Up until about 20 years ago, boxing was the undisputed king of “combat” sports in the U.S.
However, with the rise of mixed martial arts (MMA), questionable management by governing bodies, and an apparent overall decline in interest, boxing is far from its heyday of the 1950s to 1990s.
Boxing’s popularity as a sport was not simply overrun by MMA, many factors played into this. The sport’s popularity was once on par with that of football, baseball, and basketball. Names such as Muhammad Ali, Joe Frazier, and Mike Tyson were some of the most iconic sports personalities of their time. Despite the rich history, America’s love affair with professional boxing has seemingly hit a tipping point.
However, even with this state of affairs, participation in boxing in the U.S. is up over the past decade. According to data from statista.ca, in 2021, there were 5.24 million Americans who box for fitness, and 1.46 million people boxing competitively. Additionally, according to a report from IBISWorld, more than 4,000 boxing gyms opened between 2013 and 2018.
There are other signs suggesting the situation for boxing isn’t as dire as some believe. According to a 2022 Forbes article, boxing was ranked
as the fourth most popular sport in the Harris Poll, which surveyed 2,000 adults in 2021. The poll showed 33 percent of respondents were fans of the sport, only ranking behind football (62 percent) and basketball and baseball (49 percent respectively). Compare this to an earlier Harris Poll from 2010, where boxing had failed to rank in the top 10 most popular sports
In the same article, Brian Kelly of Top Rank, a leading boxing promotion company, noted the sport is surging in popularity with younger generations for several reasons, specifically because many of today’s top fighters are extremely active on social media.
Most notable is the rise of Jake and Logan Paul, social media influencers with some of the biggest followings in the world, who have crossed over into the world of boxing, becoming massive pay-per-view draws. While some boxing purists may scoff at their involvement, there is no arguing their fights bring the sport to an audience who may not pay attention to more traditional fights.
The workout of a lifetime
Health-conscious individuals may find interest in the sport just from the exercise it offers. The physical fitness benefits
of boxing are plenty. One of its top benefits is improved cardiovascular fitness, which in turn reduces the risk for cardiovascular disease, high blood pressure, diabetes, and other chronic conditions.
Boxing also works out muscles and builds strength across the entire body, whether it
is the core for stabilization, the hips and legs to pivot, and the upper body—namely arms—to throw punches. Even light sparring is a high level of activity, so anyone who participates in boxing will face quite the workout. All in all, this effectively builds endurance and stamina.
For those looking to cut down their weight, boxing offers an efficient method to do so. A one-hour boxing workout could potentially burn 600 calories.
The sport may also lead to heightened agility and coordination. In fact, a 2022 study reported Parkinson’s Disease patients who took part in boxing training twice a week suffered fewer falls.
On top of these physical advantages, proponents of boxing training say it has a positive mental impact on athletes, including but not limited to reduced stress, cathartic emotional release, improved sleep, and even increased self-confidence.
No lack of talent
Despite the sport’s decline in popularity, the U.S. does not lack talented boxers.
According to Business Insider’s 2022 ranking of the best boxers in the world, America is still well represented.
Undisputed lightweight champion Devin Haney was ranked number 10 on the list, along with super welterweight champion Jermell Charlo—sporting a 35-1 record with 19 knockouts—at number six.
Three-time welterweight champion Terence Crawford, who is currently undefeated in 38 fights, was ranked at third, meanwhile, another undefeated welterweight (28-0), Errol Spence Jr., was ranked at second overall.
Olympic uncertainty
Boxing has long been a part of the Summer Olympics, but it will disappear from the list of events beginning in 2028 at the Los Angeles Games.
According to the International Olympic Committee (IOC), this decision comes from concerns about the governance of the International Boxing Association (IBA), specifically regarding financial transparency and sustainability, as well as the integrity of referring and judging.
In late December 2022, the possibility of boxing being expelled from the 2024 Paris Olympics was greatly increased due to continued bad blood between the IOC and IBA.
The IBA had renewed its multi-million-dollar sponsorship with Russian state energy company Gazprom, while the Kremlin had also threatened to not permit Russian fighters to partake in events refusing to involve Gazprom.
Lastly, the IBA had also announced it would allow Russian and Belarusian fighters to compete under their own flags, a decision in direct conflict with a previous IOC ruling.
At the time, the IOC released a statement accusing the IBA of having no interest in the sport of boxing, but only its “own power.” Meanwhile, IBA president Umar Kremlev says the IBA will not accept any more “interference” from the IOC.
An IOC boxing task force oversaw the sport’s competition at the 2020 Tokyo Summer Olympics and is set to do so again in 2024 if it is included at all.
U.S.A. Boxing executive director Mike McAtee later stated his organization stands with the IOC.
He said while Olympic boxing is clearly in “jeopardy,” USA Boxing is fully committed to meeting the IOC’s requirements for the sport’s readmission into the Olympics.
The tenuous situation for the sport’s inclusion in the Olympic games represents a drastic shift in its history. Boxing has been a part of the Olympic games since 1904—the only exception being the 1912 Stockholm Games as the sport was banned in Sweden at the time.
Whether boxing will return to the Olympics post-2028 remains to be seen, but it is clear there are indeed silver linings of the dark clouds surrounding the sport.
