Why Boxing over MMA?

MoreKane

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this is a question to you guys, and I wanted to ask you

this isn't to disrespect boxing or MMA, which are both amazing sports with amazing athletes

and since this is Sherdog which is primarily an MMA website, I assume many of you are MMA fans or even primary MMA fans who also love boxing

now this is a question to those that prefer Boxing over MMA, what are the reasons why?

tradition?, you have a stronger history with the sport compared mma etc. etc.
 
I'm 35 and been a fan of fighting as far back as I can remember. I'm a fan of both boxing and mma. Boxing was first for me but always loved martial arts too. Why is boxing still my 1st love? Even though I'm just a (just bleed fan) (look at list of favorite fighters) but I love how it is Just your brains and fists. If you can't adapt or knockout your oppenent out then you get embarrassed. No panic takedowns,no cracking that shin kick to the head. Unfortunately there is clinching in boxing which some have mastered to hit and not get hit vs. Mma where its more stalling or grinding.
Plus gatti Rodriguez was one of my first fights where I got hooked on boxing. Watch that for an example of what got me hooked.
 
Boxing has an aura that MMA does not have for me. They are both brutal sports, but boxing maintains a level of class and maturity in it's presentation.

MMA is very WWE-like at times. I never liked WWE, not even as a kid, and especially not as an adult. The announcers are ridiculous (Bruce Buffer screaming before matches, Joe Rogan's constant hyperbole). Guys are more likely to run around giving people the middle finger after fights, they have more silly outbursts at press conferences, etc. Dana White is the owner and he conducts himself like a high school punk in front of cameras.

I prefer a ring over a cage. The cage gives a Mad Max vibe, as opposed to the more classic appearance of a boxing ring. I preferred Pride's ring over the UFC's cage.

The extreme marketing of UFC and its sponsors is not my thing. I don't drink extreme energy drinks, wear Affliction t-shirts, take boat loads of supplements, etc. So the overall appearance of the UFC's marketing is a put off. It is overdone.

Honestly, the only thing I like about the UFC is the actual sport. MMA is a really fun sport to watch, and I appreciate the skill and ability of the athletes involved. But the rest of it always seems to be saturated by extreme marketing that comes across as annoying to me.

The UFC reminds me of this.

 
I've always preferred stand up so it's an easy choice. Plus boxing has such a steep history that I find an endless amount to read about it.
 
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I like both. Back in the 90s I was way more into boxing. Most of the 00s I was way more into MMA. Last year MMA was more interesting, this year boxing is. Right now boxing has the bigger fights and more interesting fighters.
 
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I like Boxing more cause its more like a real street fight than UFC.
 
I can appreciate both sports. It's good to have different things to watch.
 
I was an MMA fan for years before I even started watching boxin. But I was getting more and more annoyed with it around when I started watching boxing and just liked it way more.
 
I liked boxing as a kid, and my training background is primarily striking orientated. MT first then boxing. Even when I was training MT i preferred to watch boxing. After switching, total no brainer. It's pretty much the only sport i watch period. I like BJJ as a participant but I dont find it entertaining to watch, same for any form of grappling. I have total respect for the skills required, but I just prefer to watch boxing.
 
this is a question to you guys, and I wanted to ask you

this isn't to disrespect boxing or MMA, which are both amazing sports with amazing athletes

and since this is Sherdog which is primarily an MMA website, I assume many of you are MMA fans or even primary MMA fans who also love boxing

now this is a question to those that prefer Boxing over MMA, what are the reasons why?

tradition?, you have a stronger history with the sport compared mma etc. etc.


I feel like the build up is way better. the production value is huge. Realistically watch HBO legendary nights. and those documentarys building up every single fight. it gets you hyped and involved. it makes the fights feel important.



Also the skill level in boxing is far superior to that of the UFC.
 
I respect MMA but only tune in once in a while. Boxing is my favorite sport. So I'll respectfully list all my reasons in loose order of importance:

-The Aesthetics. To me, there's nothing more beautiful than boxing at its best. The fluidity in combination punching, the precision of a clean punch, the subtle timing of a defensive slip, the competence in proper footwork & ring generalship, all of that is beautiful to watch. Not every fight is very exciting, but there's always something to be appreciated in the movements of the fighters. Feints, side-steps, counters, sneaky leads, satisfying body punches, all of those require technical ability that borders on an artform. In MMA, I feel like there is much less rhythm to the fight due to the distance at which they fight, the long pauses on the ground or in a clinch, and the exhaustive nature of the rounds. And there's far less precision in the striking. There are exceptions of course, but there is often so much sloppy offense and defense that it doesn't feel like I'm watching anything special. Fights with lots of twists and turns can be exciting, but I've yet to see an MMA match that could top 100 of my favorite boxing matches. Half the time the takedown defense neutralizes both fighters' wrestling and a lot of MMA matches simply become bad boxing matches with a few kicks thrown in. At that point I ask myself why I don't just watch boxing instead. And on the flip side, when it's heavy on wrestling/grappling, I don't find it nearly as entertaining despite having respect for it.

