MMA vs. BOXING
Friday, July 31, 2009
I've been getting into these debates a lot lately so I figured why not blog about it on the site, maybe even get some feedback from the readers. So here I am, about to give you ten reasons why MMA will surpass boxing, if it hasn't already, in the next decade. I wouldn't even be surprised if boxing disappears altogether. The boxing elite know this change of the guard is coming. So here is my argument:

1. Quick. Name the boxing heavyweight champion of the world.
More than likely the sound you'll be hearing after you pose that question will resemble the sound of a packed movie theater at a Woody Allen marathon. Crickets ladies and gents, crickets. I approached 10 avid sports fans and asked the same question and got several different answers. The correct answer? I'm reluctant to take a guess and say it is, Wladimir Kitschko. But to be honest, I can't say for 100%. All the resources i have checked out also gave me a bunch of different answers. Which leads us to....

2. What's with all the acronyms?!?!
The reason why its pretty much impossible to name the heavyweight champion is simple. There is no clear cut, undisputed, heavyweight champion. Reason being that their are 5 different organizations which put on fights, each with the ability to have their own champion. The idea of unifying all these titles hasn't been done since Roy Jones Jr. (I could be wrong on this too) and even his status as undisputed light heavyweight champion was, well, disputed.

Here is a list of all the boxing organizations: WBA (World Boxing Association), WBC (World Boxing Council), IBF (International Boxing Federation), WBO (World Boxing Organization), IBO (International Boxing Organization). That's a lot for a fan to swallow ain't it? True, MMA is starting to go through a similar, but highly less confusing ordeal with more and more organizations starting up. UFC being the most noteworthy, followed by WEC, Affliction and Strikeforce. And each organization has its own champions so having a "unified" or "undisputed" champion in a weight class will probably never happen.

3. There's no Don King!
In my opinion shameless promoters hold a large share of the blame for boxing's downfall. Bouts are set up with nothing but the payout in mind. There is no pride or dignity in the sport anymore. Its not surprising to see so-called "champions" fighting absolute no-names so long as the purse is right. What the UFC did in this area was brilliant. They sign fighters to short term contracts, not in years, but in the amount of fights. No sleazeball promoters! In each fight you can received bonuses. Put on the best Fight of The Night? That might get you an extra 5-10 grand! As seen in UFC 100, Dan Henderson cashed in with Knockout of the Night honors and raked in a six figure salary. Its obvious that when the cash goes to the best performer, the crowd always gets a better show. Performance based salaries...what a great idea hey Mr. King?

4. MMA has a larger talent pool than boxing ever will!
You tell me how many high schools have boxing teams or clubs in them? I know in my area (NYC) there aren't many if any. Now tell me how many high schools have wrestling teams? Fact is wrestling is a large part of MMA. But wrestlers have no where to turn to after their high school and collegient careers run their paths. Some of the top wrestlers in the country (and world) have turned to MMA as a means to go somewhat "professional". UFC veteran and former PRIDE champion, Dan "Hendo" Henderson was an Olympic wrestler. Current UFC welterweight champion, Georges St. Pierre is a highly skilled Canadian wrestler. Freestyle and Greco-Roman wrestling is right behind college football and basketball. I wonder where boxing ranks amongst them?
*check out The Mat: The Official Website of USA Wrestling

5. Yes, MMA IS barbaric!
And that's the beauty of it! Jump in a fucking time machine to the days of Jack Dempsey and I'm willing to bet the masses were against Dempsey's, sometimes bareknuckled brawling! How is MMA any different? Its new as compared to boxing, but pitting man against man in a ring, cage, arena has been entertainment for centuries, and that will never change.

6. MMA is physically and mentally more demanding than boxing.
There I said it. Even though UFC CEO, Dana White usually dances around this question, you know he wants to say it. MMA athletes can outlast any boxer. Period. I'm not taking anything away from the athleticism of today's boxers but come on now. There are so many aspects to train for an MMA fight. Plain and simple, MMA is a simulated street fight, boxing is just a small part of that formula. The argument that boxers endure 12 rounds of fight while MMA combatants usually go for only 3-5 rounds is null and void. Boxing bouts that I have seen recently get stopped for some nonsense reason and leave both corners arguing who really won the fight.


7. How many boxing matches end in some sort of bullshit decision?
I've been watching the fights (boxing) lately on Showtime. And in one night there were 4 fights. ALL of which ended in a decision or a questionable stoppage. There were no clear cut winners in any of the matches. It left me thinking, "Wow. I just wasted my time watching this crap!" Its clear that the judges in boxing have no clue how to judge a fight. I don't know what fight they are watching half the time. With the judges inability to properly score a bout, and the ineptitude of the referees its amazing fights even make it past the second round these days. Does it happen in MMA? Sure. But no where close to the frequency of boxing.



8. Boxing is corrupt.
We all know it. I don't even think I should have to argue this point any further. Check out ESPN's article on the top ten questionable bouts ever. Those are just ten! The article also sheds some light on how exactly a boxing match is scored.


9. The old timers just don't get it.
MMA is confusing for someone say my father's age (60) who grew up watching boxing legends such as Rocky Marciano, Muhammed Ali, Joe Frazier, and Roberto Duran. Its a simple, sweet, science. Two guys in a ring and they punch each other till one blacks out or it goes the distance and some mystery judges decide their fate. Watching UFC 98 with my dad, it was hysterical to see him bitch and moan about two guys "hugging all over each other". But once explained, he started to understand that each move in Jiu Jitsu has a specific and deliberate purpose. I even got him looking into the Gracie history of the sport. Unlike my pops however, some old-timers (if he reads this he's gonna kill me for referring to him as that) just refuse to try and understand MMA.



10. Boxing has a legacy...for now.
In the above clip, Joe Rogan makes a brilliant comment about today's boxing heroes. Quite simply there aren't any. The "greats" that will always be remembered are the heroes our parents tell us about. There will be no more Muhammad Alis. There will be no more Sugar Ray Leonards. Hell there won't even be anymore circus sideshow acts such as Mike Tyson! Will there be "legends" so to speak in the MMA world? The UFC has a Hall of Fame. The Gracie name is almost religiously spoken of when conversing with todays MMA greats. The fact is only time will tell and MMA has all the time in the world and boxing is on life support.

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