by Jay Nolan

Created on: May 31, 2010   Last Updated: June 02, 2010

Boxing has become unpopular for many reasons. First there is no big name heavyweight to carry the sport. Mike Tyson was the last real heavyweight champion with drawing power and that was almost 20 years ago. Sports like MMA (Mixed Martial Arts) and the UFC are taking over.

America no longer dominates boxing like it once did. For over 100 years Americans locked up the Heavyweight division and some of the other major divisions.

That has changed. And lastly, corruption and greed runs rampant in boxing. Until the corruption and other mess gets cleaned up and rooted out boxing will continue to fall by the wayside.

The athletes in MMA are hungry, charismatic and recognizable. The MMA and UFC market their fighters well and it can bee seen often on regular cable TV. There is not a plethora of belts either. It’s easy to follow and easy to cheer on your favorite fighter.

There have been some good boxers since Tyson; Riddick Bowe, Evander Holyfield, Lennox Lewis even the Klitschko brothers, but none of them possess the star power of Mike Tyson.

There was a buzz when Tyson fought. It was the same buzz felt when Ali, Frazier, Marciano, Louis et al fought. Everyone wanted to see their fights and everyone talked about their fights long after.

Greed has also helped reduce the sport. Too many promoters like Don King, with only their own interests and bank accounts in mind have ruined a truly noble sport. How many times have we seen Don King in a ring hugging the winner and we’d roll our eyes?

He’s a parasite and has ruined boxing. The silly fanfare that many of the boxers involve themselves in, like mini Apollo Creeds, has left true boxing fans shaking their heads.

Why do you think everyone rooted for Rocky? He was a meat and potatoes guy, a regular guy, and one we could all relate to. He worked hard and he was humble. Boxing needs that again.

There are too many world titles with each organization claiming their title is the “true” and “legitimate” title. They all have their own rules too. It’s impossible to follow. The WBA, WBC, WBO, and IBF are the major ones and who really cares about any others.

There should be one title and one title only. One the fan base can rally around and follow the best boxers like they used to. Belts used to be unified when boxing was one of the main sports in the U.S. We need to return to that.

If you look back when boxing was one of the most popular sports in the world it had a heavyweight who was

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