I’m going through a messy divorce. We loved each other dearly; perhaps I was blind to any faults. Yet now I find myself cheating with my love’s worst enemy, that bubbly young one that all the boys like. I am of course talking about boxing and Mixed Martial Arts (MMA).
Where has boxing gone wrong?
I am only in my mid-twenties, but I somehow feel that I was growing up in a time when boxing was teetering on the edge of the abyss. The last death throes of an incredibly popular and exciting sport.
I was raised in the pugilistic arts in the heavyweight division by guys like Tyson, Holyfield, Lewis and to a lesser extent, David ‘Tuaman’ Tua.
Their physical form, power, fitness and sheer hatred for each other made it entertaining and unpredictable.
The first thing that began killing my attraction to boxing was the insane number of ‘world champion’ available. I don’t want to see someone with three world titles. This is not the WWE.
I want to see them hold the World Title. The only one in existence, that states here is the world’s finest fighter in this weight division.
Currently you can be champion in the WBA, WBC, IBF, WBO or The Ring. I have no issue with fighters choosing to fight in either or all of these organisations, but there should only be one belt, held by one guy.
It is a serious case of flooding the market. How am I, the casual observer, supposed to know which belts are legitimate and which ones are for pretenders?
The second death stroke is the reluctance of well known champions to fight anyone of significance. Australian boxing provides a perfect example of this.
Danny Green was afraid to lose his belt, and his pay days, so he fought an old man, a man with a serious neurological disorder and someone just out of retirement.
When he finally showed some balls to fight a boxer who had some skills but had fallen into American boxing obscurity, Danny was soundly beaten.
Boxing needs another Thrilla in Manila or Rumble in the Jungle. Sure, these fights contained one of the greatest entertainers of all time, but what made these fights was that the boxers had guts. They fought the best regularly. In the case of the Thrilla in Manilla they just plain hated each other.
They were willing to risk their belt, record, and even their lives just to settle a score.
It makes the current Mayweather v Pacquiao shambles incredibly painful. There is no doubt that these are the best pound-for-pound fighters of my generation. But Mayweather does not want to lose his undefeated record.
He isn’t willing to risk it all and I have stopped caring whether or not it happens, which is heartbreaking.
This is where MMA caught my eye, the beginning of the affair. The most attractive aspect of the MMA was the fact that the organisation pitted the best fighters against each other regularly.
It was constantly one versus two, not champion versus some guy who learnt to box three weeks ago.
This created a level of intensity and legitimacy to the wins and showed how freakishly skilful Chuck Lidell and Randy Couture were. Chuck Lidell has a career record of 21-8. These are figures that would kill a boxer’s career.
Randy was only slightly better at 30-11, however he ended as the champion a total of five times in two weight divisions. They had a lot of losses in their career because they were continually fighting the best contenders.
The second is the pre-fight. All too often in boxing these days the fighters act like inarticulate Muhammad Alis. They try to hype the fight by bitch-slapping each other at the weigh in and making derogatory comments about the other’s mother.
MMA fighters often make semi-intelligent remarks about the other’s technique and style, and states how he is going to beat him up. It is a scene safe for mothers and shows a level of intelligence.
MMA offers a level of variety that boxing can not achieve. While boxing is the sweet science it revolves mainly around head and abdomen.
There are so many ways that a MMA fighter can end a fight, through knockouts, grappling, submission, ground and pounds, kicking, and the list goes on.
It is this variety and spontaneity of attack which keeps you on the edge of your seat waiting to see when that pivotal moment will come.
Lastly, attention span. In the modern era when everything is high paced and a million miles an hour, our attention spans appear to have been whittled down. A twelve round fight will take a minimum of 36 minutes, MMA just 15.
This all means more fighters, more often, over a shorter period of time. It appeals to the younger generation.
It is a shame, I loved boxing. I did not want it to end this way; but sadly, boxing it’s not me. It’s you.
Glen
Guest
Of the world class MMA fighters, almost everyone one of them is in the UFC and has to fight the best guys out there. The exceptions are Gilbert Milendez, the dominant lightweight in Strikeforce, and a few guys in the really low weight classes. Melendez wants to come to the UFC and will hopefully soon be there. Most other organisations are regional, and have guys who are up and coming or have been cut from the UFC.
