Summary of our market study

In 2020, the global boxing market continues to show promising growth, with an estimated value of $905.3 million and a compound annual growth rate (CAGR) of 5.8%. This booming market is driven by the increasing organization of boxing competitions worldwide and the growing number of boxing clubs, particularly in the Asia-Pacific region, which is expected to see the strongest growth.

In France, the market enjoyed a resurgence in popularity, with licenses within the French Boxing Federation (FFB) up 44% and boxing clubs up 13%. The number of licensed boxers reached 59,874. The market was boosted by innovations such as connected boxing equipment, new variants like aeroboxing, and growing media coverage.

Growing popularity and feminization of the French boxing market

The French boxing market has undergone an impressive revival and expansion in recent years, with a considerable increase in demand for the sport. The rejuvenation of interest in boxing, particularly following the Rio Olympics, has led to a dramatic increase in the number of licensed boxers in the country.

In addition to this increase in the number of licensed boxers, there is also a significant number of unlicensed boxing enthusiasts - estimated at between between 10,000 and 15,000 - who train in private clubs, indicating a wider reach of the sport beyond the regulated federation. Notably, the youth segment - particularly those aged 15 to 19 - accounts for over 20% of boxing licensees, while another considerable portion of the boxing community is in the 10-14 age bracket.

The French boxing scene is also marked by regional disparities, with regions such as Île-de-France, Auvergne-Rhône-Alpes and Hauts-de-France leading the way in terms of number of licenses issued and proliferation of boxing clubs. Île-de-France, in particular, stands out with over 9,000 licenses, which may be correlated with the significant increase in the number of boxing clubs.

The market is also undergoing a significant trend towards feminization, with more and more women taking up boxing both professionally and recreationally. The percentage of licensed female boxers has risen sharply, with a 61% increase in female participation in five years. This development could be attributed to changing perceptions of the sport and the introduction of new training variants adapted to women, such as aeroboxing.

Another notable trend is the corporate adoption of boxing as a stress-relieving, productivity-enhancing and team-building tool. given that around 50% of combat sports enthusiasts are white-collar workers, companies are increasingly integrating boxing into their wellness programs and even setting up boxing facilities within their infrastructure.

The overall market for boxing equipment also reflects the sport's burgeoning appeal, with the boxing gloves segment accounting for almost half the market share. This growth is also underpinned by the expansion of equipment manufacturers, who are adapting their offerings to meet the needs of a diversified audience.

Key players in the French boxing market:

The boxing market includes a variety of players, from local clubs to international federations, all of whom contribute to the sport's growth and innovation. This dynamic market is a symphony of action, with each participant playing a crucial role. Let's take a look at the profiles of some of the key players in this sector.

  • French Boxing Federation (FF Boxe)

Created in 1903 as an Olympic federation, the FF Boxe is the mainstay of boxing in France, orchestrating the sport's various forms, from leisure to professional. With 923 affiliated clubs and almost 60,000 members, the FF Boxe embodies the spirit and passion of boxing throughout the country. It seeks to modernize and improve the sport's image through strategic partnerships with communications agencies such as Lafourmi-Leroy Tremblot. The federation is striving to foster a sense of community and pride among boxing enthusiasts by launching a state-of-the-art digital platform and rebranding for greater resonance and relevance.

  • Equipment manufacturers

At the heart of the boxing experience is the equipment, and manufacturers play a vital role in equipping fighters for the ring. While France imports much of its boxing gear, Pakistan's Sialkot is a global heavyweight, producing around 75% of the world's boxing gloves. Brands such as Adidas and Metal Boxing stand out in the glove sector, while other notable names such as Venum and Boxing Shop also mark their territory in this niche. These OEMs navigate complex supply chains and strive to bridge the gap between production challenges and market demands, responding to trends such as the growing demographic of women's boxing by adapting their products to a more diverse audience.

  • Media coverage

The media is the prism through which millions of people discover the thrill of boxing. The Conseil Supérieur de l'Audiovisuel reports a significant number of sports programs devoted to boxing, illustrating its popularity and the growing interest it arouses among viewers. Kickboxing, in particular, received increased exposure, reflecting a growing appetite for combat sports on mainstream channels.

  • Boxing clubs

The increase in the number of boxing clubs reflects the growing interest in the sport at local level. These gyms are the training grounds where novices and seasoned pros hone their skills. The increase in the number of these establishments, particularly in regions such as Île-de-France, Auvergne-Rhône-Alpes and Hauts-de-France, underlines the growing demand for boxing as a physical and recreational activity.

