Boxing and MMA

[nakeddrunkpunch]

Even though ufc is tough competition for boxing as far as ppv numbers and popularity goes, I think it puts pressure on boxing promoters to make more interesting match ups that people want to see instead of fighters with padded records fighting tomatoe cans just to maintain a respectable record. What do you guys/gals think?

[jamiebhoy]

I tend to agree that boxers are more interested in keeping their records padded out and maintaining the 0 . MMA guys don't put the same emphasis on it and there are a lot of good grudge match type scenarios which are good to promote.

The problem wih boxing is the alphabet soup where promotors can't and won't agree to fight each others fighters and the different organisations have people ranked differently with too much riding on a loss.

Sadly the current scene of catch weights semms to be prvoing the way forward for giving the publice some of the exciting fightes they need, but at what expense, it will only be a matter of time before someone is badly hurt doing this.

More needs to be done to get boxing back to the mainstream and start showing it on terestrial television again, even at lower level to generate interest.

With the news that the UFC have completed a TV deal in the UK the pressure will be on the promotors to get their act together.

No one wants to lose their 0 record though, second place is first loser!

[nakeddrunkpunch]

I tend to agree that boxers are more interested in keeping their records padded out and maintaining the 0 . MMA guys don't put the same emphasis on it and there are a lot of good grudge match type scenarios which are good to promote.

The problem wih boxing is the alphabet soup where promotors can't and won't agree to fight each others fighters and the different organisations have people ranked differently with too much riding on a loss.

Sadly the current scene of catch weights semms to be prvoing the way forward for giving the publice some of the exciting fightes they need, but at what expense, it will only be a matter of time before someone is badly hurt doing this.

More needs to be done to get boxing back to the mainstream and start showing it on terestrial television again, even at lower level to generate interest.

With the news that the UFC have completed a TV deal in the UK the pressure will be on the promotors to get their act together.

No one wants to lose their 0 record though, second place is first loser!

Valid points and well articulated. You're right promoters do need to get their act together. Boxing is dying but not dead yet. There could be more done to bring it back into the mainstream like airing fights for free on tv and showing fight footage on sports networks instead of press conferences. I remember greg leon from boxingtalk bitching about that.

[jamiebhoy]

Another point worth mentioning which was covered very recently here is that it's difficult to get agreement on the rights to fights in terms of releasing DVD's etc, I presume the same would be said for showing older fights on TV.
As I see it from a personal view, what's the loss in releasing say a box set of fights from each major promotor each year, even if it doesn't pull in a lot of $$ something is better than nothing.

Yet another contentious area where managers and fighters probably price themselves out of making these deal viable.

[superboxer]

I think boxing should go back to the early to mid 20th century in terms of gloves, like the flyweights and such should use 4oz gloves.

[Youngblood]

I think boxing should go back to the early to mid 20th century in terms of gloves, like the flyweights and such should use 4oz gloves.

ahhh, no.

[JazMerkin]

I think boxing should go back to the early to mid 20th century in terms of gloves, like the flyweights and such should use 4oz gloves.

I don't think you go far enough. Perhaps instead of gloves fighters should wear solid steel knuckledusters. Meanwhile gumshields should be outlawed from the sport. The loser gets fed to the lions at the end if the crowd sees fit