Glen
Guest
What's worse? An overmatched fighter in the UFC getting knocked down and copping several hard punches before the referee jumps in to prevent any further strikes and declare a winner. Or an overmatched boxer copping 50 hard shots over 12 rounds who maybe gets knocked down once or twice, and gets to the end while never having any chance of winning the fight. I'm a big fan, but evidence over the last decade on the toll boxing wars take on the brain is deeply saddening, and i don't think MMA fighters will cop the same level of damage, though i don't have evidence to back that up. I'm the guy who's always calling for the ref to stop the fight sooner rather than later, as soon as it's clear a guy can't win and is taking real damage. And i have no problem with the UFC. It's more spectualar, but probably less damaging.
Glen
Guest
Great article. I'm in the same position myself. I love boxing. Seeing the technical wizardry of Floyd Mayweather is awe inspiring, and it would be wonderful to see him fight Pacman. Though it seems both guys don't really won't the fight, and i'm sick of the drama. I follow the sport reasonably closely, and it is very difficult to tell who is any good. I haven't watched a Mundine fight in years because he hasn't fought anyone world ranked, and takes easy fights. When someone says they are a world champion, you just roll your eyes these days. It's completely devalued, only matters who you beat. Everyone knows its absurd, but there are small signs of progress like Mayweather - Mosley not being for a belt, because it didn't matter to anyone. The super six boxing championship, where they got the best six super middleweights and put them in a round robin tournament, would be a great direction for boxing, though i was only able to see little of it. I've become obsessive about UFC. The great things are that the best fight the best and almost everyone shows a great deal of spirit of fair play and respect. The technical quality is improving in leaps and bounds, though to my mind there are no world class strikers in UFC at the moment. Boxing and UFC are quite different sports, and can very much co-exist if boxing gets its act together. Hopefully the example and threat of the UFC will force some change.
steve b
Guest
Bloody, well said
Ant
Guest
I am from England and Boxing is still top dog over here. In fact, boxing is more popular than ever and is on the rise again. We have many up coming stars (off the top of my head - Kell 'special K' Brook, Amir Khan, Nathan Cleverly, Tony Bellew, George Groves, James Degale, and Heavyweights Tyson Fury and David Price - watch out for David Price, the British Klitschko, especially who could dominate the heavyweight division for years to come). With all due respect, Australia is not really know as a boxing nation, even Kosta Tszyu was Russian. The fact remains that, around the world, Boxing is still more popular and richer than MMA/UFC. It is only in America, Brazil, Canada, and maybe a few other countries that the UFC is huge. It is not even that big in Japan. In Germany, the Klitschkos still sell out 50,000 seater arenas. We recently had Kell Brook Vs Matthew Hatton, hardly household names, and it sold out a 10,000 seater arena in brook's hometown. Tony Bellew Vs Nathan Cleverly, a big domestic fight over here also sold out a 10,000 seater arena and was watched by many on the TV. It may not seem like much (10,000) and the UFC sells out 40,000, but the UFC and boxing work in entirely different ways. As should be obvious, I prefer boxing to mma, but I do not mind the mma and think it is quite entertaining when I do actually watch it. Thing is, there is no way you would ever find me staying up until early hours to watch UFC, yet if Mayweather, Pacquaio, Khan and maybe a few others are on, then I will be tempted to stay up most of the time. I only ever watch the UFC online (youtube, etc) and only specific fights. For me, it promises so much (wow we are going to see kicks, punches, elbows, takedowns, see who the baddest man on the planet is, etc) but delivers so little. Most of the time the fight ends up on the ground. And even when standing, there is no way it is ever going to match boxing for excitement. I am only 24, so certainly not old school. I think a lot of these kids who watch ufc, have this mentality that boxing is just punching and mma is everything, and why would I want to watch just punching when I can watch everything. Thing is, that is so untrue. If you understood the sport more you would realise that boxers are if not the most skilled athletes on the planet. There is a reason boxing has been so popular for 200 years and kickboxing, muay thai, karate, kung fu, has never been even on the same level as boxing has. There is a reason some of the most famous athletes in history are boxers. Boxing just has something that is hard to describe. There is something about seeing two men trading punches with each other for 12 rounds. Not every fight is exciting and there is no way I could watch Joe Bloggs Vs John Smith in the featherweight division fighting for some regional belt. That would just bore the hell out of me. But there is always a bunch of fights and particular fighters that I look forward to watching. I can't wait for the Mayweather fight, the PacMan fight, the Khan fight, the David Price (British Title) fight and there are a few more on my calendar. As I have I said, I do watch a UFC every now and then but as time goes on I watch less and less. I think the James Toney saga had many kids believing that boxers are