In a list of world's toughest sports, where would you place the sport of boxing?

this. proximity wing suit jumpers and base jumpers/ extreme climbers followed by boxing and motox then mma/ hockey football rugby etc

 

Boxing and MMA are the hardest, though because of personal bias among other reasons I'm going to put boxing first. This takes nothing away from other sports, but boxing/combat sports require a mental toughness not required in other fields. Yes, it is exceedingly difficult to run super long distances, for example, and not collapse and say '**** it'. But it's a different kind, and I'd say greater, of toughness to get hit repeatedly and not just curl up and quit.

 

Baseball gets its difficulty from the exceeding amount of skill that the sport requires. Hitting a major league baseball is considered the hardest thing to do in sports. Pitchers control over a baseball and the stress they put on their arms/shoulders is simply ridiculous.

 

I think toughness is more relvant overcoming constant pressure of pain/fatigue then mastering a specialized skill (hitting an MLB baseball)

 

Tennis, cycling, swimming, marathons and triathlons all take an insane level of stamina and mental focus. Top level boxing requires this too, but you can afford to get away with a lot of crap at the lower level that you couldn't get away with in the above sports.

 

how is auto racing a sport

 

Stand up fighting is #1 by a longshot. Boxing and muay thai being at the top of that list. NFL players take more hits than MMA guys.

 

It's physical (well most are, unlike them fat nascar ****s)

Formula 1 drivers are fully fit 9 months of the year.
Any normal person would last 10 laps in an F1 car before coming physically drained and having their neck muscles destroyed.

motorsport
sport - "a competitive physical activity"

 

I was thinking you were making a great point but then I thought about a grueling sport like hockey (which came in second) and how often they play. What are your thoughts on hockey?

 

Boxing is number one. One top of the training involved and the risk of serious injury, it averages about 10 deaths per year.

 

Those are some tough guys. As many games as the NBA schedule, but with hitting every time out.

I wholeheartedly love baseball, but agree that it is not really a test of athleticism; more a test of skills.

 

in a league of its own.

 

Tennis can be gruelling at top level, especially 4/5 hour matches!

 

I've played Basketball, Baseball, track and field, Kempo karate, tennis and the hardest sport i have ever been a part of is Gymnastics

You have to be in superb shape
you have to be super flexible
and you have to be extremely brave to attempt what you get told to do

tough tough

 

It's a sport where guys need to be tough more than a sport that is grueling on the body or else they would have a football like schedule. Football players REALLY need a full week to recover their bodies. For the most part, these guys skate around. Yeah, there are your tough hits here and there but it's true, they skate around most of the time, that's why they can play it every few days or so.