A lot of water has gone under the bridge since Muhammad Ali shook the world to its boots when knocking George Foreman out in 8 in Kinshasa, Zaire (now the Democratic Republic of Congo). But nothing in all those years has come close to surpassing what is overwhelmingly recognised as the finest, most iconic night in the history of boxing. That is some feat and one that has been fittingly remembered across all media outlets this past week.
That was 10 years before my birth and like most fans from my generation; I look back through envious eyes at an era that shaped the world of boxing, creating legends that would last for an age. Ali, Foreman, Frazier, Holmes, Leonard, Duran, Hagler, Hearns, to name but a few, the list goes on and on, you pick your own favourites. It was those years that spanned the mid-60’s to mid-80’s, which I am consistently told by my elders, when boxing was great. A golden age the like of which we are never likely to see again.
A general trait of human behavior is to look longingly to the past and covet the good days gone by. Boxing is absolutely no different in that regard. A person will have their favourites fighters who they have supported and followed through their journey making such an investment of time and spirit that it is impossible to consider that they might be surpassed.
But, is it factual that boxing peaked during this period? Did the sport plateau between the bookends of Muhammad Ali and Sugar Ray Leonard?
The answer is of course no, the achievements of Roy Jones Jnr, Floyd Mayweather Jnr and Manny Pacquiao alone over the last 20 years destroys that notion immediately. That’s not to say that any of those fighters should be considered alongside the greats of the past, that’s a matter of opinion. However, what is clear to me is that boxing is very much in a buoyant state and maybe it is the way we receive it that makes the new age achievements feel less significant.
Watching boxing in the main has become a luxury for the common man. The airwaves are awash with more fights than ever, but every platform in the UK, barring one terrestrial channel, is paid viewing and a luxury that the masses in this day and age find it difficult to justify. Although this would appear to have little impact on the affluence of the sport, it certainly has had an impact on the emotional investment in its fighters from the casual sports fan.
This has not gone unnoticed to Golden Boy, who intends to have Canelo Alvarez fighting outside the constraints of pay-per view in the near future. A step in the right direction, albeit one that will more likely act as a catching net to increase future PPV sales. My cynical tendencies aside, I applaud them for such a bold step and hope it catches on. Because, until fighters are thrust back into the living rooms of the every man we will continue to see the champions crowned, but the hero’s will remain in the distant past.
My solution, make every undercard on every major fight night available ‘free to air’, with the main event and ‘competitive’ chief support fights purchasable via subscription or a realistic PPV price, the emphasis on the term realistic. Let’s get the public investing in the journeys of young hungry fighters, rather than their first viewing being that of a world title tilt.
This is of course blue-sky thinking and the horse has already bolted and I am not complaining, I enjoy boxing as much as I ever did. But, again I am only 30 years old and I wasn’t around when boxing was ‘great’, I can’t refute that. But I maintain that the lifeblood of the sport has not changed, the people who make it great are still very much present. The fighters and trainers have not changed; they’re equally charismatic and committed, pouring their heart and soul into their craft. It’s just a little harder for the casual supporter to find, which is why they have stopped looking.
As I said before, I don’t expect this to change. The fighters make good money, which is great and there is more boxing on television than ever, which is even better for the fortunate. However, in 40 years time on the advent of the 80th anniversary of the ‘Rumble in the Jungle’, when I will be talking about the great fights of my era, I don’t think the general public will be joining me, sadly.