How did boxing become such a popular movie subject, given the dramatic decline in the sport's popularity?

[t***@gmail.com]

https://www.reddit.com/r/movies/comments/5574uq/how_did_boxing_become_such_a_popular_movie/

I hope that title doesn't come across as a whiny, because I enjoy many of these films; I'm just curious as to how boxing achieved and maintained it's foothold in film. Maybe my perception of actual boxing's popularity is completely off, but my understanding is that it was a mainstream spectacle during the Ali days; much bigger than it's current PPV/HBO status.

Obviously there is a lot of drama inherent in the sport, but couldn't the same be said for many other less-mainstream sports; e.g, cycling, weightlifting, pogs, etc.?

[Juan Anonly]

Post by t***@gmail.com
https://www.reddit.com/r/movies/comments/5574uq/how_did_boxing_become_such_a_popular_movie/
I hope that title doesn't come across as a whiny, because I enjoy many
of these films; I'm just curious as to how boxing achieved and
maintained it's foothold in film. Maybe my perception of actual
boxing's popularity is completely off, but my understanding is that it
was a mainstream spectacle during the Ali days; much bigger than it's
current PPV/HBO status.
Obviously there is a lot of drama inherent in the sport, but couldn't
the same be said for many other less-mainstream sports; e.g, cycling,
weightlifting, pogs, etc.?

Sure, if you have a good narrative you can embue a story with plenty of
drama, and you might even get the audience going with it. But there is
little drama that has as much inherent drama, violence, confrontation,
and conflict as two men fighting. It's pretty damn primal, and any
human, wise to "sport" in any context understands it, even without
subtitles or narration. Weightlifting--not so much.