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AP Photo Paul Chiasson
My last top 10 list described why, in my view, the UFC is better than boxing. Here are my top 10 reasons why boxing is better than the UFC:
Number 10. The Olympics. It doesn't really matter that mixed martial arts is not an Olympic sport, it's the amateur program to get there. Fighters who make an Olympic team are a big deal. Some of them become successful professionals, some don't. Regardless, the guy at number 9 below would not have been "golden" without the Olympics.
Number 9. Oscar De La Hoya. I know he's number 9 on the other list; however, he was a one-man pay-per-view wrecking crew for this decade and last--years of amazing growth for the UFC. Oscar alone proved that boxing is not dead, dying, or critically injured.
Number 8. The legends. Out of fairness to the UFC, I'm only looking at boxing legends from 1993 through today, which includes Lennox Lewis, Roy Jones, Jr., Julio Cesar Chavez, Bernard Hopkins, Felix Trinidad, Evander Holyfield, Pernell Whitaker, Manny Pacquiao, and countless others. Can you name a UFC fighter who has had a similar impact? I can see arguing for Dan Severn, but nobody else. Mark Coleman is in the UFC Hall of Fame and his MMA record is 15 wins, 9 losses. Ken Shamrock is in as well with a 26-11-2 record. Randy Couture? Yeah, he's in with a 16-9 record. A lot to becoming a legend is exposure. UFC guys simply aren't around long enough and don't win enough.
Number 7. "The sweet science." I cringe every time a UFC announcer describes a fighter as having a "boxing background" because I have yet to see any of them display any boxing ability. Can they punch? Sure, in a Ricardo Mayorga sort of way. The better question is can UFC fighters defend against a punch? Sure, in a Ricky Hatton sort of way. Box, wrestle, monkey kung fu, who cares, just show some sweetness.
Number 6. The champions. UFC championships seem to trade hands on a daily basis. Bernard Hopkins was middleweight champion for a decade. His successor, Jermain Taylor, was champion for over two years. The main who took the belts from Taylor, Kelly Pavlik, has been champion since 207. I get it that UFC fighters go to war more often, but that's to be expected in a sport that only has 5 rounds.
Number 5. The history. Joe Louis v Max Schmeling, Sugar Ray Robinson v Jake LaMotta, Evander Holyfield v Riddick Bowe, Muhammad Ali v Joe Frazier, Thomas Hearns v Sugar Ray Leonard, Gerry Cooney v Larry Holmes, Manny Pacquiao v Juan Manuel Marquez. I think you get my point.
Number 4. Earth. If the sport of boxing depended on the United States for survival, then I would send flowers to its grave site. Thankfully, we have champions and top contenders from all over the globe. By comparison, the UFC is predominately an American sport that has hosted just a handful of events outside of the States.
Number 3. HBO, Showtime, and ESPN. I fully understand that I am critical of them most of the time; however, I recognize the need for all three. HBO's coverage is normally superb with Showtime keeping pace. ESPN's Joe Tessitore and Teddy Atlas are the best commentators in the business. Argue with any point on my top 10 list, but the three networks destroy the UFC's commentators. Who are they again?
Number 2. The fans. I rate boxing fans higher than UFC fans for one simple reason--most of them inherited the sport. The UFC has not been around long enough to see it pass from one generation to another and, frankly, it may not be.
Number 1. Manny Pacquiao. I rewrote this paragraph more times than I refill my glass of Jack Daniels on a daily basis. Disclaimer: Manny Pacquiao would not be number 1 on my list without Gerry Penalosa--his idol. Disclaimer: Manny Pacquiao would not be number 1 on my list without Freddie Roach. Now that I've given credit where it is due, Manny Pacquiao IS number 1 because he is not only a future hall-of-famer, but he is on the cusp of history. I'm not talking financial history and I'm not talking about PPV buy records. I am talking boxing history, sports history. Above all else, and perhaps because of everything else, the UFC will never have its version of Manny Pacquiao.
