Opinion
Remember when Mike Tyson bit Evander Holyfield’s ear off?
We all do. It was 26 years ago and we still remember it.
Tyson was banned from boxing for 15 months after that but it takes more than 15 months for an incident like that to be wiped from collective memory.
It was wrong and we all knew it and we still know it.
Why?
Because boxing is not a street brawl or a free-for-all – it is a sport. Although at its core, boxing appears to be two men bludgeoning one other, a few facts around their bludgeoning are clear: it is an agreed upon fight. It takes place in a ring. There are referees. There is a panel. There are points.
And there are rules. Above all, there are rules.
The difference between a street brawl and a boxing match is not location, location, location but the mutual agreement of two consenting adults prior to the match and the ruleset that governs both of them. We call a boxing match a fight, which can be confusing, because boxing is not a chanced upon incident – it is a sport. In the Olympics, it is referred to as a discipline.
This week, the Mayor of Wollongong Gordon Bradbery said he would not be endorsing the nomination of decorated MMA and UFC fighter Alex Volkanovski to receive the keys to the city. Volkanovski, who hails from Wollongong, has enjoyed international acclaim since turning pro in 2016 and successfully transitioning from rugby league to fight sports.
This came on the back of the 34-year-old’s victory in Las Vegas last weekend, beating Yair Rodriguez in the octagon and securing his fifth title defence – making him one of the UFC’s most accomplished fighters in the world, let alone Wollongong.
Alexander Volkanovski punches Yair Rodriguez. (Photo by Jeff Bottari/Zuffa LLC via Getty Images)
While the honour of receiving the keys to the city has been given to athletes before such as swimmer and Olympic gold medallist Emma McKeon, Bradbery said that Volkanovski did not qualify because of his chosen sport.
“You can decorate it as much as you like but UFC is a violent activity,” he said. “It is against everything we stand for in our community in terms of violence and promoting violence.”
While Bradbery attributed the decision to a sense of “responsibility” he has to his community, it can be argued that conflating combat sports and violence is in itself an irresponsible claim to make.
Combat sports, in particular boxing but also more recently mixed martial arts, have long been a refuge for at-risk and vulnerable children and youth, who benefit hugely from what these sports offer them.
World champion boxer Floyd Mayweather and female UFC fighter Amanda Nunes have both openly spoken about being cushioned from the social hardships of their childhood environments by finding solace in their chosen fight sport.
For both these individuals, the gym was a sanctuary and training both a necessary and productive outlet for them. They became athletes and then champions – not by choosing violence, but by choosing sport.
The very idea that a fight could be sanctioned by an institution or an authority; that its participants could be paid or at least endorsed by a coach, a manager or even the crowd that supports them; and that there are, above all, rules and rulesets, which are designed to ensure that a fight is safe, fair and dignified – it is this very idea that seeks to separate fight sports from actual fights.
In summary, they are not the same.
The distinction is an important one. And it is not like we can’t tell the difference.
The difference is why we remember Holyfield’s ear being bitten off and hopefully, the reason we will never forget it.
Let’s get ready to rumble! Pick a fighter and place your bets with PlayUp for great odds. Chances are you’re about to lose. Set a deposit limit.
Nikita Tszyu defended his Australian super welterweight crown. But a fightback from opponent Danilo Creati threatened to spoil everything in the sixth round.
Nikita Tszyu has overcome a nasty mid-fight moment to score a unanimous points win over Danilo Creati and retain his Australian super welterweight title…
A bloodied Tim Tszyu has been cruelly denied in his quest to emulate his legendary father Kostya and become a unified world boxing champion…
Liam Wilson has suffered further heartbreak in Arizona, the Australian boxer losing his super-featherweight world-title fight against Mexican Oscar Valdez. In front of a…
Tim Tszyu has the chance to emulate his legendary father as a unified world boxing champion after the stakes were dramatically raised for his…
Australia's Alexander Volkanovski has lost his UFC featherweight title to Ilia Topuria, with the Spaniard scoring a stunning second round knockout in the main…
