CMV: Boxing died tonight.

Although this is all conjecture, with regards to your comment about the UFC, maybe we will see over the next few generations a refinement in boxing's audience. In other words, the purists will always love boxing and will always follow boxing. The fights that they witness in years to come will be no less exciting to them than any other fights that have thus far taken place. I am amazed to see such hate on Reddit at the moment regarding this fight. I thought it was a masterful performance by Mayweather and those first two rounds in particular were exemplary of a boxing genius. For me, this fight was not an anticlimax, it was a clinical negating of Pacquiao's threat and I loved it. http://imgur.com/NS3FTCG

Now, there may be a certain section of the worldwide public who do not get as excited about a sensational defensive performance as I and other so-called purists do. This is particularly the case since the rise of a UFC and the increased likelihood of knockouts. The UFC provides instant gratification in comparison to last night which many may have seen as an anticlimax. To such people, such as yourself, the UFC might give you what you want more than a boxing match like last night. Which is totally fine. After all, this is entertainment we are talking about and to each his own. If the UFC were to detract from boxing's appeal, then that is a credit to the UFC.

Having said all this, boxing will be fine. Historically, this kind of opinion regarding the state of boxing has reappeared more times than I can recall. To give a few examples, when Jack Johnson became the first black heavyweight champion in 1908 and managed to hold onto the title for 7 years, the inherently racist boxing journalists proclaimed the sport of boxing to be dead. When the enormously popular champion Jack Dempsey retired at the end of the 1920s, followed shortly by the Great Depression, boxing was seen to be on its last legs. Crowds dwinded and a million-dollar gate didn't reappear for another 15 years. And then Joe Louis came along and totally reinvigorated the sport. Even then, the fact that he was so good that he was able to fight his opponents on a monthly basis led many commentators to suggest that the state of boxing was in decline.

Since then, what have we seen? Sonny Liston, Floyd Patterson, Muhammad Ali, George Foreman? What about more recent times? Mike Tyson. Go on Youtube and watch some of Tyson's knockouts. They are amazing. And that's all boxing needs. A figure to come along and give it a shot in the arm. And that figure will come. My pick is the currently undefeated British heavyweight Anthony Joshua.

In the mean time, if you want to see a knockout, watch the UFC. Its a very exciting combat sport and its popular appeal is beyond reproach. But don't suggest boxing is dying. It might not be giving you what you are looking for, but with the amount of money made last night I would have to suggest you are of the minority opinion. Only time will tell, of course, but if history is anything to go by, this question will probably reappear on Askreddit in about 5 years time

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