The bottom line is that boxing and mixed martial arts are two different sports with very few similarities. To suggest that one is better than the other, as I have done on purpose, misses the point. A boxer can win by knocking his opponent down. A UFC fighter may only be able to win by voluntarily going to the canvas--apples and oranges. Above all else, however, survival equates to money and money equates to fans. Something both sports need to always remember.
Comments
1A. Brock Lesnar is not heavyweight champion. LOL, MMA is not a sport - just brutal entertainment.
good article..
that's why i love boxing!!
Great well rounded article to target the biased mma blogers who "Claim" boxing is a dying sport.
Top UFC Guys Brock Lesnar 3 and 1 George St Pierre 18 and 2 Lyoto Machida 15 and 0 Boxing's Best Manny Pacquiao 49 and 3 Juan Manuel Marquez 50 and 4 Shane Mosley 46 and 5 Wladimir Klitschko 53 and 3 Bernard Hopkins 49 and 5 Nonito Donaire 21 and 1
UFC Flyweight Division?
try watching UFC 100. you get my point. thanks.
ufc-100-live-stream.blogspot.com
Nice article though I love boxing its unfair to compare UFC to boxing each has their own followers and preferences.It's like comparing apples to oranges.But I like this one>> "I rewrote this paragraph more times than I refill my glass of Jack Daniels on a daily basis" LOL unlike you I am already content with my bilog(Ginebra San Miguel)
Pinoy boxing fans do visit us www.pacfans-corner.com watch livestream of boxing events!!!
yah i agree with you. what discourages me most every time i watch mma is when two muscular men grappling, rolling, hugging in the mat canvass like two gay men necking and petting. Boxing is still the best!
Nice article Keep it up man!
Good Article. The earliest evidence for fist fighting with a kind of gloves can be found on Minoan Crete (c. 1500-900 BC), and on Sardinia, if we consider the boxing statues of Prama mountains (c. 2000-1000 BC). That straight punch comes straight from Wikipedia. You know what that means? Boxing is an IMMORTAL sport. UFC according to Wikipedia is a sport that started in 1993. There's no justice comparing the 2. Boxing has been around 4000 years. Amateur and professional boxing started out in the 17th century in Europe and there are records to prove that. See Wikipedia. Boxing is as rich as the history of the discoveries of Asia and the New World, now known as America. UFC will be happy to know if it can survive beyond Dana White as it is all hype, no content. In 2109 (About 100 years from now), I would bet my mortgage boxing will still be around and going strong. While UFC? Perhaps 2019 (10 years only) No guarantee it can still fight!
i love boxing but i enjoy UFC boxing in my blood and i agree with this article. skill and entertainment goes to boxing brutality goes to UFC in my opinion
I love mma as well as boxing... is there a category for this??? I'll buy ppv's of both.
i enjoy both but ill take a good match boxing any sat night over ufc aka mma, mma is ufc, with out ufc mma would be a nitch underground sport lets face it that being said dana white is the man but the titles in mma are utterly useless and mr white chooses basically who gets the title shots and norrows the odds to a 50 50 almost picking his champion, brock lesnar anybody? ufc is a popularity contest but its fun
Good article.too much hugging in MMA, any abled body can do MMA. I'm still trying to figure out how Lesnar become champion only after 4 fights? Even WBC is shaking their heads.
UFC? Just imagine doing an arm bar in a street fight.
Stop it!!! He tapped out!!!LOL
"Champions in UFC will not gonna last long because of the damage they recieved during their fights, that's why they reign very shortly compare to the legend boxers.." This is not sports (ufc, this is like gambling with human lives!."
nice article from a great author... indeed pacman is one of the reason we should love boxing against mma
I agree... Specially the sweetness part :) The best fights in the UFC are the undercards and not the main event. There you see the essence that boxing has which is heart, composure, and the Science... Main events in UFC are just brawling thier ways to the opponent till one eventually tires out and gets knocked out... The only two fighters that acctually apply that science is Machida and Silva... The rest is just hormones pumping up, two men cockfighting...the stronger guy wins. Unlike Boxing where styles makes fights and match ups make legends
kudos! great article.... hope to read more of your stuff here.