useless one-dimensional fighters. Toney was washed up and never trained MMA. Dana White knew what he was doing here. He knew this fight would make boxing look bad. He is a marketing genius. Kermit Cintron, a top boxer with high school wrestling background wanted to fight ufc a few years back but Dana said no to that. I also find UFC/MMA to be akin to human cockfighting. It makes me sick when you see a guy getting ground and pounded. I do think the sport encourages violence and it is annoying to see that Tapout/Affliction crowd snarling people in nightclubs, and hearing young kids (and even people my age) talking about how they would love to 'choke that guy out' and other popular UFC moves. The whole MMA/UFC culture makes me sick. You get too many people watching it and thinking they can do those moves on someone on the street. And too many people train it and think they are pure badasses. There is no doubt in an actual fight, MMA is the most effective martial art to know, but it is dangerous to go getting in street fights. The hardest guy I know (a gangster with a serious reputation) was a former amateur boxing champion, who is massively pumped on steroids. This guy is a brutal street fighter and once went through 7 or 8 nightclub bouncers like paper. I feel sorry for some MMA guy who wants to fight him in a street fight. But giving his reputation I doubt many would be willing to on the street. There are so many more variables involved in a street fight and I favour the brutal guy with tons of street fighting experience over the guy who has been training MMA for a year or two. Anyhow, I do not think UFC is a fad and think it will be around for a while yet. But will it ever take over boxing? I doubt it. But nothing is impossible. I think the UFC has peaked and if you check the pay per view numbers in America for the past 1 or 2 years, the numbers are waning.
daniels
Guest
I am sort of unfamiler with the whole MMA concept my self, but i am of the understanding that the UFC has far higher standard than any other promotion and those other promotions chosse to not call their title holders World Champions. In boxing al those governing bodies all claim that their champion is the World Champion
Seriously, Who says Oi?
Guest
steve b, It's not like boxing has ever actuallly been big in Australia. Also, Australia has never been relevant in worldwide boxing. People just watch the rugby guys in their farcical local bouts and think that they're up to par on boxing. "Lest we forget" the Russian boxer who moved to Sydney and was watched by the naive and nationalistic locals. The bottomline is that MMA is bigger in Brazil, America, Canada, Japan and many other places on this planet. With successful UFC cards in Germany, Ireland, and UAE, they are on the rise. There's actually a card in Sweden on April the 14th as it's apparently very popular there. The UFC also makes good money with shows in England and in Australia. Live with it.
turbodewd
Guest
Steve b, either fighter can 'tap out' at any time to concede defeat OR if the referee believes a fighter is not defending himself (even while standing) he will call an end to the bout. It is clear to me that your views are super biased and coming from a position modest in knowledge. Boxing will live on, it just wont be what people watch on the box :^)
steve b
Guest
We dont get one hd, and may be i am from the old school ,and have old fashion values but watching a man get the crap belted out of him while he is on the ground makes me sick to my stomach , and no way do i see this as sporting . And yes i have watched a few bouts but its not for me or mine .Boxing will live on for ever regardless
steve b
Guest
Cliff we do not kick a man to the ground then jump on him and try and push our elbow through his skull. We have to wear gloves and no boxer just targets the head 7 out of ten fights these days are stopped through body shots. Ihave been involved with boxing for over thirty years and have never met a boxer or former boxer who couldnt as you say string coherent sentences together. And at no time in my comments said that boxing cant be violent . Its the way your UFC BEATS THE CRAP OUT OF SOMEONE ON THE GROUND THAT I AND MANY OTHERS FIND SO DISTASTEFUL
Cliff
Guest
I think you are being more than a tad hypocritical. You keep decrying the violence inherent in Mixed Martial Arts, yet somehow the violence in boxing is ok? Sure MMA can look more brutal but the fact is that boxing subjects fighter to repeated head trauma over the course of a fight that can often last 12 rounds. In MMA a solid punch or kick to the head will generally result in one fighter quickly gaining an dominant position and finishing the fight. In boxing the guy gets time to recover and then comes back for more punishment. Every punch to the head causes brain trauma. How often do you see a retired boxer who can actually string a series of coherent sentences together? They can both be brutal sports at times but the fact is that boxing likely does more long-term damage to participants than MMA. And the UFC is already shown on free-to-air, I've seen preliminary bouts on 1HD.
turbodewd
Guest
Lucan, the parent company of the UFC recently bought out the number 2 promotion - StrikeForce. SF was never near the UFC for talent. The best talent worldwide for MMA is in the UFC...its like night and day. I cannot comment on boxing, all I know is that you can watch NRL or AFL and see regular games. In UFC you can see fight cards every month roughly...but what does boxing have...nothing!? It has nothing.
