This content is protected You see BJS complaining about 10 week camps etc. Gilbert Burns tested positive two days ago. On 7 days notice one of the biggest names jumps straight in to fight. Can you imagine that happening in Boxing?
Very rarely at such short notice. Look at Anthony Joshua the 1st time round. Ruiz wasnt that high up on the oriental short list? And that was at what 6 weeks or 4?
Very rarely at such short notice in MMA as well surely? But if the question is 'can you imagine someone stepping up to a big fight at short notice' the answer is yes. Vitali did it, Ruiz did it, that Romanian lad who had to go all the way to New Zealand (Cojanu) to fight Parker when Hughie pulled out did it. As said above Witter came in short notice to fight Judah. Steve Robinson won a world title on about two days notice!
Tbf MMA fighters aside from the very elite don’t get paid as much as world champion boxers. I think Diaz was Masvidal’s biggest pay day and it was half a million dollars. Billy Joe would stand to make millions from a Saunders fight and so long as he makes a good account of himself, even if he loses he would have further million pound paydays in the pipeline (pre Covid at least). Also there are loads of instances of boxers stepping in last minute. High profile ones as well like Vitali stepping in on a week’s notice I think to box Lennox.
Most Boxing vs MMA comparisons are pointless, unless they take into account all relevant factors. Defeats in MMA are not the setback they are in Boxing, as records are not a huge part of a fighter's marketability. You can have an ATG like Randy Couture with a 19-11 record, whose popularity and standing did not suffer despite numerous losses. The relationship between the fighter and the promotion is completely different. UFC fighters are treated like employees in many ways, and fighters who put themselves out for the promotion tend to get looked after. In Boxing, the repercussions of a single loss are generally far greater, and can knock a fighter's earning potential which is often linked to belts and records. It's great that Masvidal has stepped in at late notice, and he should be commended for that. It's not analogous with Saunders' position though, and shouldn't be used to beat him over the head with it. A Canelo fight would be his one and only shot at the big time; it's very risky if he isn't properly prepared as there aren't any obvious routes back for him, and his earning power would reduce. Yes, it would be nice for him to go for it, and you can raise questions about why his baseline fitness isn't where it should be. However, it's easy to see why he wouldn't take the fight.
Masvidal is about as bad ass as you can get, he's got balls every champ envys, even if they've got balls, they want his !
Going off topic what’s the time difference for this fight anyone know what time it will be live UK time ?
The issue is the UFC is a product where boxing is an environment. A lot of the appeal of the UFC is you get to know the fighters a lot more, they (usually) have shorter turn arounds in fights and crucially less stock is put in a loss than in boxing. As others have pointed out their are pretty high profile examples of boxers stepping in at last minute but usually its when its potentially their big break like Vitali vs Lewis for example. They do it because the gamble is worth the risk for the exposure. UFC fighters as a result of the product get exposure. Also because of the stock that is put in losses in boxing its not worth it for your top top guys to take a fight at short notice and i mean that financially and for their careers.
