Boxing may be a sport of giving black eyes, but the industry itself seems to be the victim of many self-inflicted blows to the face.
I?m certainly no expert on how point systems work or how they are tallied. What I do know is the sporting world was in an outrage about Timothy Bradley?s decision over Manny Pacquiao on Saturday night.
Watching Twitter and the various reporters on social media erupt was comical, since months can pass without any of these accounts or people mentioning boxing at all.
Which is a huge problem for the sport ? a bigger problem than any bad decision or supposed fix. If the sport wants to grow into the next century, here are some ways it can adapt:
? Scrap all the various promotions. It?s too complicated trying to track every fly-by-night promotion. This is a case where boxing can learn from mixed martial arts. The sport has one major promotion in the forefront, which clears up a lot of confusion and a lot of the politics involved in booking fights the public wants to see.
? Get boxing off pay-per-view. It?s difficult to grow a new and younger audience when you continue to broadcast on pay-per-view and miss most of the public. Sure, it may make money, but it isn?t good for the sport if the only way people can watch your product is if they shell out $60 in a bad economy.
UFC realized this early and found ways to get its product to the basic cable masses through shows like ?The Ultimate Fighter? or special cards featuring top talent on regular cable. It still broadcasts on pay-per-view, but it has also been on FOX.
Boxing would be wise to find ways to get the Floyd Mayweathers and Pacquiaos to the masses. Maybe then the sport can start to grow again and attract top athletes. Until then, it?s in a battle against time and against itself, a fight it is losing badly.
