A little history timeout. If you go back 50 years in the US. Baseball was #1, the NFL was quickly growing, the NBA and NHL still fairly new. But boxing was huge, and had been for decades. From the days of Dempsey vs. Tunney, up through Muhammad Ali, it was one probably the second most popular sport in the US, and the world as well.
Someone once quipped that Muhammad Ali was the most well known person on the planet. Everyone, even in remote areas, at least knew who he was. And that says something in pre-internet days. Now, hardly anyone cares about boxing, the sport has very few heroes, and you'd be hard pressed to name more than 1-2 champions (even though there are about 100 "champions" today spread out over who knows how many weight divisions and organizations).
As many will know, track cycling was once very big in the US, some 100+ years ago. The days of Major Taylor.
Someone once quipped that Muhammad Ali was the most well known person on the planet. Everyone, even in remote areas, at least knew who he was. And that says something in pre-internet days. Now, hardly anyone cares about boxing, the sport has very few heroes, and you'd be hard pressed to name more than 1-2 champions (even though there are about 100 "champions" today spread out over who knows how many weight divisions and organizations).
As many will know, track cycling was once very big in the US, some 100+ years ago. The days of Major Taylor.