Pure boxing may have died out, due to a mix of corruption, fragmentation, greed and cronyism (by fighters and promoters), boring fights, etc. The big title fights became more about securing the bag, and positioning for the next one, rather than about fighting. Promoters colluded with commissions to their own benefit, rather than the benefit of the sport.
But fighting never went away, and has never been more popular. It lives on in UFC, ONE, Bellator etc. Monthly UFC PPV events draw 300,000 to 2 million viewers, despite the vastly increased number of options for our attention.
My town of 28,000 has at least three BJJ/ MMA gyms, and has produced at least three professional MMA fighters in the last five years.
No matter what you think of him, is there a bigger individual draw, in any sport, right now, than McGregor? He was the highest paid athlete in his prime, and still the biggest fighting star of the decade.
His return fight against Chandler sold out immediately, and even the cheapest seats topped $1,000 before the fight was cancelled.
Boxing may have died out, but it’s not due to any lack of desire for watching fights. MMA fighters fight, and are incentivized to do so.
Pro boxing has devolved into some unholy mishmash of showmanship and greed, without the substance underneath to compel viewers to watch. It might be saved by a Dana White type figure, who unifies the splintered world under one dominant umbrella. But I doubt it. MMA is just so much more compelling to the average fan.
