Boxing’s Popularity

In all sports there are Superstars who the general public clamour to meet and be in the presence of. While they enjoy seeing David Beckham or Cristiano Ronaldo do something special that wins their team the game or Kobe Bryant score a ludicrously good 81 or Tom Brady throw an unprecedented 5 touch down passes. They are very much superstars the general public love immensely but they can’t tune into them quite like they they do some of our Boxing hero’s. There a very different beast they come from nothing and transcend sport.

Arguably the most popular sports star in any country at the moment is Manny Pacquiao. Manny Mania is at it’s zenith at the moment, he’s loved by millions all over his homeland where he’s constantly pulled from pillar to post to appear in this commercial or that TV programme etc. In truth the people of The Philippines don’t have much to cheer just recently we saw how the country had been ravaged after a typhoon had decimated parts of the country. One constant bright spot on their otherwise dark landscape of a third world country is Manny Pacquiao. The celebrated superstar never forgets his people and thrives on the pressure and intense scrutiny that his life being under a microscope constantly brings. In fact after Pacquiao beat De La Hoya he bought $1,000,000 worth of unsold merchandise and shipped it back to Philippines and gave it away. Gestures like that go along way. At the start of the decade Pacquiao had a name that many struggled to spell and looked like a bad hand in a game of scrabble, now though he’s mixing with Hollywood’s glitterati who come to watch him train at the Wild Card. Having a Nike endorsement is also a sure sign you’ve struck gold. He even got a mention in Time magazine as one of the worlds most influential people. He hopes to use this popularity to get further into politics. He’s previously run for congress.

In Mexico a country indigenous with top boxers. They seem to have a conveyor belt of talent in much the way New Zealand do with Rugby players or Brazil does with Soccer players. While the stars of Barrera, Morales and Marquez ascended brightly in there Hall of Fame careers they still don’t hold a candle to “El Grande Champeon Mexico”simply put their not Julio Cesar Chavez Snr. In his hay day of the 80’s and early 90’s Chavez was every bit the wrecking ball Pacquiao now is and also just as revered by his countryman. To such an extent that in 1993 he fought in front of 136,000 in his nations capital. Towards the end of his storied career Chavez fought Miguel Angel Gonzalez in front of over 40,000 fans who mostly cheered him despite the fight taking place in Gonzalez back yard mere minutes from his birth place. In the rubber match with Frankie Randall while both guys were light years past there prime Chavez again commanded over 40,000. His legend seemed to enhance when whilst behind on points he stopped American golden boy Meldrick Taylor with two seconds remaining in the fight. In Mexico Chavez is an icon and embodies national pride like know other.

It’s not always the best boxers who draw the crowds sometimes it’s the guys with an interesting story or and engaging personality who can draw tens of thousands. In this respect this what Ricky Hatton managed when he regularly sold out the 20,000 M.E.N in his home town of Manchester before taking 30,000 to Las Vegas to support him against Floyd Mayweather Jnr. After the loss around 50,000 turned up for the prodigal sons return when he fought Juan Lazcano at his favourite soccer teams stadium. It likely says more about Britain that Frank Bruno and then Ricky Hatton were both lorded over while superior talents like Lennox Lewis & Joe Calzaghe were whilst popular never quite had the fan fare that Bruno & Hatton enjoyed. It’s long been said that Britain loves a good loser. While both Bruno & Hatton won world titles both lost there biggest fights while Lewis & Calzaghe two of Britain’s finest pugilists never lost or in Lewis case avenged every loss. In 1993 Lewis & Bruno met in an all British Heavyweight title clash in front of tens of thousands in Cardiff in the open air of the Arms Park. That arena was renovated several years later and renamed the Millennium Stadium which was the scene of Calzaghe’s biggest home win in front of over 50,000 rabid fans when he outpointed Mikkel Kessler in 2007.

Sure the people of Brazil love there soccer players it’s the national sport and they live, eat and breath it there. But they don’t have the same respect for them as they do one of there own. Which is exactly what Acelino Freitus was. The Soccer players are nurtured from a young age and given special privileges by there clubs until the day comes when they can sell them for huge fee’s to Europe’s elite. They don’t have to live on the streets or barrio’s in towns and City’s around Brazil. That’s the reason the people fell in love with Popo because he’s one of them. Freitus is one of the most celebrated sports stars of his homeland and enjoys similar fame to legends like Pele, Ronaldo & Ayrton Senna. His wedding was televised nationally in Brazil and when he was fighting millions stayed up to watch his fights in America.

In Ireland back in the 80’s Barry McGuigan managed to draw Protestants and Catholics a like together at a time where the two sides were engaging a fierce battle. Boxing at times goes beyond the ring and encapsulates whole nations and brings them together.

This also transcends into other countries like Japan where outspoken Koki Kameda drew 43% of the market place to watch him fight for the WBA 108 title. The other week in Poland 8.2 million households and approximately 13 million people watched Tomasz Adamek-Andrew Golota out of a country of around 40 million people.

Part of the reason for there popularity is because of the humility they show. Moments after Pacquiao beat De La Hoya he told the camera’s that Oscar was still his hero. De La Hoya countered tonight your my hero Manny. That’s classy by anyone’s standard’s. It’s only in a sport like boxing where a fighter can go from trying to tear of his opponents head to praising him just moments later. Micky Ward & Arturo Gatti were the exact same. No quarter given no quarter taken but they’d of walked through hell’s fire to get the W over each other and for that reason they’ll be for ever synonymous with each other.

It’s hardest of all sports where you succeed on your own and lose on your own. It’s a lonely business where you can reach unprecedented highs and terrible lows. Many top class fighters struggle mercifully to replace the thrill and buzz they had when they were a revered prizefigher and resort to alcohol, drugs etc In the summer Alexis Arguello who was about as popular figure as there can be in his homeland of Nicaragua shockingly took his own life after being unable to take care of inner demons. His homeland was in a state of mourning and his passing was treated as if it was a head of state who passed away.

And Boxing is supposedly dying…it’s done fine for over a hundred years and will continue to develop in many different ways over the future decades with other guys coming from nowhere into the mainstream and our hearts.