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Summary and extracts

1 Market overview

1.1 Market overview and definition

The boxing market encompasses a wide range of players, from boxing clubs (professional and amateur) to equipment manufacturers and specialist media.

Boxing is a combat sport pitting two opponents in the same weight category against each other. ( English boxing), or with punches and kicks (French boxing), according to precise rules.although English boxing is the most widespread form of boxing today, there are specific forms of boxing in almost every country in the world. The main types of boxing include English boxing, French boxing, American boxing and Thai boxing.

Boxing originated in the 6th century BC and was practised in Ancient Greece and the Roman Empire in two forms of combat sports ( pugilism and pancrax).boxing came back into fashion in the 17th century, in a very violent form. From 1743 onwards, boxing was progressively codified in order to avoid the many deaths caused by its practice, with the London Prize Ring Rules (the first universal rules of English boxing). The wearing of boxing gloves became compulsory in 1866, and the practice of English boxing became legal in 1891.

The great boxers of the 20th century - such as Mohamed Ali, the late world heavyweight boxing champion - contributed to the development and popularization of boxing as a combat sport, which until then had been closely associated with violence and corruption.

In France, boxing enjoyed a boom in 2016, as evidenced by theincrease in the number of licenses issued by the French Boxing Federation, before being severely impacted by the health crisis. The sport is now back on the rise in France, and with 64,237 licensees in 2023, has even surpassed its pre-covid level and the 2018 peak of 59,874.

1.2 Global market: growth opportunities

In the absence of figures concerning the size of the global boxing market, we can nevertheless give the value of boxing equipment sales, and in particular boxing gloves, which gives an insight into the market's growth opportunities.

The global boxing gloves market is valued at *.** billion US dollars in **** and is expected to grow at a CAGR of +*. *% over the period ****-****, to exceed *.** billion in ****. [***]

Boxing equipment market size by value and forecast World, ****-****, US$ billion Source: ****

Market growth is driven in particular by theincreasing number of boxing competitions organized worldwide and the growing number of boxing clubs.

The American continent will account for almost **% of the boxing gloves market in ****, ahead of the EMEA (***) regions. However, it is the latter that is expected to see the greatest growth in this segment of the boxing market over the next few years, with a CAGR of *.*% over the period ****-****. [***]

The number of boxing participants in leagues has risen by ***% since the sport was popularized in the ****s: according to figures from BoxRec.com, a website that records the professional record of all boxers, male and female, in **** there were almost **,*** active professional boxers worldwide.[***]

Finally, a distinction is made ...

1.3 Boxing has become a trend in France since 2016

long sidelined and little publicized in France, notably due to the lack of results at the London **** Olympic Games, boxing has recently regained with the emergence of "Team Solide", the nickname given to the French team that returned from the **** Rio Olympics with six medals.

This success has rekindled French enthusiasm for the discipline, and many TV programs have started broadcasting boxing again: Canal+, which had stopped its boxing broadcasts in **** due to the discipline's lack of popularity in France, signed up with an American promoter after the Rio success to broadcast around ten evenings a year.

There is a relative correlation between the number of Olympic medals won at each Olympic Games and the number of licensees in the discipline, as shown by the following graph taken from data in a report by the French Ministry of Sports on the French Boxing Federation. In fact, the number of licensees in France rose by +***% between **** and ****, at the same time as the French boxing team outperformed at the Olympic Games in Beijing and, above all, Rio. The Fédération Française de Boxe (***) will have **,*** licensees in the ****/**** season, compared with **,*** in ****/****, an increase of **% in one year!

Evolution in ...

2 Demand analysis

2.1 Demand on the rise again after the health crisis

A general increase in the number of licensees up to ****

According to FFB figures, there will be **,*** members of the French Boxing Federation in France in **** , compared with **,*** in **** and **,*** in ****. before dropping drastically in the ****/**** season, impacted by the health crisis that led to the closure of sports clubs. The number of licensees is now on the rise again, but has not yet returned to its pre-pandemic level of ****. these figures do not take into account the **,*** to **,*** unlicensed boxers who train in private clubs.

Number of licenses issued by the FFB France, ****-****, in units +***% of licensees since **** Source: ****

The Institut National de la Jeunesse et de l'Education Populaire provides us with figures for the ****-**** season on the distribution of licensees within the French Boxing Federation by age group: **-** year-olds were the most numerous boxers (***).

Distribution of FFB members by age group France, ****, in units Source: ****

Regional differences

The Fédération Française de Boxe provides us with data on the regional breakdown of licenses issued during the ****/**** season: the Île-de-France region is well ahead with *,*** licenses issued (***). The overall drop in the number of licenses compared to **** is a national phenomenon that can be observed ...

