sky are probably at the worst point ever not even the super six fights are on
itv show a little usually british cards
espn show friday night fights & rerun old tyson fights constantly
bbc have given up all together except amatuer boxing & a few big fights on bbc radio (thanks alot are we still in ther fkin 1930's)
setanta sports was the best thing that happened to boxing in the uk, they really made an effort, but they fell on there arse
UFC can & i believe will take over boxing in the UK unless terrestrial tv gets involved
Actually most MMA organizations, well any recognized and sanctioned organizations do not allow hitting in the back of the head at all.
MMA has rules, as does boxing... The rules are just very different as they are two very different sports. The ground game is an integral part of MMA. The only time you can hit someone when they are on the ground is when they have the ability to intelligently defend themselves.
Tons of fights are won by fighters who are on their back.
I'm a fan of both sports, I think they're both great for their own reasons. The main reason why MMA is a threat to boxing is the UFC and their marketing machine. As someone already mentioned they have studied boxing's structure and are capitalizing on their mistakes.
Also I noticed that here in Toronto atleast, they've been able to really capture the younger audiences.. some of who still enjoy boxing (but that seems to be the more mature ones). When I talk to younger guys it seems like that whole 'cage fighting' and the illusion of raw, no rules, anything can happen stuff is what appeals to them most.
I personally think that boxing and mma will co-exist. But boxing needs to take a few lessons from the ufc as the ufc took lessons from boxing and become aggressive with their marketing and promo. The MMA is constantly growing not because it's a superior sport but because the guys behind it have a more long term vision and a better business model, imo.
the average age of a boxing fan is alot older than the average age of mma fan, there lies the foundation for mma to overtake boxing.
plus its easier for a boxing fan to get into mma than vice versa what with boxing having 17 weight catagories & multiple titles!
I've been getting more and more into MMA over the last three or so years. I used to be a hater but now I get more pumped for a UFC card than I do for all but the biggest boxing fights.
I'm not sure how the OP can say MMA is boring, for the most part it's far more entertaining than boxing imo. Better matchups, far more variety in fights, stacked fightcards, less predictable, more upsets, more brutal, it's a great, great sport imo.
Compare the recent UFC cards with the supposedly 'stacked' Marquez Diaz 2 boxing card. That was supposed to be one of the best boxing cards top to bottom and the undercard was mostly dull dull dull. I found the Linares Juarez and Casamayor Gurerro fights painful to watch. It did liven up a lot when Daniel Jacobs got knocked out and the main event was pretty good, but I found the UFC far more entertaining, the Nelson Dos Santos fight was great, Matt Hughes won in impressive style, Clay Guida is always entertaining and the main event for me was epic with Anderson Silva getting a 4 round beat down before saving himself from disaster in the last round.
There's hardly ever a boxing event that can compare top to bottom like that and the UFC does it pretty much routinely now. It's not just them either Showtimes Strikeforce shows have had some great fights too, and unlike woman's boxing which is sleep inducing, the girls in MMA can really kick ass and put on some epic slugfests.
MMA is a great sport, it's still in its infancy but its establishing itself as a major rival to boxing right now.
Guys like Randy Couture, Chuck Liddell and Rampage Jackson are bigger household names than most boxers now as evidenced by the fact that both Jackson and Couture (and even Bob Sapp) have made the transition to films.
It's just got a much younger, cooler image and is eaiser to understand and more viscarally appealing to the casual fan.
Those same people that like the "younger cooler image" of UFC also like Jersey Shore.....so no thank you.
ha I know what you're saying but imo fighting is supposed to be a raw sport, yet boxing's image is tuxedo's and bow ties, whereas UFC's is baseball caps, affliction clothing and tatoos. You can mock it, but that more appeals to the mentality of most who enjoy watching fights.
Boxing in order to gain credibility over the years has tried to civilise combat, turning into pugilism with the Queensbury rules, a respectible sport. MMA has aimed for those who like explosions, big action movies and rap music. They have embraced things like Twitter and actively associate themselves with younger interests. It's simply more hip. The purists can look down on it, the same way we might look down on the Twilight films. But it wont stop angst ridden teens flocking to the cinema in their tens of thousands to catch a glimpse of Edward Cullen....
I'm more than willing to wear a tux...I wouldn't be caught dead in an Affliction t-shirt.
There's "classy" and then there's "classless" and I prefer boxing to be classy.
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I think that overall MMA has actually helped boxing in a lot of ways. Dana White (UFC's president) structured the UFC to avoid all of the things that are rotten with boxing today. Instead of paying $50 for one fight you want to watch, you get multiple big, relevant fights per card. In the UFC, the best are CONSTANTLY fighting the best. There is no "Well I want a 60/40 split" or any of that crap. If you are the champ, you are fighting the #1 contenders. There are no easy fights in the UFC anymore.
I think the level of compedition the UFC has brought has actually helped boxing. It has put a ton of pressure on promoters to make the BIG fights happen and give the consumer more bang for their buck.
Of course an MMA guy will never have the handskills of a pro boxer, but thats because a pro boxer trains his hands 100% of the time. The MMA guy has to learn boxing, muay thai (punching/kicking/kneeing/elbowing), wrestling, BJJ. He has to learn to attack from many different positions and, conversely, defend from many different positions and defend so many different types of attacks.
For people who don't believe MMA fighting requires much skill, believe me when I tell you that you are just seeing the tip of the iceberg. I remember thinking boxing was boring as hell when I was a kid. I didn't understand it, why were these guys dancing around and throwing weak-looking punches at each other (jabs)? Why didn't they just run out and KO each other? Obviously that kind of ignorance wears off when you watch and learn more about the sport. Same thing in this case. What looks like two men rolling around on the ground actually involves a plethora of technique, skill and know-how.
I have never seen the appeal of MMA and Toney's recent conversion upset me a bit. Boxing is a far finer sport but unfortunately is losing out because of egos and an unwillingless to just get it on and fight. We have the Mayweather/Pac and Klitschko/Haye fights as prime examples. Stylistically boxing is the ultimate in contact sports (for me anyway), but the fans keep on getting short changed. I can understand why people like Bilbo are moving more towards MMA, but it's something I don't want to move towards. But boxing is getting harder to simply sit back and enjoy 'coz the fights just aren't happening. And for sure the undercards usually suck.
It's a shame really as boxing fans deserve better. It's becoming evermore sidelined except for the big fights.
Matty, not all boxing cards are boring and not all MMA cards are exciting. I enjoy watching SKILL, so while I can appreciate a GSP or Anderson Silva or Machida...I would much rather watch skilled boxers.
Yea mate i know not ALL boxing cards are boring, and in same breath ALL UFC cards are not full of great action. I was just intrigued by you comment that you prefer boxing to be 'classy' rather than class-less, which is how ya described MMA.
If the fans turned up to UFC events dressed in whistle & flutes would that make it classy then ?
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