I'm a fan of both. This is a useless article. You can't compare boxing and mma. I hate it when boxing fans dismiss mma and same with mma fans towards boxing. An mma fighter has no chance in a boxing ring against a boxer and vice versa - boxer has no chance in an mma event. Maybe a lucky chance either way but very slim. In a street fight - i'd go mma. A boxer can punch but how does a boxer defend kicks, takedowns, chokes, armbars, leglocks and on. So please for the love of boxing, stop dissing mma.
@ Finito
in the ring each figher has its own advantage, boxer or mma. but dont bring the streets up cuz in the streets there is no rule. you can be the badest motherF***** out there, but you aint bulletproof. im the skinniest guy out on the streets and im the most dangerous. a single punch can knock a mma fighter out, if you pit both fighters in, without those thick gloves boxers wear watch how your boy falls.
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Love both boxing & MMA.. But they are way different from each other and they cannot be compared apple to apple.. The difference in fighting styles and techniques makes both sport fun to watch.
However, MMA is simply a young (professional) sport compared to boxing who's been here for ages...
theres nothing brutal about two men holding each other between their legs while the ref stands around and fails to force the action. boxing is more brutal and still more refined and civilized. more men die in the squared circle every year than people have died in mma since its birth. in boxing you fight for 3 minutes and are given one minute to refresh, recoop, get your legs back and go out and continue the show. holding is a foul, and referees break em up to force the action. in a 12 round boxing match a man can get hit hundreds of times in the head, by someone who actually knows how to punch. it takes more will to continue, and failing to continue is truly frowned upon. theres no tapping out. mma is a sport and can be very physically demanding and exhausting. but many bouts are decided on pure luck. in boxing puncher's have their puncher's chance and you can call that luck as well; however, 9 out of 10 times, a boxing match is decided by skill, will and condition. theres no compariso
boxing is a true duel. a true face off. because both men are given the same weapons, two fists and that is it. in mma everything is a striking weapon, but most mma fights still manage to end up on the ground. now I can't argue that in a street fight, the guy with kicks and ground game has the edge. but when i was a kid getting into street fights, wrestling wasnt fighting. its what we did to play with our friends, older brothers, even pops. it was a form of game and bringing that into a street fight was looked down upon. in a fight, where u want to hurt your opponent, you use your fists. men fight on their feet and use their fists. wrestling is for kids.
To: Mayweather,
You train hard..Knock me out and you win. --Manny Pacquiao
Well said 'C' .......i completely agree! Boxing, a sweet science, is a more pure sports compared to MMA, tough i like MMA also.
i've also noticed that in MMA today . . . . while they're doing so much ground games in the past among other things . . . . . they're reverting back to stand up games which mostly boxing and punching. Best MMA stand up fighter is no match to a, at least, a good boxer much more to a boxer with a skills like Manny Pacquiao.
men don't fight while lying inbetween their opponents legs. that is a true test of your masculinity to even consider laying on top of your opponent an option. i personally wouldn't do it, id rather get knocked the fck out. its not hand to hand combat. in ancient times when warriors used swords to fight, they didnt then wrestle when their blades broke or failed. they struck each other with the intent to decapacitate them, injure them, so they can move on to the next foe. i dont think you would see the knight, the gladiator, the samurai or the spartan ever decide "hey, my blade broke, why dont i just lie down and see if theyll lay on top of me." thats not battle and thats not combat.
some mma fights are good, some are boaring.. same in boxing. It actualy depends on the fighter, how they fight.
good for boxing there is pacquiao mania.
Amen. Number 7 "the sweet science". So True! I do enjoy MMA and the UFC, but boxing is CLASSIC, man. Real fights are done standing. I hate it when a BJJ guy drops to the ground on his back w/ spread legs like a dog in heat with a come hither look. Kinda gay, if u ask me.
