The decline of the U.S. heavyweight is not a new phenomenon, but it is also difficult to pinpoint exactly why it began.
The Athletic spoke to a multitude of boxing experts — fighters, coaches, pundits and promoters — for their view. A common refrain was how boxing had been squeezed out by the rise of other sports in the U.S. and the money big athletes can earn elsewhere, notably in basketball and American football, sports where the earning potential has sky-rocketed in the last two decades.
“The sports landscape in the U.S. has changed a lot,” boxing manager Shelly Finkel, who worked with Tyson, Vitali and Wladimir Klitschko, and now Wilder, tells The Athletic. “When you have a large, young male athlete they may opt to go into football or basketball where they have large contracts paying them large amounts from the start.
“It is also a couple of years as a pro before you can make any money unless you’re coming out of an amateur programme and being well known.”
There is not just money to be made in the professional game — where teams in the NBA and NFL will stock up on talent — but also colleges, who cast their nets wide to ensure no potential star is missed.
Scholarships offer a chance of education as well as high-class training facilities. Beaten-down boxing gyms and a professional career in a sport where fighters often don’t know when the next fight or pay cheque is coming is not so attractive.