1920s: The Golden Age of Boxing

At one point, boxing and baseball were the two biggest sports in the United States. This is before the days that Hollywood glamorized boxing too, this was when boxing was truly thriving and prosperous. The best boxers were among the most famous people in the world at the time and the matches were attended by thousands of spectators.

This time period was the 1920s, and in this brief essay I will examine and analyze why boxing's popularity skyrocketed during this era. I will also explain my opinion on the information laid forth. After reading a number of articles on the topic, I believe the reason for the success of boxing during the 1920s is due to the atmosphere of the US at the time in unison with the new marketing techniques and, of course, the intrigue of the somewhat new sport.

Dempsey v. Tunney

In part boxing's popularity in the 1920s was due to fighters like Jack Dempsey, Gene Tunney, Barney Williams, and many others who would rack up hundreds of wins in their careers. However, Scott Levinson contends that there are other influential aspects that lead to the tremendous popularity of boxing in his scholarly journal "1920s Boxing." According to Levinson, "The growing sophistication of motion film cameras helped bring footage to millions, as radios helped spread the good word." This new technology allowed promoters at the time to spread the word of big fights and allowed drew people to the actual fights by giving them a speculation of the action. He then goes on to explain that "one should picture the idea of the roaring twenties—a festive time where money was in lush supply. The United States was coming off a momentous victory in World War I. Boxing was able to attract the entertainment dollar with legendary fighters and great fights." The time period itself was ideal for boxing to make its rise. Given the economic well being in the US during the early '20s, people were willing to spend their money on entertainment as their basic needs were met, and what better thing to spend it on than the raw competition of one man vs. another in a mystical, dramatic battle.

Unfortunately, in the decades following this glorious era for boxing came a time of hardship and suffering.