Is This the Worst It's Ever Been for Boxing?

[JT Rock]

I have the greatest respect for jtrocks opinions and I'm sure the true lineage and history of martial arts is a long, interesting and rewarding one.

It seems to me though the MMA and the like represent the very antithesis of what pure martial arts training is actually about.

I must admit my knowledge of martial arts is limited pretty much to watching Enter the Dragon and The Karate Kid but I've always been led to believe that true martial arts were about self mastery, discipline and control rather than brawling for entertainment?

To me MMA has more in common with WWF Wrestling than with true martial arts. I'm also fairly certain the majority of guys involved are there, mainly because they are not good enough to excel at any other sport so resort to MMA to get fame, money and adulation.

You cannot tell me that Tank Abott is a serious athlete for example. To me he is a step down from Butterbean in terms of skill and ability.

Yes I've watched MMA and Ultimate fighting and enjoyed it, but never have I marvelled at any technical abilities or subtle skills that were on display.

For me it's always occupied the same kind of ground entertainment wise as watching World's Wildest Street Brawls, or Bumfights. Its just entertaining, largely mindless violence to sell a few dvds and fill a few minor arenas with fans who see their favourite fighters much the same way as they would see Hulk Hugan, The Rock, or The Undertaker.


However, as I am purely a boxing fan, don't take this personally jtrock

I'm sure if I turned up on the MMA forums and waxed lyrical about how much better boxing was than MMA I'd have a far worse reception than you have here,

Thanks for the respect Brotha!!!!! Everyone has the right to entertain themselves as they see fit...

[mucho testosterone]

To me boxing is great........MMA is great.......I like boxing more though. The only thing I can't stand is the litte pricks out there who are just getting into MMA.....if I have to look at another 19 year old with a "FULL CONTACT FIGHTER" shirt on at the mall I swear to god I'm going to . I have also noticed that those who practice MMA are always all too quick to tell you all about it. That's definitely the one thing that drives me nuts about MMA.

So here's what am I getting at If you're practicing MMA and you ain't on my television set then I don't want to hear about it!!!
Keep it to yourself.


Otherwise....if you subtract the adolescent factor and the bragging amateur factor, then it's a great sport.

Boxing = excuse for me to drink beer, laze around the pad looking haggard and talk shit to the TV

MMA = excuse for me to drink beer, laze around the pad looking haggard and talk shit to the TV

Looks like a win win too me!

[thgreatsd]

Boxing = excuse for me to drink beer, laze around the pad looking haggard and talk S*** to the TV

MMA = excuse for me to drink beer, laze around the pad looking haggard and talk S*** to the TV

Looks like a win win too me!

That can not be argued one little bit! Great point. cc

[mucho testosterone]

Boxing = excuse for me to drink beer, laze around the pad looking haggard and talk S*** to the TV

MMA = excuse for me to drink beer, laze around the pad looking haggard and talk S*** to the TV

Looks like a win win too me!

That can not be argued one little bit! Great point. cc

CC back at you.

[kyle0930]

[quote=mucho testosterone ]

Boxing = excuse for me to drink beer, laze around the pad looking haggard and talk S*** to the TV

MMA = excuse for me to drink beer, laze around the pad looking haggard and talk S*** to the TV

Looks like a win win too me!

great life you have dude!!

CC back at you.

[SimonH]

I know the popularity factor has fallen off huge the past years, especially the past 5 years, but this seems to be an all time low. I can't remember a period where there's really no mega fight on the horizon in the next few months. Mosley-Vargas II doesn't strike me as very exciting, since they're both past their bests. I just have a bad feeling that it won't get much better. More athletes seem to be going in other sports at young ages.

You know boxing present always sucks. I was eight years old in 1982 when I first started to comprehend the sport, and my old man was slagging it off to the hilt...

And yet you had Leonard in his prime, Hagler near his prime, Holmes/Cooney, Pryor/ArguelloI and the hot Super Feathers. By the end of the decade, when The Ring's special decade magazine came out, it looked like the year of the decade...

And yet 1990 looked like it was going to suck; then Douglas/Tyson and Chavez/TaylorI happened...

By 1995 boxing was sucking again in Britain but Naseem came along, and you had Benn/McClellan...

I guess what I am saying is if you watch this sport for along period, you always think the present sucks, but then ten years down the line,you appreciate what it gave you, and you think it was the greatest era ever, and the present era sucks!

[Kev]

I know the popularity factor has fallen off huge the past years, especially the past 5 years, but this seems to be an all time low. I can't remember a period where there's really no mega fight on the horizon in the next few months. Mosley-Vargas II doesn't strike me as very exciting, since they're both past their bests. I just have a bad feeling that it won't get much better. More athletes seem to be going in other sports at young ages.

You know boxing present always sucks. I was eight years old in 1982 when I first started to comprehend the sport, and my old man was slagging it off to the hilt...

And yet you had Leonard in his prime, Hagler near his prime, Holmes/Cooney, Pryor/ArguelloI and the hot Super Feathers. By the end of the decade, when The Ring's special decade magazine came out, it looked like the year of the decade...

And yet 1990 looked like it was going to suck; then Douglas/Tyson and Chavez/TaylorI happened...

By 1995 boxing was sucking again in Britain but Naseem came along, and you had Benn/McClellan...

I guess what I am saying is if you watch this sport for along period, you always think the present sucks, but then ten years down the line,you appreciate what it gave you, and you think it was the greatest era ever, and the present era sucks!

Too true, too true.. and it's not just boxing, just listen to any old person rant on how much better it was in their day.

It's part of the human condition. It seems that everybody harks back to a former golden age, and looks forward to a future utopia, whilst having to endure the drudgery of the present.

[BoxingGorilla]

I guess what I am saying is if you watch this sport for along period, you always think the present sucks, but then ten years down the line,you appreciate what it gave you, and you think it was the greatest era ever, and the present era sucks! BK


It's part of the human condition. It seems that everybody harks back to a former golden age, and looks forward to a future utopia, whilst having to endure the drudgery of the present. Bilbo

[Lords Gym]

Too true, too true.. and it's not just boxing, just listen to any old person rant on how much better it was in their day.

It's part of the human condition. It seems that everybody harks back to a former golden age, and looks forward to a future utopia, whilst having to endure the drudgery of the present.
[/quote]

That was poetry baby ! pure Poetry

[Kev]

back at you both

ooh I got karma with you gorilla so need to wait a few hours!