Cold War Era Boxing

Soon following the time of prosperity for the sport of boxing would come a time of hardship. From the 60s to the 80s boxing saw a gradual shift in personality, and not in a good way. Promoters and fighters brought negative connotations to the sport and would leave permanent legacies that taint the art to this day. In this brief essay, I will examine what caused the downfall of boxing and how it changed economically during this time period by using a number of articles as well as examining the tactics of fighters and their managers.

Mike Tyson

Unfortunately for the sport of Boxing, the spectators and media began to focus more on what happened outside of the ring rather than was occurred inside of the ring in the 1960s-1980s. Muhammad Ali, or formerly Cassius Clay, served as the catalyst of this new era of the sport. His loud and rambunctious personality was something the sport had not seen before, and the media loved it. He quickly gained popularity in the boxing community for this reason. Shortly after his rise in the sport came the Vietnam War. Clay was openly against the war and even served as a political figure in an effort to dissuade the US from getting involved. He even converted to the Muslim religion and changed his name in what many critics consider to be his attempt of “dodging the draft.” Because of his rebellious actions and already thriving popularity, the media augmented his popularity with these unprecedented behaviors from a fighter. Ali grew to become a global figure of peace as he traveled the world training, fighting, and expressing his views. His renowned “Rumble in the Jungle” fight against George Foreman which took place in Zaire is a prime example. Ali transformed the sport, for good or for bad, and drew attention away from the actual fights and towards the life of the fighters outside of the sport. After Ali, Mike Tyson became a prominent figure in boxing. His arduous upbringing and tenacity towards the sport caused him to rapidly gain popularity. According to the article “1980s Boxing” by distinguished boxing journalist Scott Levinson, “the emergence of Mike Tyson was a phenomenon that hasn’t been seen since in the United States. International superstars flooded the sport, keeping boxing thriving around the globe.” Tyson was loved by the media and the people. He assisted in what caused this era to be the most profitable and economically successful time periods for the sport. Levison later went on to say that “boxing enjoyed high exposure during this time. Networks threw a lot of money into the sport and fans reaped the benefits. On any  given afternoon, you could watch top boxers for free, often in high-stakes fights—many of which were absolute classics. With the proliferation of cable-TV, it was a great time to be a boxing fan. By the end of the decade, most of the big-time fights were moved to pay-per-view. The eighties were the last time where it was really easy (and cheap) to be a boxing fan.” It wasn’t long before Tyson began to spiral downhill though, which elevated his popularity even more, even if for the wrong purposes. He soon had rape charges, numerous lawsuits with promoters, and much more legal trouble that caused him to take a hiatus from the sport and which the media jumped all over. For these reasons, boxing itself was a highly popular sport, however during this time it was more related to the fighters that the sport.