Neil Dolan
Boxing, the sport we all love and grew up watching as kids, is going through perhaps the most unprecedented times the sport has ever experienced, and that's saying something.
Many people have come and gone in the boxing world over the years, including promoters, broadcasters and streaming companies, but 2024 will be different to what came before.
In a good way.
Boxing is seeing huge new investment from Saudi Arabia, but it's not just the blind, mindless pouring of money into the sport as in the past.
There is a genuine desire to see the best players compete against the best again, many of whom are not just themselves. [Saudi]But for the first time, promoters, managers, broadcasters and streaming companies appear to be working together to make this happen.
Stuff like this happens all the time — or at least, it seems to be happening more frequently in boxing than at any time in the last 30 years.
A lot of people get into boxing and end up losing a lot of money or adopting the old “throw money at the wall and see what sticks” mentality that never works in reality.
Now, people in the boxing world seem to understand that boxing is about the fight (and, of course, it always has been).
Putting fighters against each other when they're young and in their prime, or at least not too far from their prime, works well.
If it's done right, the ratings can be pretty good – just look at Gervonta Davis vs. Ryan Garcia last year, which had a pay-per-view rating of 1.2 million in the US alone.
The Oleksandr Usyk vs. Tyson Fury fight sold 1.5 million tickets this year alone, making it the biggest heavyweight fight this century.
Sure, the match is thought to have lost $100 million in revenue due to illegal online streaming, but that's another story.
Tyson Fury and Oleksandr Usyk at the Kingdom Arena in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, May 18, 2024. (Photo by Richard Pelham/Getty Images)
But it does signal that boxing is making a comeback as a mainstream sport, with the caveat that it's best when the best fighters fight when the fans want to watch.
Inflated records and unbeaten streaks in boxing aren't everything anymore, and that's a good thing – boxing learned that from the UFC, and now many MMA and UFC fighters, as well as other stars, are flocking to boxing to compete professionally.
This is likely the result of a variety of factors outside of boxing in recent years, attracting new fans to the sport.
The recent Nate Diaz vs. Jorge Masvidal fight will have shocked MMA fans and new boxing fans alike as well, it was a quality fight.
Exhibitions by KSI, Jake Paul, Logan Paul, Mayweather and more recently the Roy Jones vs. Mike Tyson exhibition have brought new fans to boxing.
Later this year, Netflix will stream the Mike Tyson vs. Jake Paul fight, making boxing available to a wide range of sports fans who might not have otherwise watched it for the first time.
All of this is complemented by digitally-driven streaming companies like DAZN, ESPN Plus and UFC Fight Pass, attracting new sports fans to boxing as fans.
And that's just in the West…
Check back tomorrow for part 2.
