Celebrity Boxing: Good or Bad for Boxing?

Boxing is a sport that has existed for thousands of years, but recent times have a lot of fans questioning their love for the sweet science. Boxing betting, live streams and social media have all helped make the sport more exciting and accessible.

However, the last few years have seen a growing trend of minor celebrities and so called influencers lacing up gloves and stepping into the ring. This has been met with some derision from fans who claim it’s diluting the importance of the sport and raising safety concerns. Despite this, others say it’s good for boxing, helping the sport grow and reach new audiences. So what is celebrity boxing and what effect is it really having?

What is Celebrity Boxing?

While it may seem like a relatively new phenomena, celebrity boxing has been around for decades as famous people have stepped into the squared circle to settle differences or raise money for charity. One of the first sanctioned bouts taking place between two celebrities was between American wrestler and actor Donny Bonaduce and singer Donny Osmond. Since then, there have been numerous celebrities and influencers trying their hand at the sport including the likes of Kim Kardashian, KSI and Jake Paul.

The appeal of putting on celebrity boxing matches is of course about money. Boxing is one of the few sports left still using the pay per view (PPV) model, where fans need to pay to watch a live event. The biggest events can bring in millions of dollars, and of course the bigger the names, the greater the interest and appeal. The advantage of celebrity boxing matches is that they appeal to a far wider audience than just boxing fans. While only hardcore fans of boxing might be willing to shell out $70 for a Lomachenko PPV, far more would be willing to pay to see their favorite celebrities in action.

One of the main issues that boxing fans have with celebrity boxing is that it often feels as though these events are making a mockery of the sport. Most celebrities don’t seem to have trained much at all, and the technique on display is very rarely better than what you might see in a highschool playground. Some fans might feel aggrieved at paying premium prices to watch such “competitions”, though not every celebrity treats it this way.

The Effects of Celebrity Matches and Marketing on the Sport

There’s little doubt that celebrity boxing matches help to bring more attention to the sport. Celebrities, even minor ones, can have a massive platform, reaching new audiences who might have been otherwise unaware of the sport of boxing.

A good example of this working is with Jake Paul. The former Disney star and YouTuber has dedicated a lot of time and effort into boxing since his initial match against fellow YouTuber KSI. The match between Jake Paul and former UFC fighter Ben Askren saw a large number of PPV buys, with 80% of those being digital. That’s the highest ever percentage of digital buys for a PPV boxing event, showing that these matches have the potential to attract new, younger audiences to the sport.

Jake Paul, for all his critics, has probably been good for boxing overall. He has established himself as a serious boxer, and while some of his opponent choices may be questionable, he’s been slowly building his skills and improving with each fight. His upcoming match against Mike Tyson is supposed to be streamed for free on Netflix, potentially bringing in a lot of new eyes to the sport. Some would argue that Paul shouldn’t be fighting a retired fighter 20 years old than him, but there’s little doubt that it will make headlines and get people talking.

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