2.2 Feminization of demand

In ****, there were still more than twice as many men as women among boxing licensees.

Number of FFB licenses issued by gender France, ****, in units Source: ****

At amateur level, the proportion of women practicing boxing regularly (***) remains very low compared to other sports: according to an Ipsos survey conducted in **** among women aged ** to **, only *% of women surveyed regularly practice combat sports such as boxing, karate or martial arts, compared with **% of women for walking and hiking. [***]

Sports regularly practiced by women France, ****, % Source: ****

Nevertheless, the figures show that boxing is becoming increasingly popular with women. Women will account for **.*% of boxing licensees in ****, compared with **.*% in ****, demonstrating a trend that has taken hold.

Proportion of women boxing licensees France, ****-****, in Source: ****

Among the reasons behind this feminine craze for boxing, numerous studies refute the received idea that the trend towards the feminization of boxing is linked to a growing climate of insecurity.minization of boxing is linked to a growing climate of insecurity, and point to the fact that women take up the sport out of a genuine desire to practice a combat sport. The main attraction is the fact that boxing is an all-round sport for shaping the ...

2.3 Companies are also getting into boxing

There's a noticeable trend towards boxing among executives and within companies. In fact, the benefits of boxing are numerous: in addition to sculpting the body's shape, the sport is seen as a motivational tool, helping to relieve stress and boost productivity for the rest of the day after a session. It's also a way of learning to assert oneself and working on concentration.

It is estimated that of the *.* million French people who practice a combat sport (***), **% are in the upper-income bracket. [***]

Some companies organize boxing seminars to bond employees, or install boxing rings in their buildings to enable employees to let off steam several times a week. This is the case at Delaisy Kargo Hersand, an industrial recycling company in Sarcelles, whose director Hervé Sztarkman has installed a boxing ring within the company to enable employees to go boxing for two hours every morning. According to him, his employees' productivity has risen sharply since the ring was installed. [***]

3 Market structure

3.1 A multiplicity of players

The French Boxing Federation (***)

The Fédération Française de Boxe is an Olympic federation created in ****, whose role is to organize and promote the practice of boxing in France. It offers a range of boxing styles to suit every age, gender and motivation: professional boxing, amateur boxing, educational boxing, aeroboxing and veteran boxing. There were *** boxing clubs and **,*** members in August ****. [***] Since ****, the FFB has been responsible for English boxing, an Olympic discipline.

Its budgetary resources are limited, amounting to *.* million euros in ****: by way of comparison, this budget is ** times lower than that of the French Rugby Federation for nine times fewer licensees. The FFB therefore relies on the personal investment of boxers and on coaching. The FFB receives support from the French government, whose support rate is **.*%: the subsidies provided by the Ministry of Sports under the **** objectives agreement amounted to *.* million euros. [***]

Since the success of "Team Solide" at the Rio Olympics in **** and the ensuing craze for the discipline, the FFB has been trying to structure itself further. For example, it recently decided to engage the services of a communications agency, Lafourmi-Leroy Tremblot, to emerge as a brand, modernize theimage of boxing and develop a ...

3.2 An increase in the number of boxing clubs in France

According to figures from the French Boxing Federation, there will be *** boxing clubs in ****, compared with *** boxing clubs in ****, a figure which, like the number of licenses, is again up slightly but is not catching up with its pre-Covid level and the **** peak that followed the **** Olympic Games. Number of boxing clubs France, ****-**** Source: INJEP The majority of boxing clubs are located in Ile-de-France, ahead of the Auvergne-Rhône-Alpes and Hauts de France regions and Nouvelle Aquitaine, as shown in the following graph showing the number of clubs according to each French region in ****. Boxing clubs by region France, **** Source: FFB Among the clubs present in Ile-de-France is Temple Noble Art, launched in **** around the concept of a chic, mixed boxing club, which aims to make boxing more accessible to new practitioners. The chain is aiming to develop a dozen gyms in Paris, before subsequently setting up in the regions. It claims sales of ** million for the two years ****-****. [***]

4 Offer analysis

4.1 The different types of boxing

The main types of boxing include :

English boxing: nicknamed the " noble art " and one of the Olympic disciplines, this is the most popular professional boxing. It requires basic equipment (***) and consists of an exchange of punches to the face and chest of the opponent. French boxing: nicknamed "savate", it is very popular in France. This international discipline, which belongs to the boxing piedspoings (***) group, consists of an exchange of punches and kicks. The equipment required includes boxing shoes and gloves, mouth guard and mouth guard. American boxing: born in the United States and also known as " full contact ", it belongs to the BPP group and consists of an exchange of blows delivered above the belt where the KO (***), although this combat sport remains much freer than American boxing in terms of rules. Thai boxing: originating in Thailand, this particularly violent form of boxing belongs to the BPP group and uses a wide variety of weapons (***) and targets.

