The thread title "is boxing in really bad shape right now" and the poll question "is boxing near its end" are two totally different questions. I don't know enough about the business of boxing to say if it's in really bad shape on that end, but as a fan I'd say it's the best it has been in a little while. There has already been a lot of big fights this year and there's quite a bit more already officially lined up across the next few months. Of course this is all excluding the Heavyweight division which as everyone has said for years now is in terrible shape, which it is.
As far as UFC crowd size versus boxing crowd size, it's complicated. UFC only runs PPV shows what, 6-8 times a year? The UFN's are in a shithole as far as seating capacity, so those are like what boxing's Friday Night Fights is like on ESPN. Same sized crowds. The FNF crowds might actually be bigger I'm not sure I haven't watched that show in a while. But a big UFC show doesn't do what a BIG boxing show does. Cruz would have to explain to you the difference between a BIG boxing show is and just a good fight fans want to see, because that's a whole 'nother story in itself. Overall boxing would slaughter UFC because they have so many more shows because it's a sport, whereas UFC is only one organization within a sport. If you're talking MMA in general in the U.S. vs. boxing in the U.S., I would have no idea because there's far too many shows.
Obviously boxing is still bigger than MMA right now, but UFC when they do PPV shows, their "top" shows - they're starting to be competitive with boxing's "top" shows (the DLH type top shows) in terms of attendance. PPV buys for a DLH type show still slaughter UFC numbers. But even there, UFC PPV numbers are dramatically increasing with each show.
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