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Boxing, Not MMA, Is Why Fewer Care About Boxing

Published

13 years ago

February 8, 2011

If you can, pretend for a moment that the first MMA show that was thrown together as a whim back in 1993 never happened and MMA didn't take off years later and isn't the surging sport that it is today. That's right, imagine there's no MMA at this time and then ask yourself if you would care about professional boxing any more than you do now. I'll bet the answer is no.

If you're a real boxing fan, MMA hasn't effected your interest in boxing one iota. If you're fed up and disenchanted with boxing, it's not because you're watching MMA or watched Silva versus Belfort this past Saturday night. And it's a waste of time debating who wins between an upper-tier boxer and MMA fighter. But in case anyone wants to know where I stand – here goes….In the Octagon an MMA fighter will beat a boxer eight out of 10 times, in the ring, the boxer will win 10 out of 10 times. And please, don't wander off and think about who wins in a street fight. Both boxing and MMA are combat sports with many rules, unlike street fighting. There are a plethora of Krav Maga tactics that are forbidden in the ring and Octagon that are legal in the street.

The reason(s) for boxing's decline in popularity, especially in the United States, has been chronicled at length by others. It's grating to hear and read MMA get credited with being a big reason as to why boxing has dropped down lower on the sports food chain. Blaming MMA or anything else but boxing as to why it's in the current state it's in is short sighted, and that's being nice. If you want to blame MMA, you can blame it for perhaps being a big part of the reason why professional boxing may never rebound, but that's it.

The biggest problem with boxing is those who run it only care about making money and could care less about the sports' future once they've sucked every penny they can from it. The viewing public has been conditioned to only care about the mega fights and superstars. And sadly, that's all most fans care about. Also, the best fights are seldom made and in almost every main event fight there's an A-fighter and a B-fighter. Which usually translates into a lopsided decision with no drama or a one or two round blowout. In addition to that, Olympic boxing is a joke. Not only is it not televised, but the computerized scoring is a disaster. With no network fights, fans not only don't see the top amateurs win their medals, they don't get a chance to take an interest in them as they move up the ranks as a pro. Remember when we used to care?

Yes, the interest in boxing has declined. With the sport getting so little exposure it's hard to see where the next generation of outstanding fighters is going to come from. Even the high profile fights that everybody sees are seldom dramatic or memorable. Bad matchmaking, too many hands in the till, too many undeserving PPV fights, fighters getting ripped off, the lack of exposure having killed the interest, just about all the great trainers are dead, these bullet points only touch the surface on why boxing, not MMA or the NFL, have the sweet science on the ropes.

The talent pool for the next generation of upper-tier fighters has shrunk dramatically in the United States, as opposed to in the world of MMA, where every high school and college wrestler who is considered a tough guy by his peers is a potential MMA champ. The money in MMA at the top isn't nearly as good as it is in boxing. And strength and toughness will over-compensate for skill in the Octagon more so than in the ring. Tapping out isn't nearly as embarrassing as getting stopped. Add to that MMA is actually less dangerous and safer than boxing, something all MMA participants will admit, it's hard to see where the next Sugar Ray Leonard or Mike Tyson is going to come from.

The bottom line is, boxing has been its own worst enemy for a long time. Anyone who thinks MMA has dealt boxing a serious body blow is misinformed. It's those who control boxing who are to blame, and they'll be in power until they die. And by then it may be too late to bring it back anywhere close to where it was less than 10 or 12 years ago.

Maybe one day the money will be as good in MMA as it is/was in boxing, and if that happens, that sport will be on the same path as boxing has been on. Like all sports, boxing and MMA are businesses first in the eyes of those who wield the power and make the fights, and the fighters are just lions being led by the rats. Just ask Bernard Hopkins and Randy Couture. However, at this time boxing's decline in popularity has nothing to do with anything outside of boxing. I don't know a single person who is disenchanted with boxing who has turned to MMA, and that's not a shot at MMA, it's just the way it is.

Boxing only needs to look itself in the mirror to find the blame for its all-time low regarding the public's consciousness, or should I say those who govern it need to look in the mirror. And they know it but just don't care because they're making a fortune and getting over on the fighters and fans.

Frank Lotierzo can be contacted at GlovedFist@Gmail.com

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Frank Lotierzo

Articles

2015 Fight of the Year – Francisco Vargas vs Takashi Miura

Published

8 years ago

January 4, 2016

The Sweet Science

The WBC World Super Featherweight title bout between Francisco Vargas and Takashi Miura came on one of the biggest boxing stages of 2015, as the bout served as the HBO pay-per-view’s co-main event on November 21st, in support of Miguel Cotto vs Saul Alvarez.

Miura entered the fight with a (29-2-2) record and he was making the fifth defense of his world title, while Vargas entered the fight with an undefeated mark of (22-0-1) in what was his first world title fight. Both men had a reputation for all-out fighting, with Miura especially earning high praise for his title defense in Mexico where he defeated Sergio Thompson in a fiercely contested battle.

