Why Women's Boxing Is on Fire

Boxing has always been a sport that is driven by the demand of the people. Starting out in casinos and bingo halls, boxing wagers from everyday people gave a measurable indicator of the interest in a fight. Today, people largely watch boxing on their streaming device of choice and place bets on online casinos and sportsbooks.

Women’s boxing has emerged as one of the fastest-growing segments of the sport in recent years and has benefited from the evolving times and technology. The public is more invested in women’s boxing than ever, and this trend doesn't show signs of slowing down any time soon.

Here’s why women’s boxing is on fire and will be for the foreseeable future.

Trailblazing in Women’s MMA

It's clear MMA played a huge role in the women’s fight sports push that has happened in recent years. Once the UFC’s Ronda Rousey became a breakout star, fight promoters realised that you could not only sell women’s bouts but also have women headline pay-per-view (PPV) cards to smash success.

Social media was a big reason for Rousey's success. Her fights mostly ended early due to submission, which made for great viral content.

Boxing had a breakout star in Laila Ali in the 90s, but she didn’t generate sustained interest in the sport, largely because the rest of women's boxing was incredibly niche. It'd probably be a different story if Ali came along today and had the benefit of streaming services broadcasting all of her fights and social media highlights bringing in casual fans.

source:  pxhere

Living in the Content Age

Women’s boxing thrives today because people are voracious for content. Fight fans don’t just tune in for fight night now – they tune in for the press conferences, subscribe to fighters’ YouTube channels and social media pages, and watch behind-the-scenes documentaries leading up to each fight.

The abundance of content and streaming technology makes it easier to sell women’s fights and create stars. The evolution of the content age has impacted all forms of sports and entertainment.

As previously mentioned, casinos (both physical and online) have often been used as an indicator of the public's interest in the sport. As the medium has developed into the 21st century, women's boxing could learn a lesson from this entertainment sector regarding viewer retention and offering live experiences.

In one regard, fans that want to catch up on the biggest boxing bouts will need subscriptions to streaming services ESPN+ and DAZN. This has shaken the PPV model since fight fans can view all of their premium cards with a small monthly subscription fee.

Likewise, casinos are no longer something you need to book a flight and a vacation to enjoy. Online casinos provide an interactive experience playing many of the same games typically found in their physical counterparts. Sites like Buzz Bingo offer bingo, slots, and other interactive games that people can play anywhere they have an internet connection. These casinos offer live bingo hosts, live dealers, and other features to make the experience more realistic. This focus on the live experience for the customer is an area women's boxing could also emulate.

It's clear that these sorts of technological advancements are here to stay. One of the biggest fights in women's boxing history, Katie Taylor vs. Amanda Serrano bout, aired on the DAZN streaming service rather than PPV. This made it more accessible to fans, which built a bigger buzz.

The clash was promoted as one for the history books since it featured two women in the main event headlining Madison Square Garden. It lived up to the hype, as it went on to be named the    Sports Illustrated Fight of the Year. Expect to see these sorts of technology changes continue to help women's fights reach bigger audiences.

The Fights Are Great

You have to have a quality product to sell at the end of the day. Not only did Taylor and Serrano live up to their bout in a classic, but  ESPN-ranked fighters like Claressa Shields, Alycia Baumgardner, and Mikaela Mayer have all been involved in big-time fights that delivered.

Now that these fighters are on people’s radars and have captured the imagination of the public, the sky is the limit. Promoters are all in, fans are loving the matchups, and we haven’t even yet scratched the surface of women’s boxing’s golden age.

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