From Prizefighting to Pantomime: When Did Boxing Start Imitating Wrestling?
Let’s be crystal clear — boxing is not scripted like WWE. No predetermined winners, no choreographed finishes, and no steel chairs (unless something’s gone very wrong at ringside). But when every press conference sounds like a wrestling promo, and every undercard needs a fake feud to justify its existence, you’ve got to ask…
Has boxing started losing the plot?
It used to be simple. You’d get a fight announcement, maybe a few choice words exchanged at the weigh-in, and that was that. The drama happened in the ring. Now? The build-up is longer than a Netflix mini-series and usually twice as scripted.
Manufactured Rivalries Are Replacing Real Competition
Promoters these days seem obsessed with manufacturing conflict. Fighters are encouraged — sometimes even coached — to “sell the fight” by hurling insults, flipping tables, or storming out of interviews.
Sure, rivalries can sell tickets. But when they’re artificial, it’s obvious. Not every opponent is your mortal enemy. Not every bout needs to be “personal.” It’s hard to take someone seriously when you know they’ll be hugging it out in the dressing room half an hour later.
Think of recent fights like Eubank vs Benn — it had real backstory, historic relevance, and legacy on the line. But it ended up feeling more like a soap opera than a sporting spectacle. Doping drama, contractual wrangling, and endless talk shows later… we finally got the fight — but did it still mean anything?
Boxing has always had trash talkers. Ali, Tyson, Hamed — they were masters of it. But what made it work was substance. They backed it up. Today’s callouts often feel like TikTok soundbites.
Fighters are calling each other out mid-ring before they’ve even caught their breath, or posting “fight me, bro” reels on Instagram with dramatic music and dodgy filters. It’s less about who deserves the shot and more about who can trend on Twitter.
Jake Paul is a prime example. Like him or not, the guy understood early on that narrative equals visibility, and visibility gets you fights — even if you haven’t earned them in the traditional sense. As explored in this piece on Jake Paul’s boxing legitimacy, he’s gamed the system. And to be honest, the sport let him.
Promoters or Puppet Masters?
Let’s talk about the people pulling the strings: the promoters.
These days, they’re part fight maker, part social media producer, part hype man. Whether it’s Eddie Hearn grinning through 14 interviews a week or Frank Warren talking about “history being made” every other month, the modern promoter has become a character in the story.
And yes, there’s something entertaining about it all — but also something exhausting. It’s hard to know what’s genuine and what’s spin. Too often, great fights are delayed or derailed because promoters are more interested in “building the moment” than letting boxers actually fight.
We all remember how long it took to make Crawford vs Spence. Years of talk, endless speculation, and countless missed windows. It finally happened — and was brilliant — but it could’ve happened so much sooner without all the politics and posturing.
When the Sideshow Becomes the Main Event
What worries me most is that the sport seems happy to lean into the theatrics — even when it comes at the cost of sporting integrity.
Take the rise of crossover and celebrity fights. Influencers headlining cards, ex-footballers having scraps on DAZN, YouTubers fighting actual pros — it’s entertainment, sure, but it’s not boxing.
Or at least, not the boxing that purists grew up loving.
And the sad thing is, it sells. It sells better than some world title fights. That tells you everything you need to know about where the attention — and money — is going. And while the hardcore fans might moan, the broadcasters only see the numbers.
Losing the Soul of the Sport
Here’s the uncomfortable truth: if boxing keeps prioritising drama over competition, it risks losing its soul.
We should be celebrating fighters like Ellie Scotney and Jaron Ennis — boxers who are quietly doing everything right, climbing the ranks with skill and consistency. But they get buried under the noise of louder, flashier, less-deserving names.
We don’t need to go full WWE. The sport already has everything it needs — skill, courage, narratives that emerge naturally. Boxing is beautiful when it’s real. Let’s not fake it just to keep up with the algorithm.
Let’s Talk About It — Like Fight Fans, Not Hype Merchants
What’s your take on the whole boxing WWE comparison?
Is this just boxing evolving with the times, or are we watching the sport get slowly watered down by its own hype machine?
Drop your thoughts in the comments
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Because sometimes, boxing doesn’t need a storyline. It just needs a great fight.