Boxing vs mixed martial arts

IT’S funny, my friends and I were just talking about this a few nights ago while drinking at Taberna Ocho and talking about our favorite Ultimate Fighting Championship fighters and matches.

OK, we were talking about pro wrestling as well ‘coz we’ve been fans since back during the days when World Wrestling Entertainment was still called the World Wrestling Federation, but let’s talk about real sports here, heh

Anyway, we were talking about how mixed martial arts is becoming more and more mainstream, and wondering whether it would one day be as popular as boxing itself. I even pointed out that because of some of the shenanigans going on with some boxing promoters, MMA might end up being more respectable, more real.

Now check out this Miami Herald article about Floyd Mayweather Jr. calling out the former UFC light-heavyweight champion, Chuck Liddell. Yup, The Iceman himself, one of my favorite MMA fighters.

‘UFC ain’t [nothing],” Mayweather said before his May 5 victory over Oscar De La Hoya, which earned him the World Boxing Council super-welterweight title. “It ain’t but a fad.”

Liddell countered: “I think it was a sign of the times when a boxing show is taking shots at us to try to sell more pay-per-views. To promote their fight, they’re bringing us up. A couple of years back, they wouldn’t even mention us. Now they’re talking about us. Floyd even said afterward that he was doing it just to pump up the fight.”

To the dismay of boxing purists, the UFC has displayed staying power. The Las Vegas-based company, which will hold a fight Tuesday night at the Seminole Hard Rock Hotel and Casino in Hollywood, boasts pay-per-view sales that put it in a three-way battle for supremacy with boxing and the scripted World Wrestling Entertainment.

Recently, controversial boxer Tommy Morrison, a former world heavyweight champion, made his MMA debut.

Here’s an excerpt from the San Jose Mercury News story:

CAMP VERDE, Ariz.—Former heavyweight champion Tommy Morrison won his MMA debut but lost the crowd Saturday night.

Fighting in a cage on a clear night in the desert, Morrison knocked out John Stover (7-2) at 2:08 of the first round. Boos rained down as a panting Morrison raised his hand after breaking Stover’s nose with a straight right.

Although the unsanctioned bout was fought on an MMA card at Cliff Castle Casino, it had little of the rough-and-tumble associated with the sport, and that may have stoked the ire of the crowd estimated at 2,500.

Stover said he originally agreed to the bout despite a stipulation against grappling, a big disadvantage for the 340-pound Stover, who outweighed Morrison by 125 pounds. But an hour before the fight, Stover said he was told he would not be allowed to strike Morrison with his knees or feet.

And here’s Ringside Report weighing in on Morrison’s MMA debut:

Fortunately for the sport of boxing, Tommy Morrison moved on to ultimate fighting to do his best to inflict damage on that sport. Yes, when it comes to Tommy “The Duke,” one has to grasp at straws to find an upside.

The latest bad news regarding Morrison’s disputed HIV status comes from his former agent, Randy Lang. Lang now confesses that Morrison has always been HIV positive, that he has been treated for the disease with standard medication, and that he and his representatives have committed fraud in pursuit of boxing licensure.

This set of assertions, from a member of Morrison’s camp, confirms what has been suspected or assumed all along by people who understand HIV infection and understand the mechanisms by which most state boxing commissions strive to protect the health of fighters. And the loopholes though which Morrison has attempted to squirm.

How about you, are you a fan of MMA? And do you believe it could one day be more popular than boxing?

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