Small halls in crisis – boxing’s lifeblood is struggling to breathe

It’s a disease, in my opinion.

One of the most well-known small-hall promoters in the country has pondered why he continues to play the sport despite having to struggle to maintain its current state.

He continued, “You get involved and you can’t leave.”

Small-hall boxing is not considered rude sport. Due to the lack of opportunities to make enough money, ticket sales are declining, and money is lost. Some fighters who fill these cards with hopes for bigger stages are retiring.

Many of the promoters who run what are thought to be the sport’s grassroots are unsure of why they continue to do it.

Without the TV sponsorship and the presence of well-known promoters, small-hall boxing events are held in smaller venues all over the nation.

They provide entertainment for boxers and, more importantly, a path to success for those boxers who may not be poached directly from the amateur scene or, in this modern world, the social media space.

Consider Josh Warrington, a former dental technician from Leeds, who first appeared on the small-hall circuit with Wood in the north of England and later won the IBF featherweight title against Lee Selby at Elland Road.

Without the incident, Warrington might never have had a successful career in the fight industry.

Wood has been managing fighters and running boxing events in the north of England for ten years. It’s a fun pastime for a successful businessman, but it’s expensive.

The boss of VIP Promotions said, “It’s not a struggle, it’s impossible.” It’s always been a struggle, but it’s getting harder now.

I did it to encourage children to launch careers and get them to watch TV shows. You won’t get the same opportunities as you once did with the TV shows.

Due to Saudi Arabian money flooding the sport, there are still TV shows in the UK, but there haven’t been in recent years.

Wood said, “The Saudis put on a card with six big fights,” which would be the six shows you would have as the UK’s top fighters. That’s six shows how much you’re losing.

Wood’s cost to stage a good card is estimated to be around £15,000 in the north of England. Before a fighter is compensated, that is.

It costs more in the south, down south. Since promoting events at London’s York Hall, Steve Goodwin has managed more than 70 champions at various levels. They cost around £22, 000 per show.

Goodwin sees a number of causes why small-hall boxing is getting harder.

Tickets have had an impact on the cost of living. Changes to television rights have had an impact on interest.

The average working man is poorer, according to Goodwin, who lives in Leighton Buzzard, Bedfordshire. “People are generally poorer, in life,” he said.

“Ticket sales are definitely seeing a significant decline, both from boxers and from what we can generally sell to the general public,” says one analyst.

Since Sky Sports left the sport after its agreement with Boxxer expired, boxing has received fewer television exposure. Goodwin worries that Dazn’s audience is not growing enough, that new fans aren’t being drawn to the show.

In 2026, Sky Sports intends to re-enter the sport under new sponsors.

Boxing is not in a great place, Goodwin said, “I personally don’t care what the spin that’s put on by various people.”

People who are boxing fans, in general, are friends, and they are unaware of who the boxers are anymore.

The small-hall promoters rely on gate receipts to make money because they don’t have any TV money and don’t make much money off of sponsorships.

A fighter must sell enough tickets to cover both their own purse and theirs. They are no longer doing that in greater numbers.

Wood also believes that those who enjoy boxing are more in vogue.

He said, “White Collar is not something that has just come up; it has been around a while, but it is more well-known now than Misfits and other events.”

You ask, “Why should we keep losing money?” I had to consider 2026, and I’ll probably have to do fewer shows.

You would leave if you found out that I had other businesses and that I do boxing because I do it for money.”

Goodwin is doing the same and also has fewer boxers in his management. Three months ago, he almost completely vanished.

He claimed that “small hall doesn’t make sense in some ways.”

How can I continue to do this without losing money? But we keep doing it because, in my opinion, we are doing it best.

They also hold the viewpoint that reducing costs should be a part of the British Boxing Board of Control. The same fees apply to small-hall promoters as they do for big TV programs.

It seems like a vital component of the sport is deteriorating.

Wood remarked, “It has been the lifeblood of boxing for years.

A few fighters have left this year because they aren’t making enough money to work as professional boxers and have to feed their families.