Superstar extinction: Where does boxing go if the superstar dies out?

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Mike Tyson

Oscar de La Hoya

Floyd Mayweather

Manny Pacquiao



Four men of the modern era all of whom have attained superstar status in the sport of boxing.



Boxing superstars are those that break PPV records and transcend to living rooms across the globe. They are the fighter’s that cause the rest of us to sit up with match sticks propping our lids open at some ungodly hour in anticipation as they take centre stage. I recall staying up as a young teen to watch Tyson destroy Bruno and later doing the same when Holyfield systematically ground Iron Mike to a halt over 11 rounds, screaming at the TV alongside my dad and brother as if my
life depended on it. I never liked Tyson, but i had to watch him. I recall the demise of Oscar at the hands of Pac
and the same of Hatton against Mayweather. These fighters are the rare breed, the ones who make it onto the highest paid sportsman lists, the ones you might see being interviewed on Jay Leno, or in Pac’s case visiting the president of the United States.

So as we all wait with baited breath to see if our current PPV kings are ever going to square off in the Welterweight class we at MEB ask

How important to the sport is it to have the superstar?

Pac and Mayweather are being touted by some as possibly the last two superstars of our sport; i certainly don’t see any other’s threatening to reach that status. Without the superstar will boxing be able to continue to grow? After all it is the superstar that attracts the casual fan in droves and like them or loath them, when the casual fans come media attention follows. We have all experienced it on some level whether it be one of your mates becoming an expert on the sport on the eve of a big Haye fight, or a good boxing forum being inundated with armchair idiots who have wandered off their football reservation so they can wax lyrical as to why they feel Hatton lost to Mayweather and what he might have done differently to defeat him (not diving
in face first would have been a start). And of course frustrating comments are not just limited to the casual fan. How about news reporters who have had to show an interest in a fight that has captured the public’s imagination, pretending to know what they are talking about and failing spectacularly in the process (George Groves being asked if he wanted Amir Khan after the Degale fight on Sky News??? Can anyone say weight class please!)

It might be frustrating having to listen to those without the genuine love for the sport bang on as though there some sort of authority figure on the sport, but as frustrating as it can be, it is still great exposure for the sport.

Now that is not to suggest boxing has no genuine fans or that it MUST be a super fight on the scale of Pac v Mayweather for anyone to get excited. But the superstar is the one who brings the sport to the eyes and ears of those who otherwise wouldn’t notice. The superstar is the franchise.

So with all this in mind and the possibility that within the next couple of years both our sport’s superstars are likely to have retired, (for good this time in Mayweathers case) where will this leave boxing? If Sergio Martinez were younger and had depth of competition in his class then maybe the handsome featured Argentine could get to superstar status. HBO are building Canelo and i hope he turns out to be the real deal but at the moment the intrigue outweigh his talent and if Nonito Donaire was in a heavier weight class he might excite the world like his Philippine counterpart has, but sadly he isn’t.

Superstars are dying out in our beloved game boys and girls. How does boxing flourish without them?

I'd say new superstars will always be manufactured and created. Just the nature of the sport. Who will fill the void when Pac and Floyd are gone? Hard to say, but boxers like Martinez and Alvarez are in good weight divisions to build such a status. Shame for Donaire though, a little bit heavier and like you said, he'd probably be big chat amongst even casual fans.

For Britain, boxers like Froch, Cleverly et al, if continuing their success have the potential to carry the torch here the same way as Calzaghe and Hatton (although I doubt any will reach Hatton still popularity!).

Tyson was the last genuine global boxing superstar.

PBF, Paquaio and Oscar have transcended the sport as well, but their mainstream recognition is still fairly miniscule compared to Tyson.

Think there will always be stars, because there will always be a couple of fighters who get to the top of the pile after the last one leaves it. De La Hoya passed the torch down to Floyd and Floyd then to Pacman, who now wants it back :P SOmeone will come along it always happens it's like the circle of life.