Lucan
I'm not big on MMA, or up on all the details of it, but I thought it did have multiple promotions. UFC, ROH, etc. Is this like the WBO, WBA, IBF in boxing?
turbodewd
Guest
Steve b, sorry to inform you my dear fellow but its already on free-to-air, its been on ONE HD for a few years now. I wager you've never actually seen UFC. Lyoto Machida of Brazil brings karate-inspired moves to the Octagon - his speed and darting ability are excellent. Then youve got the lanky Jon Jones at 6'3" moves like a cheetah with deadly power in his fists, elbows and knees. Amazing athletic ability. Take off your emotional hat old boy, enjoy the new sport. It entertains and everyone loves it. Im sure there's skill in boxing...but its one-dimensional old chap. Roll with the punches...move with the times...the UFC is here and the entertainment is sublime...
steve b
Guest
As i said in my first comment i do not agree with miss matches , and nor do i care about what a boxhead prime minister does on the other side of the world , nor do i care about the Japs , what they did to our boys in the war was terrible they love brutality. What i do care about is that this crap you love so much is never shown on free to air here in Aus i would like the govenment to ban the crap as soon as possible. Its not a sport its dog act fighting to say the least And if this is what people are preferring to watch god help us we are in trouble.
turbodewd
Guest
Steve B, you can rubbish the spectacular UFC all you like. But in the USA the Fox network is now putting some UFC on free to air - it has hit the big time. The Prime Minister of Canada a few days ago gave some UFC gloves (signed by Canada's own GSP) to the Jap Prime Minister who is a big fan of his. Use capitals all you like, UFC is going from strength to strength. Its truly global in appeal. You want me to watch Sonny Bill beat up some fat bloke? Danny Green beat up an invalid in Perth because the NSW governing body wouldnt approve the fight?! Hang up the gloves mate. Hang em up.
steve b
Guest
turbodewd when i was much younger i had a go at both kick boxing and boxing let me tell you it is much harder to defend yourself when tou can only use two hands as you do in boxing , this requires great skill , and so if i had to choose i it would be kick boxing because i had more weapons and more ways to get out of trouble. True boxing is so hard to do thats why you dont have many fighters in yhe class of the Mayweathers and Tszuys and the like these guys are joy to watch, I do agree with Simo it can attract the sharks . as can any sport as we have seen in the past with rugby league and many other sports if their is money involved some low life will try and make a quid it they can.And that crap you call UFC will to its just a matter of time..And i do believe it promotes the wrong messege to kids , that it is alright to jump on someone and beat the crap out of them .It was never allowed to be watched in our house , both my sons became boxers and wont let their sons watch it either , and rightfully so its utter carbage and thats where it belongs.THIS CRAP PROMOTES THE DOG ACT AS GOOD FIGHTING . not for mine Boxing is a true and fair show of the fighters skill and will never die.
turbodewd
Guest
Ok, now are you guys ready for the knockout? Id like to see any of the world's boxers enter the Octagon and bring whatever game theyve got to prove who is the ultimate fighter. That's what the UFC can claim, its fighters have degrees of aptitude in many forms of combat. Boxing (striking) is one-dimensional and but a part of hand-to-hand combat. Id gladly tip my hat to Mayweather or this Pac fella if they entered the Octagon and won via striking. Id like to see David Hayes or one of these Klitschko fellas fight the UFCs best heavyweight in pure striking - Junior Dos Santos or Alistair Overeem. I wager the UFC guys are tougher in general, they fight tough fights around twice per year.
Ross
Guest
great article vanilla gorilla... I enjoy both boxing (a far better sport) & mma- but the novelty in mma will wear off eventually. I remember when kickboxing was supposed to surpass all combat sports in the 90s but it failed to materialise just like mma will. Simo above makes a great point- Pac v May will outdo any MMA PPV numbers... but the problem is when the fight happens what is next for boxing? who are the stars coming through? chavez jnr? donaire??? mma has a far deeper pool- but no one can deny boxing its place (far from dead).
Simo
Guest
Monkey see monkey do turbodewd, seeing this behaviour on television without a doubt influences violent behaviour. Children will always try and emulate their heroes behaviour, hence why MMA is having a huge negative influence on our society. Yes MMA is became very popular, and that why it is such a problem.Boxing is still a massive worldwide sport, but it does need sort out its organisations to provide more quality match ups. Pac and Mayweather will fight and it will outdo any MMA Pay per view.