4.2 Boxing, an expensive activity

Price of the FF Boxe license

The FF Boxe license entitles the holder to practice boxing. It consists of an annual investment that varies according to the type of boxing practiced and the level (***). The price of an FF Boxe license is considerably lower than that of other sports such as rugby, soccer or racket sports.

Source: ****

For leisure boxing, the cost of the license varies between ** and ** euros per year. For professional boxing, the cost of the license can reach *** euros per year.

Price of a boxing lesson / membership in a boxing club

The price of a basic boxing lesson averages between ** and ** euros. But there are big differences between prices in Paris and those in smaller towns, between the city and the countryside, and between lessons given in a boxing gym and those given by private coaches.

Source: ****

Additional costs

equipment needed to practice boxing

Some of the equipment may be supplied by the gym or the coach, while the rest is the responsibility of the boxer. The following table lists the equipment needed to practice boxing and its average price.

Source: ****

More specifically, the price of boxing gloves, essential for boxing at any level, varies widely depending on ...

4.3 Overview of weight categories

As the choice of boxing equipment depends not only on the boxer's level, but also on his weight and height, here's a table summarizing the different weight categories in amateur boxing (***).

Source: ****

Source: ****

4.4 A market in the throes of innovation

New products: connected boxing Digital innovation is also affecting the boxing market. In ****, for example, Swiss start-up PIQ teamed up with American combat sports equipment manufacturer Everlast to offer a sensor that measures boxers' performance and progress during training. Positioned in a bandage on the wrist, the PIQ Robot™ sensor records all the boxer's movements, the power and speed of punches and transmits statistics in real time to smartphone or tablet via the Learderbord social network. The sensor costs ** euros. [***] There are also smart boxing gloves and punching bags, such as the iPunch gloves marketed by Responsive Sports in ****, or the smart gloves and punching bags with adjustable mobility marketed by Volscens in ****.[***] In ****, at CES in Las Vegas, the French start-up won the prestigious "CES Innovation Award", in the Sport & Fitness category. This Tarn-based start-up created the first connected punching bag cover. The I-Perskin installs in seconds on any traditional punching bag and transforms it into an interactive, intelligent bag: sensors measure punching speed and force, reactivity and stroke volume. In ****, French start-up Kinvent raised ** million euros. It develops wearable motion sensors for athletes, which analyze the biomechanics of boxers' movements and detect potential anomalies. New boxing variants With the ...

5 Regulations

5.1 General sports regulations

A federal organization

The FF Boxe has been delegated for the following disciplines:

- English boxing

- Olympic boxing

- Assault educational boxing

- Women's boxing

Savate boxe française is organized by the FF savate; American and Thai boxing are organized by the FF de sports de contact.

Five delegated federations are also candidates to host MMA (***) as part of the legalization of this sport in France: kick boxing and muay thaï, karate, wrestling, judo and French boxing. The French Ministry of Sport has extended the application deadline from September ** to November **, ****. [***]

Regulations specific to combat halls

Article A***-*** of the French Sports Code stipulates that "the minimum hygiene, technical and safety guarantees below are mandatory for any hall where martial arts are practiced. However, these guarantees are strongly recommended for combat sports halls."

Work area : Minimum mat area: **m* with no obstacles such as pillars or columns; Minimum width: *m**; Beyond * practicing couples, this area will be increased by *m* per couple. room equipment : Minimum height under ceiling, beam or any other obstacle such as lighting: *m** ; Protection of the hall by padding obstacles of any kind (***) located at a distance of less than *m from the mat, ...

6 Positioning the players

6.1 Segmentation

  • Temple Noble Art
  • Apollo Sporting Club
  • Adidas
  • Metal Boxe Attitude Fight
  • Intersport France
  • Go Sport France
  • Décathlon France
  • Ymaa france
  • U-Percute, Art Boxing club
  • Sweat boxing
  • Skarbowsky GYM
  • Savate Club Paris 15
  • Phenix Boxing
  • Paris Taekwondo Elite
  • La Française Athletic Club
  • Kickers Team
  • Ecole française de jujitsu
  • District Training Zone Montreuil
  • Battling club Paris 17
  • ASMBF Paris Boxing
  • Planet Fitness Equipements
  • Aero Fit Boxing
  • Shogun center
  • Venum
  • Sportcom

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