I would not say that Manny or even Floyd have attained the super stardom that Mike Tyson had in his time, damn just read J.Bensons reply and he is right. De La Hoya was huge in America full stop he never transended the way Tyson did. If we look at Tyson he had the right mix to attain cross over appeal.

1) Youth. People are either threatened or fascinated by youth. In Tyson's case it was the latter. He was young, aggressive, and intimidating but most importantly he was caged if you like in the ring where people could view him. Sort of like going to an aquarium and looking at great white sharks. They are tremendous creatures but you are safe standing behind a thick glass sheild.

2) Hype. Whoever the Americans hype to the 10th degree as was the case with Tyson then the WORLD will no about them.

3) Controversy. Tyson had the knack of getting into trouble so much you would wonder what was coming next.

wouldn't agree that pacquiao is a superstar

it always helps to be american if you are to become a superstar as does being an olympic gold medalist but it's unlikely that superstars will dye out, golden boy are trying to create one in victor ortiz and if fighters are matched correctly they can keep that all important 0 long enough to attract more fans

Rocky Balboa brought boxing to mainstream. And he ended the cold war

As much as I like the K bros I think they've unwittingly been bad for the sport. The Heavyweight kingpin provides the window on boxing that the rest of the world sees through. Ali, Tyson, Holyfield and to a lesser extent Lennox Lewis and Larry Holmes provided this great window. Everyone and their cat knew who they were, and all sport ignorant fat middle-aged housewives had heard of Tyson the baddest man on the planet! Not so Wladimir Klitschko!

The top division needs a top dog rather than a power-sharing eastern bloc 2 brother tag team. Until the Heavyweight divsion gets this again then boxing as a mass audience sport will continue to suffer.

The Heavyweight divsion is dead. I dont know why people are trying to keep it alive for. Boxing has evolved. Plenty of other great weight catergories. No need worry about the fatties anymore

Steffan wrote:The Heavyweight divsion is dead. I dont know why people are trying to keep it alive for. Boxing has evolved. Plenty of other great weight catergories. No need worry about the fatties anymore

People are always worrying about the "fatties" Stefan! 606v2 is testament to this FACT as their tagline on the boxing forum is "debate the poor quality in the heavyweight division". Yes, ebveryone worries. The casual fans wanna see two big slobs slugging it out , always have done and always will.

great responses chaps. zx1234 i would say Pac man is a superstar, he is on Leno and visited the president in run up to last few fights, PPV numbers are huge, the common casual fan often talks to me about him at work

superstar?

seanus

maybe he is a superstar just from my experience when i was at school 2 years ago a lot of people knew about mayweather and de la hoya and not much about pacman

great responses chaps. zx1234 i would say Pac man is a superstar, he is on Leno and visited the president in run up to last few fights, PPV numbers are huge, the common casual fan often talks to me about him at work
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Not saying that he is not a huge star but not on the level of Tyson. Remember the controversy when Tyson came to Britain to fight? that was all over the news. When Tyson was in his pomp the whole world wanted to showcase his fights. Just like Ali did Tyson took the game on the road (only for it to end in Tokyo) that was massive. Manny can sell out stadiums yes but he is too safe to garner the type of interest that Tyson generated.

ONETWOFOREVER wrote:great responses chaps. zx1234 i would say Pac man is a superstar, he is on Leno and visited the president in run up to last few fights, PPV numbers are huge, the common casual fan often talks to me about him at work
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Not saying that he is not a huge star but not on the level of Tyson. Remember the controversy when Tyson came to Britain to fight? that was all over the news. When Tyson was in his pomp the whole world wanted to showcase his fights. Just like Ali did Tyson took the game on the road (only for it to end in Tokyo) that was massive. Manny can sell out stadiums yes but he is too safe to garner the type of interest that Tyson generated.

If the definition of superstar is to be as well known to the public as Tyson or Ali then there are no superstars in boxing and very few in all the other sports combined.