Thats why he is the no.1 P4P king..Pacquiao is just awesome to watch when he fights..so exciting..I saw him fight his first fight in "BLOW BY BLOW" not only me but the commentators right away said, this is a guy to watch..when he fought ledwaba, he already has a name in the Phils but not in the US..but the commentator said, this is a star in the making...when he fought Barrera, commentators said "A star is born"...now, hes up there cause when he fights, he give us our moneys worth...action pack boxing! not running & waiting...thats why hes now the cash cow, not gayweather.
ignorant article...10. olympics are corrupt. we all know how good the scoring system is in olympic boxing.9.mma does not need 1 star to carry it. it has dozens 8.mma is still in its infancy, but it already has future halloffamers.GSP,silva, machida,fedor..7.mma fighters don't have the luxury to train only one discipline, they must divide their time to train an average of 4 types of disciplines,bjj,wrestling,boxing, kickboxing/muaythai 6.championships change frequently because the best are forced to fight the best. and very rarely do fighters duck one another cause a loss won't end your career. 5.again see #8 moron! 4.ufc is a company not a sport moron! mma is fought all over the world. current ufc champs are 2 brazi, 1can, 2usa.3.commentators? really? thats your arguement? 2. there will be more kids getting into mma than in boxing in the future. actually im sure its happening now.1.pacman is one of a kind,same can be said about every other sport.basketball,football dont havepacman too
I haven't seen a street fight that involves grappling somebody to the ground and trying to do an arm bar.
REG. I RATHER BE AN EXPERT IN ONE DISCIPLINE THAN BE MEDIOCRE IN 4.
jammin7998
and you've seen a streetfight that is like a boxing match...LOL...
kaloy. I've seen street fights that uses their fists and iI haven't seen hugging.
I know my son is greater than the Pacman and I'm better than Freddie "the Joke Coach" Roach. My Son will knock Manny within 3 rounds when they meet in the ring.
I will be disappointed if it past in 3 rounds.
Floyd SR. I though you were illiterate. good job on making yourself comprehensible. Next time read the forum topic.
Why other sports is better than boxing? They do not have greedy promoters who think first of himself than the sports he promotes.
I play UFC/MMA but I know this is a boring game..I playing UFC/MMA co'z I cannot BOX so good, Iam just good to play on top of my opponent or he's on top of me..
Simply put, MMA is fun to watch but I wouldn't part with my hard earned money just to watch it on PPV.
Sloan....nice listing of reasons, let me tell you mine. Boxing as a sport lends itself to truly legendary fights---the back and forth drama in great fights is what seperates. Corrales v Castillo, Barrera v Morales, Ward v Gatti, Pavlik v Taylor. I'm not saying theyre the greatest fighters but in all those fights the back and forth war that was waged in the ring is the reason boxing is king. In MMA the first fighter to land the big punch or twist the ankle wins....no opportunity for the other guy to show his heart and will.
pacquiao is the best. he is number 1 to me.
no one beat my idol, my former opponent.
There is no true to life character like Pacquiao in MMA.
I am sorry, nothing personal, I am just doing my job. Manny Pacquiao
MMA is crap, bunch of rejects from other sports that need a way to make money and show off their tattoo's.
For me, MMA is for the retarded. Simple as that. The difference is so big I don't even have to elaborate.
Great read...your going to start getting a bunch of hate from buttscooters - but keep on telling it how it is brother
we have to agree that boxers will have a slim chance of winning against any mma and the UFC generated $300 million in pay-per-view revenue in 2008, surpassing both boxing and pro wrestling for the second straight year,cotto vs GSP i dont think cotto will even have a chance to land any punch but if GSP able to hold him and thats the end,it's fan to watch mma were almost all of the combat sports is being used,if u want a boring but technical fighter there is SILVA like MAYWEATHER,if u want exiting fights u got to see GSP like PACMAN,but i like boxing more,it all depends on who's fighting....lmao
My friends love MMA, UFC in particular but they stopped talking, become dead silent when I tell them that real men punch each other out deaed in REAL FIGHTS!!! I would die laughing WHEN THE DAY COMES THAT I SEE TWO GUYS GRAPPLING AND MOUNTING EACH OTHER IN A STREETFIGHT! iT'S IMAGINABLE! EVERYBODY WOULD BE THINKING THEY ARE GAYS!!! LMAO 4 15 MINUTES!!! MMA IS SO BORING & i BELIEVE A LOT OF THEM ARE JUICED!!! PEACE 2 ALL!!!
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