Muhammad Ali was a household name, not just in the United States, but around the world. The same is true for Mike Tyson. There is not a nation around the world where both of these men could walk the streets without being recognised and photographed. These people were international icons who pulled in hundreds of millions of viewers for their fights. Today, Wilder( The Current Heavyweight champion) could walk in Times Square without anyone batting an eye. What happened?

There are a variety of factors that reduced boxing to a level where its greatest superstars are striving to be mediocre celebrities. One of the biggest reasons is corruption which leads to multiple belts in the same division and wrongful decisions by judges. Both of these have led to deafening blows to boxing’s credibility as a sport.

There is also the flawed PPV system which is struggling to keep up with streaming services. The younger audience which is supposed to be the driving force of the sport, cannot squeeze out $80 for a championship fight when the same could be streamed for free.

The tough competition from MMA which has started to dominate the arena of combat sport by presenting a version of combat sports which is a lot more cleaner and fairer than boxing has swallowed a great chunk of the market.

Despite the culmination of all of these problems, boxing is a sport that has been part of the popular culture for generations and it refuses to be wiped out or marginalised without putting up a fight. Floyd Mayweather is an example of that. He transformed himself into an invincible devil that everyone paid to see him lose. His popularity illustrates that engineering popularity or interest can push boxing to prime time television.

Engineering his persona, however, has been difficult for subsequent boxers who either fall short of creating a marketable personality or get defeated and hence there is no interest in watching them fight. However, the sport is still producing fights that attract millions of viewers and fill massive stadiums. Canelo Alvarez, the current middleweight champion, has the richest contract in sporting history.

The sport’s popularity has undeniably shrunk over the years. It would be inaccurate to say it is still shrinking or that it has made a comeback. The future is uncertain and depends on the actions of the organisers, whether they can clean up and the sport and then market to the masses.