How to Save Boxing

Stepping away from politics for a second. Bill Simmon's wrote a piece on Boxing, and how the De La Hoya/Mayweather fight may be the last "big fight"...ever. He may be right, its hard for people who grew up with something to imagine it gone, but it does happen. Real Professional Wrestling used to be a big event, as did short-track bicycling races (there was a time when it was bigger than baseball), running (again, there was a time when the whole world was riveted by news about the attempt of the four minute mile), etc, and Boxing may be headed that way. Mixed Martial Arts (MMA) is growing at an incredible rate with matches selling our mega arenas in Japan under the Pride banner, and UFC here in the states with a reality show in its 5th season, at least weekly fights on Spike (Pride also has weekly fights on Fox Sports), but perhaps more importantly UFC sponsor products (gear, clothes, supplements, etc) are also selling well. It may be that MMA replaces Boxing, and boxing becomes another niche technique that people in the bigger sport of MMA use to win (think kick-boxing and jiu-jitsu - you can catch various forms of kick-boxing on ESPN Classic which is where boxing is headed).

However, it doesn't have to be that way. While Mr Simmon's gives some ideas on how to bring boxing back, but I have my own list.

1. Limit fights to 6 rounds. This move alone helps with several of boxings problems. Mr Simmons is right, boxing needs loaded PPV. 12 round fights drag on, and on, and on meaning you can't have as many "back-up" fights in case the big ones bust. Watch a UFC PPV and often the under-cards are better than the main event. Because UFC fights are three, five minute rounds (except for championship fights which are five, five minute rounds) you can load up a night of fights with more fights. More fights give the audience more chances to watch a great fight. It's simple math. With boxing, the bouts are so long that you decrease that chance and the audience winds up with the very real chance of paying a lot for nothing. And no one likes that.

Shorter bouts also push the action. This also ups the chance for excitement. There's nothing more boring than the late rounds of a fight where both fighters are tired and beat up. There's no strategy, punches lack zip, and its really a contest on who can endure, rather than who can win. Plus with 12 rounds every fight has several "lost" rounds where fighters are catching their breath. Drop it to six and strategy matters, you can't take a round off, and you have to push the action to win. Boxing should be about skill, not survival.

Shorter bouts also limit damage to the boxers. The late rounds are the most damaging. Your guard is down, your not moving, you can't evade, you just take punches. Everyone loses. Fans get a bad fight, and the fighters get hurt, seriously hurt. Also, taking bouts down to 6, by definition, cuts down on the number of punches a fighter takes during their career.

Bottom line, you should know after 6 rounds who the better fighter is on that day.

2. Three knock-downs and/or standing eight counts and you're done for the night. There just isn't any need to have fighters keep fighting after 3 such events. Just not the fighters night, and other fighter deserves to win. Boxing already has enough decisions (more on this), this rule insures more outright victories and would create a "buzz" of excitement after a fighter has his second knock-down, everyone will know that he can't get a third. He'll fight harder, as will his opponent to get it.

3. No ties. If the fight is tied after 6 rounds, it goes to extra rounds. One round, winner take all. If it's still tied, you do another. Someone has to win.

4. Tournaments. Build the base by getting fighters exposure and giving them a chance to win. Hold them regionally and/or internationally over a period of weeks. Televise the matches on ESPN and create buzz in the public. With a 6 round format someone will sneak through, you'll have greater chances for great fights that get people excited about the next one, etc. No one follows boxing because its held hostage to the promoter system. You can't really get a feel for who's up and coming, who's got it, and who doesn't. Tourneys get around that.

5. Lose some weight classes. Currently there are 17 weight classes from 95-201+, which means some are divided by a whopping 2 pounds. In a sport with such low personality recognition the best thing to do is to consolidate so people get a chance to really know what's going on. There are just too many "champions" for anyone to follow, so no one does. It's not like a league with 17 teams, in boxing each weight class has their own people, ranks, and fights. No casual, or even semi-serious fan can follow all that, much less have the chance to get to know and care about up and comers. It's too much.

6. I actually don't have a problem with the 57 boxing associations. They all rank the same fighters. Yes, fewer (much fewer) would be better, but I don't see it as the main problem. Maybe what boxing needs is one more, one that did the above. That would blow up the status quo, and many of these other associations would go away.

I like boxing. Amazing athletes with amazing skill. One on one, no team, no one to cover your mistakes and no one to lean on if you're having an off day, plus at any second it can turn. A Blow out football game is a blowout, nothing will change that. But boxing, one punch and you can go from dominating to losing. The tension is awesome. But long fights are not only boring, but dangerous. I haven't really been a big fan since I saw the Leavander Johnson/Jesus Chaves fight. Mr Johnson was able to leave the ring under his own power but died later from injuries sustained in the fight. It reminded me of what I don't like about boxing, watching one guy get destroyed, literally. Say what you want about MMA, the fights may be bloody, but they're quick, and no one gets killed. It's fast, exciting, and you can put away someone before they can "recover" to take more damage. Boxing needs all of that, and it can be done relatively simply. MMA is the next step, but boxing doesn't have to become the next Full Contact Karate, airing midnight on ESPN 8, The Ocho.