Boxin is back on its feet

Boxing and MMA are too separate sports. There is some overlap but, in truth, they will live and die by their own actions.

MMA is having a good year. Anyone who says that it is faltering is mistaken. Thus far, this year, there has been a, "Sports Illustrated" cover story on MMA. MMA debuted on Showtime in the form of Elite XC. They must be happy because they are letting Elite XC debut a new show called SHOXC, which is going to showcase up and coming talent.

ESPN have jumped on board giving the sport genuine coverage, something they thought was below them in the past. Other media outlets have started giving MMA coverage as a “real” sport as well and not just as some freak show type deal.

Zuffa buying Pride, and also re-launching the WEC, means that most of the best fighters in the world have an opportunity of fighting one another. This September the first Pride/UFC unification bout takes place.

The last UFC Spike TV show, which went against the Hatton fight, did good ratings.

http://ufcjunkie.com/2007/06/26/the-ultimate-fighter-5-finale-draws-20-rating-penn-earns-title-shot/

MMA has made huge strides this year as a sport. I cannot see how anyone can argue differently.

Boxing is doing well this year, not that it was ever truly doing badly, that doesn’t mean that therefore ergo MMA is faltering.

 

Boxing and MMA are too separate sports. There is some overlap but, in truth, they will live and die by their own actions.

MMA is having a good year. Anyone who says that it is faltering is mistaken. Thus far, this year, there has been a, "Sports Illustrated" cover story on MMA. MMA debuted on Showtime in the form of Elite XC. They must be happy because they are letting Elite XC debut a new show called SHOXC, which is going to showcase up and coming talent.

ESPN have jumped on board giving the sport genuine coverage, something they thought was below them in the past. Other media outlets have started giving MMA coverage as a “real” sport as well and not just as some freak show type deal.

Zuffa buying Pride, and also re-launching the WEC, means that most of the best fighters in the world have an opportunity of fighting one another. This September the first Pride/UFC unification bout takes place.

The last UFC Spike TV show, which went against the Hatton fight, did good ratings.

http://ufcjunkie.com/2007/06/26/the-ultimate-fighter-5-finale-draws-20-rating-penn-earns-title-shot/

MMA has made huge strides this year as a sport. I cannot see how anyone can argue differently.

Boxing is doing well this year, not that it was ever truly doing badly, that doesn’t mean that therefore ergo MMA is faltering.

 

Boxing and MMA are two separate sports. There is some overlap but, in truth, they will live and die by their own actions.

MMA is having a good year. Anyone who says otherwise is mistaken. Thus far this year there has been a, "Sports Illustrated" cover story on MMA. MMA debuted on Showtime in the form of Elite XC. They must be happy with the ratings because they're letting Elite XC debut a new show called SHOXC, which is going to showcase up and coming talent.

ESPN have jumped on board giving the sport genuine coverage, something they thought was below them in the past. Other media outlets have started giving MMA coverage as a “real” sport as well and not just as some freak show type deal.

Zuffa buying Pride, and also re-launching the WEC, means that most of the best fighters in the world have an opportunity of fighting one another. This September the first Pride/UFC unification bout takes place.

The last UFC show on Spike TV show did good ratings.

http://ufcjunkie.com/2007/06/26/the-ultimate-fighter-5-finale-draws-20-rating-penn-earns-title-shot/

MMA has made huge strides this year as a sport. I cannot see how anyone can argue differently.

Boxing is doing well this year, not that it was ever doing badly, that doesn’t mean that therefore ergo MMA is faltering.

 

You clearly have no clue about MMA if you think Jackson vs Henderson is a bad fight or a laughable one. (as your emoticon indicates)
Chuck Liddell is MMA's biggest star but by no means is he the best.

the MMA 'boom' is just beginning with the Pride fighters coming over and starting to unify, the UFC and MMA will be stronger than ever.

