Well not to rain on anyone's parade but part of what he is sayin is true. Boxing is a better sport than MMA, which is much more of a legalized street fight. Boxing is more of a sport; it is more of an art form; it is much more finely tuned. There are reasons why it is referred to as a "science". You can see this reflected in how the champions of UFC and Pride (with the possible exception of Fedor Emelianenkov) reign for much shorter time periods as in a UFC fight; titles change hands more frequently since in MMA there is a much smaller margin for error; it is much easier to win on one lucky punch or kick and have success (a la Tank Abbott) in the UFC rather than in boxing, which is just more specialized; more of a sport. UFC is one partlegalized violence to satisy the bloodlust of boxing "fans" who only want to watch the sport to see people get knocked out, and one part guys humping eachother. Dont get me wrong, I like violence too. I watch UFC and Pride sometimes when I want to get my fix for seeing someone's blood get spilled. But with that in mind, the majority of the time what it ends up turning into is an intense grappling session with the guys rolling around on the floor together trying mount eachother. I understand that there is skill involved in grappling and making your opponent tap out or choke them out; I respect that, but it is still pretty boring to watch, in my opinion. MMA will never replace boxing in my eyes as a sport or a pastime.

And to make a long story short, mixed martial arts will never replace boxing in the eyes of true boxing fans. So like I said, part of what Floyd said is true.
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A lot of what you say is true, but seriously this whole "ground game is gay" crap really kills me, It VERY hypocritical. Rabid boxing fans defend the sport by calling it a science, which is completely true. However one of the reasons MMA is taking over boxing (IMHO) is because many don't have the patience for boxing; they don't see things a lot of us who have been watching boxing our whole lives see. They don't see feints, and subtle technique that we appreciate . . . Just like a boxer will not recognize the subtle technique of the ground game, and call it gay. Exactly like a uninformed fan will call boxing boring. Whoever says the ground game is gay, I hope you say that in public and Jiu Jitsu practitioner over-hears you.

Also I don't believe you could simply teach a boxer good ground defense in a matter of months. My first love is Kick-boxing, but honestly I have found a new appreciation for guys like liddel who can still knock people the F out while having to worry about say, a Div 1 wrestlers takedowns, or a Jiu Jitsu guy getting him in a flash lock that could snap his joints. It does make a huge difference. And YES, if a boxer does learn ground techniques, That BY DEFINITION makes him a Mixed Martial Artist. You can't really slice it any other way.

Ohh and about the tradition thing, MMA has roots dating long, long, long before UFC and the like. If you want you could consider Greek Prankration and say that was around LONG before boxing. MMA did not just materialize out of nowewhere with the UFC. How long have people been debating which is the best style?

However it is true, MMA as we know it now has only been around for little over a decade, and it is jus silly to try and say boxing is a "better" sport because it is more refined. Jesus give MMA some time, Theres a beggining and end to everything. At one time Boxing was pretty much where MMA was today (to make a log story short)

In short . . . Please look past UFC and the new host of drunken " The ultimate fighter" fans, look at MMA globally. Look at guys like Shinya Aoki and Miko CroCop filipovic, and try to realize that MMA could very well be a revolution in combat sports. True that MMA will never replace boxing, but they are different things. I really believe a lot of the boxing community is approaching MMA with total ignorance, and refusing to even give it a chance and study what is really about. It is maddening because A lot of MMAists are some of the most dedicated athletes I have ever seen and they get no respect from some people.