Boxing vs. MMA: A contrast of styles By This content is protected This content is protected Yahoo! Sports 11 hours, 43 minutes ago This content is protected This content is protected This content is protected LAS VEGAS – Oscar De La Hoya’s one-sided loss to Manny Pacquiao on Saturday night once again raises questions about the future of the boxing business. Was Saturday night the last night that a boxing event can capture the interest of the general public and become the center-stage event on the sports calendar? And is the rise of mixed martial arts a threat to boxing? De Le Hoya stopped short of announcing his retirement in the ring, but he spoke in terms of the body being unable to do what the mind is willing it to do. “If it’s the end of Oscar De La Hoya, it’s the beginning of the superstardom of Manny Pacquiao,” said HBO Sports president Ross Greenburg, insisting boxing is alive and healthy. “In my eyes it’s just the passing of the baton, like when Marciano beat Louis and Holmes beat Ali.” Greenburg admits there will have to be some business tweaks made due to the state of the economy, such as lowering ticket prices to major events, and he foresees more major fights on HBO next year instead of pay-per-view. While there are plenty of big matches in 2009, it’s been years since a crossover drawing card like De La Hoya, or Mike Tyson before him, has been created. This content is protected “Someone like that may be a 16-year-old kid today hitting a speedbag in the gym,” Greenburg said. But which fighting sport will that kid decide to pursue? This content is protected Attending a major boxing event and a UFC event just a few weeks apart at the same MGM Grand Garden Arena doesn’t seem to support the notion that boxing fans will abandon the sport in favor of MMA. This content is protected This content is protected Boxing’s advantages are based on its longevity as a major sport, with a media contingent that dwarfs even the biggest UFC event, and a list of celebrities that seemed to take forever to run down. UFC major events have some well-known celebrities but nothing comparable. And interestingly, one not mentioned by Michael Buffer but shown earlier in the night on the screen making a prediction (for De La Hoya), was former UFC star Tito Ortiz. Ortiz was not only recognized instantly but booed heavily, almost like he was an intruder. “MMA doesn’t affect the popularity of boxing,” said Greenburg. “They are two entirely different sports. It would be like saying basketball affects the popularity of baseball.” This content is protected This content is protected This didn’t go unnoticed by White. “Did you see the production? And that was HBO. Maybe they should give us some of their Emmys. The pacing was awful. There was no energy in the crowd. They had to loop Pacquiao’s music when he came out because he had to walk so far.” This content is protected This content is protected While Saturday’s main event was as exciting as the best UFC main event, most of the crowd had no interest in anyone on the undercard. This content is protected While Greenburg thinks you can only ask fans to put down $50 a few times a year for the biggest fights in 2009, White doesn’t think the economy is going to make a difference in pay-per-view numbers, citing his audience will get together in big groups and chip in to buy the show about once a month. But he does concede they also are going to have to lower the ticket prices to the live events. “I love boxing as a sport and I came from boxing, but this was a bad day for boxing,” White said. “[Floyd] Mayweather’s probably running out of money and will probably return to face Pacquiao, and I’d pick Mayweather in that one, but nobody is going to draw like De La Hoya does.”
Wise words from the outsider prospective... I said the same thing to myself as I wanted the boxer of my most inner disgust get handled... There will be NO more big draws...boxing is pretty much finished... The key to De La Hoya's success had a couple of factors...not that he was a great boxer...there are PLENTY of better boxers than a prime DLH...but DLH had 1) Good Looks 2) Rag to riches background 3) Olympic Gold Medalist 4) Amazing ability 5) Beat the Mexican legend JCC (that's what got people's attention as well as get him to either love him or hate him) 6) Outside appearances to the boxing world (showing up on Punk'd, coming out with an album, numerous talk shows, showing up in magazines) 7) HBO hype 8) He's American _________________________________________________ The thing that most boxer's fall short of is in two departments...what they do OUTSIDE of the ring as far as promotion AND being good looking... Part of DLH's success is the fact that SOOOO many women loved them some Golden Boyfriend...the fact that not only did he LOOK good, but BOXED good too...which brought not only women but their respective boyfriends or husbands along with them... I think Pacquiao being seen as the next savior of the sport is a bit short of what DeLaHoya did... Pac falls in 3 areas...He's not American...He's not good looking...And not he's an Olympic Medalist... In every other aspect he fills it in QUITE well...he's a humanitarian, he's sold some records as well as done movies, but he just doesn't have that charm that DLH had in order to draw HUGE crowds... Even though UFC doesnt have superstars like that of boxing (I honestly watch a few MMA fights before getting bored of all the wrestling involved and poor striking technique involved as well...but can only think of a few names that would stand strong in the outside world...)The Shamrocks, Tito Ortiz, Chuck Liddell, Randy Couture, and Anderson Silva are the exception to this and they themselves are pretty done with the sport...besides Anderson Silva...but he's looking to retire soon in I believe 4 or 5 more fights...so UFC better look to find someone else to carry on the weight of their future as well...seeing as how they don't have a nationalistic connection with their fights either... I think as far as boxing goes...it truly is going to go down in the dumps without another superstar in the rising soon...or at least in America... I know British fight fans are going wild with the HUGE number of stars making a name for themselves...Joe Calzaghe, Ricky Hatton, David Haye, Amir Khan is back in the picture, Enzo Mac is coming back But America doesn't have that superstar in ANY division...unless Floyd comes back I really don't think America has anybody representing them anymore...there's enough American talent to find clinging to...but no one is promoting them...I also think that's the problem with certain rising American stars that receive to much hype (Kelly Pavlik, Chad Dawson, Jeff Lacy, Jermain Taylor and now Cris Arreola) because HBO and American's are looking for their next big thing...and when they lose and lose horribly...they all of a sudden become "exposed"...which is sad...it's not of THEIR doing that they received so much acclaim and no merit behind it... I just think it'll be a dim light for American boxing for quite sometime...until another DLH or an American Pacquiao emerges from the underground to shine it's greatness upon the world...
Oh, get the **** outta' here with this ****. Considering the Kimbo Slice debacle, MMA boosters should just just stfu and tend to their own knittin'.
A lot of MMA writers always criticise the undercards of boxing cards but boxing has never had strong undercards and people pay for the main event. I like MMA but the talkof boxing dying when DLH goes is stupid!!
White is a ****ing ******. I can name 10 boxing gyms in Vegas off the top of my head and I'm sure there are private gyms that I'mnot aware of. Hell, Barry's, Johnny Tocco's and Las Vegas Boxing are all in a 1 mile radius of eachother. Top Rank, Las Vegas Elite and Mayweather are all in the same neighborhood also. Did he not see the IBA gym that Pac and DLH were hanging out in. Ever been to Richard Steele's place? There are all types of yuppie boxing gyms all over the city. This dude has lost his mind. I want to see White name 10 real MMA gyms in that town. I visited a huge MMA set up over at All Sports next to the airport. Did'nt last a damn year..........Idiot.
What Dana fails to realize is how much more professional and interesting the HBO television broadcast is, compared to having to listen to a coked-up Joe Rogan yelling for 2 hours
the funny part is that dana thought that people still want to see DLH. im pretty sure that the majority of boxing fans could care less about DLH. there will be another major boxing draw. im guessing he is somewhere around the corner as we speak. boxing is far from dead.