Is Boxing losing its relevance?

[Henrywrites]

The Francis vs. Tyson fight recently has made a couple of boxing fans begin to feel like the sports are not what it used to be again. They believe that a lot is going wrong and should be corrected. The decision to make Tyson the winner was one of it. What do you make of that?

 

[DrLeftover]

The question in the thread title makes the assertion that at one time, the sport of boxing WAS relevant to the wider world and life in general.

 

[Kyng]

I think it has been for a long time, TBH.

Back in the day, Muhammad Ali was one of the greatest names in not only boxing, but the entirety of sport (in 1999, he was voted BBC Sports Personality of the Century - ahead of Pelé, George Best, Donald Bradman, Jack Nicklaus, and Jesse Owens).

These days, there are of course still major stars in boxing who have become household names - but nobody who approaches his immense stature.

 

[DrLeftover]

I think it has been for a long time, TBH.

Back in the day, Muhammad Ali was one of the greatest names in not only boxing, but the entirety of sport (in 1999, he was voted BBC Sports Personality of the Century - ahead of Pelé, George Best, Donald Bradman, Jack Nicklaus, and Jesse Owens).

These days, there are of course still major stars in boxing who have become household names - but nobody who approaches his immense stature.

There's a bit of an issue with Ali.

Yes, he was a great boxer. As were those that tried to unseat him from his throne: Norton, Frazier, even Foreman.

And Ali was his own greatest promoter. Some of his sound bites still make you smile and shake your head. But they were effective.

But, there was one name and face and voice that really MADE Muhammad Ali what we think of as Muhammad Ali, and without him, Ali would have been 'just another boxing champion'.

And truthfully, without Ali, he would have just been 'another sports commentator'. It was a perfect symbiosis. Which we DO NOT HAVE today.