The Soul of Boxing Is Still Beating — But Is It Beating Here?
Boxing isn’t dead. Let’s make that clear from the off. There are still great fights, still warriors who fight for legacy, still nights that remind you why you fell in love with the sport. But here in the UK — where boxing has thrived for decades — it feels like we’re being left behind.
Wembley used to mean something. A UK stadium fight was an event. Not just the main event — the whole card. Title fights, domestic wars, crossroads bouts. You got your money’s worth. You felt part of something historic.
Now? You’re lucky if you get one genuine world title on a pay-per-view card. The rest is padded out with interim belts, WBA Golds, WBC Silvers and whatever other alphabet soup is flavour of the month. It’s not just disappointing — it’s insulting.
Tonight Should Be Special — But It’s Not
Take tonight’s fight: Oleksandr Usyk vs Daniel Dubois at Wembley. An undisputed title clash on home soil. It should be huge. It should have the country buzzing.
But it isn’t. Ask most UK boxing fans and the reaction is lukewarm at best.
Why? Because we know what this is. Dubois wasn’t the top contender. He was a replacement. A “make-do” fight when the real one fell through — again. And rather than stack the card to justify the price tag, we get what we always get now: one good fight and a night of filler.
There was a time when a Wembley night meant three world title fights, minimum. Now you’re lucky if the undercard features a British title bout that wasn’t arranged on 10 days’ notice.
I’ve been to over 1,000 fights around the world — in the UK, the US, Germany. I’ve stood ringside. I’ve sat up in the gods. And I can tell you: UK fans used to have it best. We showed up. We sold out arenas. We created atmosphere. But we’re being taken for granted.
From Britain’s Pride to American Product?
So why’s it happening? The short answer: money. The longer answer? DAZN.
Look, I get it. Boxing is a business. Fighters deserve to earn. Promoters have to keep the lights on. But since British boxing’s biggest names — and biggest promoters — started chasing the US dollar and DAZN subscriptions, it feels like we’re watching the sport drift across the Atlantic.
The likes of Anthony Joshua and Conor Benn were built in British rings, cheered on by British fans. Now they’re headlining in the US, or fighting on cards built for a different audience. And instead of being rewarded, the fans who packed the O2 and the Manchester Arena year after year are left with leftovers.
Even talk of AJ fighting Jake Paul — which I covered here — feels more about viral reach than real boxing. AJ is a former unified heavyweight champion. Jake Paul is a YouTuber. The fact that this fight is even being whispered about tells you where boxing’s priorities lie.
Pay-Per-View Cards? More Like Pay-For-Filler
It’s ridiculous. British fans are being asked to pay £24.99 for tonight’s Usyk vs. Dubois undisputed card at Wembley, plus cough up for the standard DAZN subscription — and that only gets you one real world title, padded out with interim belts and mismatches
Now compare that to September 13 — Canelo vs. Crawford. Huge global event, billed as the “biggest fight in 20 years”, and it’s included free in every Netflix subscription worldwide. No PPV. No top‑up. Just part of the package Netflix.
So here’s the brutal truth: We’re paying more. We’re getting less. And for the premium card, the US audience will watch it as part of a standard base DAZN subscription — often included free with annual plans
It’s perverse. British viewers built boxing’s DAZN model, took the early risk — yet we’re being priced out of the product we helped support, while the US gets it as part of their standard package. Meanwhile, the biggest fight of the year is on Netflix, free for millions globally, including here in the UK.
It’s not just unfair — it’s a dagger in the back of British boxing fans.
Promoters, Fighters, Broadcasters — You’re Losing Us
Everyone’s to blame here.
Promoters for putting business over balance. Fighters for playing safe and chasing clicks. Broadcasters for flooding the market with content but forgetting the value of craft.
It’s not good enough. Not for the fans who stuck by the sport through the pandemic. Not for the ones who bought tickets when the undercard was announced 48 hours before the bell. Not for the ones who got up at 3am to watch their favourite fighter take on a world champion across the pond.
British boxing has some of the best fans in the world — and it’s about time they were treated like it.
So… Is Boxing Losing Its Soul?
If it is, it won’t happen all at once. It’ll happen like this. A weak stadium card here. A dodged fight there. A PPV main event that doesn’t deliver. A legacy fight delayed for a DAZN date.
Slowly. Quietly. Deliberately.
And the soul of the sport — the thing that made it matter — gets chipped away, one “meh” night at a time.
Final Bell: UK Fans Deserve Better
Boxing isn’t dead. But it is in danger of losing what made it special. Especially here, in the UK, where the sport has deep roots, loyal supporters, and a proud history.
So here’s the question: are you still in love with boxing — or are you just holding on to the memory of what it used to be?
Let me know in the comments. And to the promoters, fighters, and broadcasters reading this: we’re not asking for the world. We’re asking for boxing. Give us a reason to believe again.