Media e Pugilato, tra rilevanza storica e futuro incerto. Il caso italiano di “The Art of Fighting” Promotion

Abstract

This article aims to explore the relationship between media and boxing through the analysis of a case study. The theoretical research approach is guided by the framework of sport mediatization, which is outlined in the first half of the paper with a specific focus on the discipline of boxing. The case study examines The Art of Fighting promotion, a newly established (2022) organization that promotes and organizes boxing events, making communication practices one of the pillars of its ontology. Following an initial exploratory research phase, four semi-structured interviews were conducted (two with executives and two with boxers) to investigate in depth the underlying dynamics and motivations of the case study. The collected data were then coded according to a set of relevant dimensions. The study highlights pronounced processes of mediatization, which result in a growing dependency of contemporary boxing on media logics.