Getting involved in sports at any age is a great way to stay fit and make new friends. When deciding on which sports to get involved in, there are a lot of factors you must consider. Today, we will be comparing basketball and boxing to see which sport is right for you.
Basketball and boxing are high-intensity sports that conditions you mentally and physically. They both have also housed some of the most notable athletes of all time, like Michael Jordan and Muhammad Ali. You can make a name for yourself in whichever one you decide on.
In order to make this comparison as comprehensive as possible, we will be looking at both sports from several angles, including cost, difficulty, and popularity.
Is Basketball More Expensive Than Boxing?
Cost is a major consideration for starting a new hobby or sport. Below, we’ve listed the basic equipment you will need to begin basketball and boxing.
Keep in mind that prices vary dramatically for each item below; we’ve taken the average cost for new items at retail price. Using secondhand equipment is also a viable option and can be found at lower prices on sites such as eBay.
| Basketball Equipment | Price | Boxing Equipment | Price |
| Basketball | $30 | Boxing Gloves | $60 |
| Jerseys / Uniforms | $25 | Inner Wraps | $15 |
| Shoes | $110 | Mouth Piece | $15 |
| Other Equipment | $50 | Head Guard | $40 |
| Lessons | $75 / lesson | Groin Protection | $20 |
| Registration / Club Fee | $25 | Boxing Shoes | $80 |
| — | — | Focus Mitts | $50 |
| — | — | Lessons | $80 / lesson |
| — | — | Gym Membership Fee | $50 |
| Basketball Total | $315 | Boxing Total | $410 |
Boxing overall seems to be the more expensive sport if you’re going to purchase all equipment and take advantage of all resources to train. However, many boxing gyms will have equipment there for you to use, such as headgear, boxing gloves, and even inner wraps. Additionally, at some boxing gyms, the lessons might be an implied cost in the membership fee.
Similarly, getting started with basketball doesn’t always mean you have to purchase everything above. You can normally borrow equipment that gyms have in their facility. Also, if you’re only playing recreationally, you wouldn’t have to purchase any uniforms, which can save a bit of money as well.
Is Basketball Harder Than Boxing?
Difficulty is arguably the biggest factor in determining which sport is superior. There are a lot of biases surrounding what makes a sport difficult; it could be the conditioning, physical strength, and even mental fortitude required to compete. These are all important factors to consider.
A study was done by ESPN to make this determination as objective as possible. By polling 8 sports experts and having them rank sports from most to least difficult, a master list was essentially created to settle this debate. On this list, boxing ranks 1st overall in difficulty, whereas basketball ranks 4th. Total scores for the top 5 sports are below.
| Rank | Sport | Total Score |
| 1st | Boxing | 72.38 |
| 2nd | Ice Hockey | 71.75 |
| 3rd | Football | 68.38 |
| 4th | Basketball | 67.88 |
| 5th | Wrestling | 63.50 |
Looking at the individual categories on their post, basketball slightly outranks boxing in hand-eye coordination, analytical aptitude, and agility. Boxing, however, takes the cake by having high scores in power and nerve.
Is Basketball More Popular Than Boxing?
Basketball is among the top 3 sports in America when it comes to spectator viewing. Because college and professional basketball seasons last for months, there is more opportunity to draw interest from the public.
The structure of boxing is different when it comes to overall viewership; because fights with notable boxers happen a lot less frequently than a basketball matchup between two prominent players, it is difficult to compare these two on an apples-to-apples basis. But we can look at some of the more popular and recent events for each sport and see how many people were watching.
| Date | Basketball Event | Total Estimated Viewers |
| June 16th, 2022 | NBA Finals: Celtics vs. Warriors – Game 6 | 14,000,000 |
| June 10th, 2019 | NBA Finals: Raptors vs. Warriors – Game 5 | 18,340,000 |
| June 16th, 2016 | NBA Finals Cavaliers vs. Warriors – Game 7 | 31,000,000 |
| Date | Boxing Event | Total Estimated PPVs |
| February 22nd, 2022 | Deontay Wilder vs. Tyson Fury II | 850,000 |
| August 26th, 2017 | Floyd Mayweather Jr. vs. Conor McGregor | 4,300,000 |
| May 2nd, 2015 | Floyd Mayweather Jr. vs. Manny Pacquiao | 4,600,000 |
Although the comparison metrics are different for each sport (viewers vs. pay-per-view) we can assume that roughly 5 – 10 people are watching on one PPV purchase. This puts boxing’s biggest events in recent years over some of the more widely viewed NBA games.
It is too close to tell which sport is more popular with the metrics above, so below we have added some charts from Google Trends that displays the search volume of these two sports over time.
Basketball Search Volume
Boxing Search Volume
We have gone back as far as the tool allows in order to get the best perspective on if a sport is increasing or decreasing in popularity.
We can see that basketball’s peak search volume happens almost annually and peaked around March 2019 (although March 2022 is almost equal). Boxing’s peak search volume happened around May 2015 and has not really come close to that number in the past few years.
Given this, we can determine that basketball is the more popular sport.
Is Basketball Better Than Boxing?
Whether one sport is better than another is a matter of opinion, but here, we’ll evaluate boxing and basketball based on how you can play them, as well as their fitness benefits
Team vs. Individual Play
You can play basketball in many different configurations, from half court to full court, one-on-one or full teams of 5 players each. You can also play basketball-related games like HORSE or shoot free throws alone or with a friend.
You can train for boxing with a jump rope, punching bag, and paddles (held by a partner). Only 2 people can spar at a time in a ring, so it can take a while for your turn to come around if you train with a group.
Physical Fitness Benefits
Both sports require the athlete to be in great physical condition to be competitive, but both can be enjoyed by athletes at any level.
Basketball requires constant running and changing direction with the lower body, while the upper body is used for shooting and dribbling.
You will need to build up endurance for boxing, but it is more about explosive movements done over and over.
Conclusion: Basketball Vs. Boxing
In conclusion, we’ve been able to compare many factors between the two sports, but hopefully this gave you a better understanding as to which sport is a better fit for you.
Basketball seems to take the cake when comparing general popularity, as well as price, but boxing ranks superior when looking at difficulty and event viewership. Depending on what is important to you when evaluating a sport, which one is considered “better” can really go either way.