The fight started out hotly contested, and the intensity never let up. Vargas seemed to win the first two rounds, but by the fourth round, Miura seemed to pull ahead, scoring a knock-down and fighting with a lot of confidence. After brawling the first four rounds, Miura appeared to settle into a more technical approach. Rounds 5 and 6 saw the pendulum swing back towards Vargas, as he withstood Miura’s rush to open the fifth round and the sixth round saw both men exchanging hard punches.

The big swinging continued, and though Vargas likely edged Miura in rounds 5 and 6, Vargas’ face was cut in at least two spots and Miura started to assert himself again in rounds 7 and 8. Miura was beginning to grow in confidence while it appeared that Vargas was beginning to slow down, and Miura appeared to hurt Vargas at the end of the 8th round.

Vargas turned the tide again at the start of the ninth round, scoring a knock down with an uppercut and a straight right hand that took Miura’s legs and sent him to the canvas. Purely on instinct, Miura got back up and continued to fight, but Vargas was landing frequently and with force. Referee Tony Weeks stepped in to stop the fight at the halfway point of round 9 as Miura was sustaining a barrage of punches.

Miura still had a minute and a half to survive if he was going to get out of the round, and it was clear that he was not going to stop fighting.

A back and forth battle of wills between two world championship level fighters, Takashi Miura versus “El Bandido” Vargas wins the 2015 Fight of the Year.

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Jan 9 in Germany – Feigenbutz and De Carolis To Settle Score

Published

8 years ago

January 4, 2016

The Sweet Science

This coming Saturday, January 9th, the stage is set at the Baden Arena in Offenburg, Germany for a re-match between Vincent Feigenbutz and Giovanni De Carolis. The highly anticipated re-match is set to air on SAT.1 in Germany, and Feigenbutz will once again be defending his GBU and interim WBA World titles at Super Middleweight.

The first meeting between the two was less than three months ago, on October 17th and that meeting saw Feigenbutz controversially edge De Carolis on the judge’s cards by scores of (115-113, 114-113 and 115-113). De Carolis scored a flash knock down in the opening round, and he appeared to outbox Feigenbutz in the early going, but the 20 year old German champion came on in the later rounds.

The first bout is described as one of the most crowd-pleasing bouts of the year in Germany, and De Carolis and many observers felt that the Italian had done enough to win.

De Carolis told German language website RAN.DE that he was more prepared for the re-match, and that due to the arrogance Feigenbutz displayed in the aftermath of the first fight, he was confident that he had won over some of the audience. Though De Carolis fell short of predicting victory, he promised a re-vamped strategy tailored to what he has learned about Feigenbutz, whom he termed immature and inexperienced.

The stage is set for Feigenbutz vs De Carolis 2, this Saturday January 9th in Offenburg, Germany. If you can get to the live event do it, if not you have SAT.1 in Germany airing the fights, and The Boxing Channel right back here for full results.

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Articles

2015 Knock Out of the Year – Saul Alvarez KO’s James Kirkland

Published

8 years ago

December 29, 2015

The Sweet Science

On May 9th of 2015, Saul “Canelo” Alvarez delivered a resonant knock-out of James Kirkland on HBO that wins the 2015 KO of the Year.

The knock-out itself came in the third round, after slightly more than two minutes of action. The end came when Alvarez delivered a single, big right hand that caught Kirkland on the jaw and left him flat on his back after spinning to the canvas.Alvarez was clearly the big star heading into the fight. The fight was telecast by HBO for free just one week after the controversial and disappointing Floyd Mayweather Jr. and Manny Pacquiao fight, and Alvarez was under pressure to deliver the type of finish that people were going to talk about. Kirkland was happy to oblige Alvarez, taking it right to Alvarez from the start. Kirkland’s aggression saw him appear to land blows that troubled the young Mexican in the early going. Alvarez played good defense, and he floored Kirkland in the first round, displaying his power and his technique in knocking down an aggressive opponent.

However, Kirkland kept coming at Alvarez and the fight entered the third round with both men working hard and the feeling that the fight would not go the distance. Kirkland continued to move forward, keeping “Canelo” against the ropes and scoring points with a barrage of punches while looking for an opening.

At around the two minute mark, Alvarez landed an uppercut that sent Kirkland to the canvas again. Kirkland got up, but it was clear that he did not have his legs under him. Kirkland was going to try to survive the round, but Alvarez had an opportunity to close out the fight. The question was would he take it?

Alvarez closed in on Kirkland, putting his opponent’s back to the ropes. Kirkland was hurt, but he was still dangerous, pawing with punches and loading up for one big shot.

But it was the big shot “Canelo” threw that ended the night. Kirkland never saw it coming, as he was loading up with a huge right hand of his own. The right Alvarez threw cracked Kirkland in the jaw, and his eyes went blank. His big right hand whizzed harmlessly over the head of a ducking Alvarez, providing the momentum for the spin that left Kirkland prone on the canvas.

Saul “Canelo” Alvarez went on to defeat Miguel Cotto in his second fight of 2015 and he is clearly one of boxing’s biggest stars heading into 2016. On May 9th Alvarez added another reel to his highlight film when he knocked out James Kirkland with the 2015 “Knock Out of the Year”.

Photo by naoki fukuda

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