People often complain about Boxing being a barbaric sport, and wonder how it can be still considered a form of entertainment in this day and age to watch two men essentially try and kill each other. Aren't we supposed to be beyond that, as a species? There are many counter arguments to be made, such as Boxers being about as fine athletes as you can find, and the skills required being immense, and that it is perfectly possible to enjoy boxing on a tactical, skill level. There's some truth to this, but as last night showed, violence is a such massive part of Boxing's fabric that its absence becomes more upsetting than its presence.
The fact of the matter is that when people watch Boxing, they do want to see someone get hurt. As much as one plays up the tactical elements of the sport, or the appreciation of the skills and strategy on offer, it requires that bloodlust to fuel it. In many respects, combat sports are as pure as sport gets - just two men pitting their physical and mental selves against each other in a controlled environment (the controlled conditions of Boxing being the fine line that truly separates it from a street fight). Whilst it is perfectly possible to appreciate Boxing on a tactical, intellectual level, what makes it so compelling is that this chess match of the fists has to be played on the board of primal bloodthirst with the high-stakes currency of human well-being. It's what makes the sport such a high-pressure spectacle. It's no coincidence that at the highest level Boxers receive such insane paydays - they are effectively putting their lives on the line to deliver a spectacle for the masses. As a spectator sport, Boxing relies both on the human urge to see violence and also on the human fear of receiving violence. There's definitely an unedifying, morbid cloud that hangs over the sport of Boxing, but it is this very real sense of danger that makes it so compelling, and removing it takes away the element of fear and worry that it is intrinsically reliant on.
The fact of the matter is that when people watch Boxing, they do want to see someone get hurt. As much as one plays up the tactical elements of the sport, or the appreciation of the skills and strategy on offer, it requires that bloodlust to fuel it. In many respects, combat sports are as pure as sport gets - just two men pitting their physical and mental selves against each other in a controlled environment (the controlled conditions of Boxing being the fine line that truly separates it from a street fight). Whilst it is perfectly possible to appreciate Boxing on a tactical, intellectual level, what makes it so compelling is that this chess match of the fists has to be played on the board of primal bloodthirst with the high-stakes currency of human well-being. It's what makes the sport such a high-pressure spectacle. It's no coincidence that at the highest level Boxers receive such insane paydays - they are effectively putting their lives on the line to deliver a spectacle for the masses. As a spectator sport, Boxing relies both on the human urge to see violence and also on the human fear of receiving violence. There's definitely an unedifying, morbid cloud that hangs over the sport of Boxing, but it is this very real sense of danger that makes it so compelling, and removing it takes away the element of fear and worry that it is intrinsically reliant on.