 

The comparison is not based on what goes on in the ring, clearly WWF is fake - while UFC is legitimate, if boring, athletic competition. The WWF similarities are found in the absurd way this stuff is promoted - which IS straight out of Vince McMahon's playbook, and not at all like legitimate sports. The macho posturing in the ring, talking on the microphone to the crowd, the ring entrances, even the "cage match" thing - all of it reaks of WWF. And there's a reason for that - the fanbases are not dissimilar, mostly young males who likely grew up as fans of WWF.

Ten years ago if someone held an event called "Rage in the Cage" who would've been sponsoring it?? Nowadays you don't know if it's WWF or UFC!!atsch

 

I know the posters on this board will not agree with you, but I do see your point. A lot of big fights are being signed this year in boxing, partially because MMA has become a substitute for boxing for some people, and boxing promoters are forced to make the fights that fans want to see.

And as much as people want to say "Boxing is boxing and MMA is MMA, two totally different sports." You can't ignore the fact that both boxing and MMA showcase their best bouts on Saturday nights and once in awhile, the two sports will go head-to-head.

I'm not saying MMA is fully responsible for Calzaghe vs Kessler or Taylor vs Pavlik being signed, but you can't ignore MMA's growing presence on today's casual sports fans and its indirect effect on boxing.

 

You make a good point with your "rage in the cage" comment (I found it amusing, anyway ), but one or two things:

1. The ring entrances are considerably less extreme than many recent boxing ones. In fact, I cannot call to mind a crazy UFC entrance. PRIDE is a little more theatrical, but the UFC is generally not.

2. The cage wasn't adapted from professional wrestling. When the UFC began, the targeted demographic was the martial arts community--to determine which style was the best. Only as time went on (after the first two or three) did they realize that pro wrestling fans liked the UFC. But the cage was there from the first, as the most neutral venue for all styles, since grappling fighters have a tendency to roll out of rings.

3. When UFC fighters talk to the crowd, they are often rather humbly explaining how they won, or discussing their future plans. Not much like the crazy WWF posturing.

 

And yeah, MMA guys were claiming that boxing was dying. I found the assertion rather obnoxious. But look on the bright side--it helped force boxing to get its act together!

 

Partial unification in the heavyweight division, the Kessler/Calzaghe unification, Mayweather apparently finally fighting Hatton, the welterweight division sorting itself out.

Not an amazing recovery, but a very good start.

 

Considering that promoters are in charge of much of the matchmaking, I'm sure they had a hand in it as well. HBO might be a bit more adamant than normal about putting the money up as well.

 

You raise a good point, and it may indeed be that the pressure from the upstart UFC is leading, and will continue to lead, to a renaissance in boxing.

Doesn't mean that some of us old-time curmudgeonly boxing fans have to like it, though!!

 

I hope you can see through the superficial hype and appreciate the depth of the sport eventually. It should appeal to an otherwise open-minded guy like yourself--dozens of martial traditions going back hundreds of years have been invested in it...with the Sweet Science sharing pride of place alongside kickboxing, BJJ, and wrestling.

The UFC confirms that boxing is one of the four best martial arts on earth...what's not to like?

 

I do appreciate that, and I hate to disappoint you or sound like an irascible old boxing fan, but I tried to watch this stuff, and while I was dead wrong that it was "brutal" as I heard, it just doesn't "grab" me the way boxing does.:-(

All **** talking aside, I know what it is. I never liked wrestling, either - I mean REAL college-level wrestling. As I've said about UFC, to me it's just a couple of guys rolling around on the ground, and I don't find it the least bit entertaining. Yeah, when they get up and throw each other around, and maybe throw some punches - but then it's back to the floor, rolling around.:verysad

I like kickboxing a lot better. There's some guy named Cung Lee I've seen on some of these shows who seems pretty good. At least those guys MOVE AROUND and do something that creates interest and excitement. But NOTHING excites or entertains like boxing, nothing.