Capturing the Popularity of Boxing

Boxing is hugely popular across the world. Millions of people are gripped by fights in all weight divisions and thousands more take part in competitions on a professional and amateur basis. As video games have become commonplace, the sport's popularity has been replicated in the virtual world.

Let's have a look at this development and the ways people engage with the sport outside those million-dollar bouts that hook fight fans across the country and the rest of the world.

A global industry that is an obsession for so many people

The hype surrounding the biggest fights appears to increase with every passing event. They often attract interest from audiences all over the world and you will also see a great deal of analysis from experts. Elements of the build-up like the weigh-in are covered in great detail by the media and boxing fanatics alike.

No sport does better with the traditions and rituals, like the weigh in, here featuring Canelo Alvarez and Caleb Plant, like boxing does.

During these multi-million dollar extravaganzas, punters take to their favored bookies to get in on the action and place wagers on all sorts of different outcomes. For most boxing bouts, you see the expected outright markets such as the fight result, method of victory, and even individual round betting. However, for some of the more high-profile fights, there are special wagers for those well-researched bettors who want to take things up a notch. This 2 Sportsbook contains a list of websites that offer these types of markets, alongside a comprehensive breakdown of bonuses and welcome offers to further entice boxing fans across the country.

As the boxing matches get bigger, in terms of both the stature of the boxers and the prize money on the line, so too does the nature of the betting markets. For every gargantuan face-off in the ring, there are millions of punters and pundits with their betting slips in hand, waiting for things to go their way.

One of the biggest fights in recent time was Tyson Fury v Deontay Wilder 3. Fans all over the planet tried to analyze every aspect before placing a bet. Many bookmakers put Fury as the favorite to win but millions still sensed a shock from Wilder. They were eventually proven wrong in what turned out to be a spectacular advert for the sport as a whole.

Realistic video games

When these big fights are over, some fans take to the virtual world to try and recreate moments from recent fights or even some from decades ago. Going back in time a little, games in the Fight Night series from EA Sports had varying degrees of success and popularity. The last game, titled Fight Night Champion, was released in 2011 and allowed gamers to take control of Wladimir Klitschko, David Haye, and Manny Pacquiao. Some believe that it's the greatest boxing game ever created.

There's a new game coming out that could offer competition to Fight Night for a place in the hearts of boxing games. The upcoming eSports Boxing Club is now eagerly anticipated. Like many sports games, it allows you to start from an amateur and grassroots level and develop into the best in the world.

A very different version of the sport

There have been some wonderful boxing games that have taken a less serious depiction of the sport. One great example is Wii Boxing. It was included as part of Nintendo's Wii Sports bundle and gave the gamer total control of what was going on. Despite being part of a party-style games bundle, battles in the boxing game could often become very intense.

Generally speaking, fighting games have always been popular. Iconic series like Street Fighter and Mortal Kombat take some of the basic ideas of boxing and combine them with a level of fantasy and magic.

The impact of the new console generation

The new generation of consoles can potentially bring out about the most realistic boxing games ever created. EA Sports have added an extra level of glitz and glamor to their recent sports games and there are rumors that the company is prepping for a future edition of the Fight Night series. This would almost certainly prove to be a big success. There's a chance it would also contain the relevant licenses like so many other EA titles. It's in the game.