying off the sharks which surround you.

Financially the 'smaller names' i.e. those fringe players of Basketball, Baseball, Football will make a much higher amount than the boxing equivalent..

Whilst the likes of Mayweather $30+ m & Cotto $8+ m can command high numbers for each fight the likes of even fairly big names like Malignaggi will struggle to hit the $1m dollar mark.

That number is much much smaller for those prospects who are just starting out, for those who have all the talent in the world of course those Mayweather numbers will be their if they make it. However it is long road getting their and the earnings until then are peanuts in comparison to what you could get being a 'Rookie' in other sports.

As a sport in general Boxing is losing face, both with the media & it's 'fans'.... if it is struggling to gain any interest from just a casual viewer then naturally it is going to be left with a void in terms of bringing through the next great batch of talent.

Until it puts itself back into a positive light etc then those youngsters with all the natural athletic talent in the world are always going to continue choosing NFL, NBA and now even MMA over it.

I mean the chances of boxers making the kind of money that Mayweather etc do are extremely small. Most of those who make it to the top will earn between $1m & $5m per fight...if their lucky and they still have to pay other costs with those earnings.

Then you look at something like the NFL: here are the stats for the 2012 Mock draft pick with salaries attached...very interesting!!

1. Indianapolis Colts: Andrew Luck, QB, Stanford University

Contract prediction: four years, fully guaranteed, $25 million, $15 million signing bonus

2. Washington Redskins (from St. Louis Rams): Robert Griffin III, QB, Baylor University

Contract prediction: four years, fully guaranteed, $23.85 million, $14.15 million signing bonus

3. Minnesota Vikings: Matt Kalil, LT, University of Southern California

Contract prediction: four years, fully guaranteed, $23.15 million, $13.8 million signing bonus

4. Cleveland Browns: Morris Claiborne, CB, Louisiana State University

Contract prediction: four years, fully guaranteed, $22.33 million, $13.25 million signing bonus


Even those who get picked late on in drafts & may eventually not even make it are set to make a fair fortune:

29. Baltimore Ravens: Jamell Fleming, CB, University of Oklahoma

Contract prediction: four years, $8 million, $3.73 million signing bonus

30. San Francisco 49ers: Michael Brockers, DL, Louisiana State University

Contract prediction: four years, $7.79 million, $3.59 million signing bonus

31. New England Patriots: Devon Still, DE, Penn State University

Contract prediction: four years, $7.6 million, $3.45 million signing bonus

32. New York Giants: Kelechi Osemele, OL, Iowa State University

Contract prediction: four years, $7.5 million, 3.38 million signing bonus


They are considerable sums of money and certainly much more appealing than those offered in boxing. It is the same story across the other mass american sports of Baseball, Basketball & Ice Hockey.

Then factor in college schemes which are paid for by clubs & sports grants etc offered and it is little reason why many now choose any sport other than boxing.

I was thinking this myself over the Olympics. The quality seems to have dropped right off. Look at the heavyweight division. Not one good American boxer in it. The division is hopeless. According to Lennox Lewis alot of promosing athletes are now turning to basketball and american football instead of boxing which is why america is really suffering. Maybe the Americans have stopped prioritising boxing because they think its on the way out?

The problem is that most boxers these days seem happy to do their fighting on Twitter than on the ring. If someone like Guerrero (picking his name out of a hat) fought even half the guys he 'calls out', he'd be a damn sight more respected. Boxers seem to claim victories when an opponent can be seen to have ducked them, rather than just fighting them.