MovieChat Forums > Cinderella Man (2005) Discussion > boxing films vs boxing in reality

boxing films vs boxing in reality

posted 11 years ago by crowleynv
3 replies | jump to latest

it just dawned on me that it's amazing how many good films with boxing stories as a centerpiece have been produced over the years, and yet, the sport has never managed to get any popularity from it. i mean, i'm pretty sure boxing is at a constant decline as far as popularity goes.

are the movies just too good, and the real fights can rarely match up? or has the interest of crowds changed so dramatically over the years? or, maybe, the slow decay of the sport has a touch of romance to it, which inspires the directors?

[–] mindstamina3000 11 years ago

It's not that Boxing is in declined. Mayweather is proof of that. It's that the Heavyweight scene in Boxing lack any American superstar at the moment and has shifted to becoming more big in Europe in terms of popularity.

So the lower weight classes has now taken over as the more popular selection for Americans at the moment.

[–] crowleynv 11 years ago

I realize that boxinng isn't "dead" (the way chess is), but it's far from the popularity it had from the late 60's to the late 90's. Heavyweight division was always the biggest stage, and the Klitchko brothers are dominant there, but their matches are nowhere near as "big" in terms of media coverage and the money involved, as the matches Ali or Tyson had. kudos to the pomp Mayweather gets, but he's not a household name in Europe, and the same goes for the Kiltchko's in the US. that was never the case for the heavyweight champs before. i really feel that boxing has had a huge decline in the last 10 or 15 years. on the other hand, boxing on film still gets a great piece every couple of years, with fine commercial success. it just boggles me how come the sport never profited from it.

[–] mobstar1967 11 years ago

Boxing had it's finest year in 2013 in 25 years
Paydays like the sport has never seen
Boxing is alive and well