-The Mastery. MMA fighters are becoming more and more well-rounded, which was the inevitable outcome. That's not to say there aren't experts in their respective fields competing, particularly wrestling and jujitsu, or that it's an inherently bad thing. But because there are so many styles and variables, I feel like there is a lot more randomness involved in the outcome of a fight. There's no guarantee that the winner of a fight excels in any particular area of combat, or that they might not lose a rematch lopsidedly. Additionally, with the talent pool being far inferior to that of boxing worldwide, it's hard for me to believe anyone who is champion at any given time is especially good, or just good right now. This is compounded by the fact that so many top fighters find it hard to stay at the top. In boxing, the cream rises to the top. There's a deep hierarchy you have to climb, and once you're there, winning and losing against people that have made the same climb matters a whole lot. MMA seems like an endless round robin where anyone can lose or win. That defeats the competitive nature of sport.

-The History. Boxing is an ancient tradition and is ever present in our modern culture due to its prominence in the 20th century. There are countless rivalries, upsets, wars, historic reigns, and moments of social significance coinciding with boxing personalities and events. There are various disciplines within MMA that have their own storied pasts, but MMA itself as a sport just doesn't have that rich history. And given the previous point about the difficulty in establishing a legacy, it's proving difficult to forge. It seems like there's a new potential GOAT every year.

-The Personalities. This may come down to me not having enough exposure of MMA, but every time I see an interview or mini documentary of an MMA fighter, it's boring and predictable. I feel like boxers are more a part of their communities and are more distinct individuals for some reason. There are so many mythical aspects to boxers and their gym cultures, and a lot of unique personalities. Duran punched out a horse, Chavez's family lived in an abandoned box-car, Joe Louis was a forgotten war hero, Archie Moore stood on a truck and slipped tree branches, Hopkins came out of a Philly jail inspired by the warden's words, Frazier's training routine in Philly was used for Rocky, Roy Jones raised fighting game cocks, Pacquiao came from nothing to lift up a whole nation, Nacho Beristain's Romanza gym in Mexico City is a factory of champions, Marquez drank his own piss, De La Hoya and Mosley grew up in the amateurs together in Southern California, the Kronk gym is legendary, James Toney loves Burger King, Mike Tyson was a lost soul avenging his pigeon friend turned superstar, Ali was Ali. What UFC personalities could compare to characters like that?

Even today you have guys like Keith Thurman, who is into comparative religion and plays Native American flute, Canelo the ginger sensation who turned pro in his teens and comes from a fighting family, Danny Garcia and his crazy father, Kovalev and Golovkin coming from extremely humble beginnings, Broner the showman, Tyson Fury's gypsy eccentricity. These guys are characters.

-The treatment of the fighters. As corrupt and shady as boxing is, the Dana White and the UFC treats their fighters terribly. They pay is so much lower and they have very few rights as workers. There's much less of a legal scheme to protect fighters in the UFC and the monopoly set-up, while pleasing to fans, is exploitative in many ways.

-Pageantry and Culture. Boxing has a kind of glamour that the UFC and other MMA outfits don't have. There's a classy feel to the fights. The announcers and even the security are dressed in suits, celebrities come well dressed to see it ringside, the commentators are well schooled and articulate, and the promotion usually has a degree of artistic quality to it. Meanwhile the UFC uses a cage, an over the top announcer style, over the top commentators, and styles everything as animalistic and hypermasculine. Bellator and Pride aren't much different. The product overall seems cheapened and the fans seem more like bloodthirsty muscleheads (even if that's not the case).

So, yeah. I prefer boxing.
 
I feel like the build up is way better. the production value is huge. Realistically watch HBO legendary nights. and those documentarys building up every single fight. it gets you hyped and involved. it makes the fights feel important.



Also the skill level in boxing is far superior to that of the UFC.


Great point. I mean it doesn't take much to recall memorable moments in boxing promotional material. And it's not just that its hyped well, it's that the cameras are capturing personal moments and framing the narrative in an accurate way.




 
Great point. I mean it doesn't take much to recall memorable moments in boxing promotional material. And it's not just that its hyped well, it's that the cameras are capturing personal moments and framing the narrative in an accurate way.







Compare that to these:



even for their biggest event. UFC 100. they absolutely failed.



There is no story, no history. it sounds like a monster truck event where you just spit out keywords and make shit sound important without actually engaging the fan.

the fact the ufc let this go on a promo says a lot about their production value:

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-The Mastery. MMA fighters are becoming more and more well-rounded, which was the inevitable outcome. That's not to say there aren't experts in their respective fields competing, particularly wrestling and jujitsu, or that it's an inherently bad thing. But because there are so many styles and variables, I feel like there is a lot more randomness involved in the outcome of a fight. There's no guarantee that the winner of a fight excels in any particular area of combat, or that they might not lose a rematch lopsidedly. Additionally, with the talent pool being far inferior to that of boxing worldwide, it's hard for me to believe anyone who is champion at any given time is especially good, or just good right now..

I've believed this for a long time. I think the skill level to succeed in boxing is far greater than mma. there are guys with very little training who find success. I believe in part it's because of all the different variables. Bret Rogers went from no fighting background, or training. Working at costco, to 3 years of training and knocking out the #2 ranked heavyweight fighter. Travis Browne had a similiar career.

guys are regularly starting mma late. boxers generally have to work since youth. I think the biggest boxer to have started late was Bernard Hopkins and he is a damn national treasure. lol
 
I think the biggest boxer to have started late was Bernard Hopkins and he is a damn national treasure. lol

he didnt even start late tho. When he was young, he was an amateur that showed potential, but gave into the pressures of the street. That is one reason he was able to dominate the prison ranks, in addition to his GOAT-level hardwork and dedication once incarcerated.
 
For cheap entertainment I prefer mma
For serious awe inspiring performances I look towards boxing

Plus in my country it's very hard to find many mma fans to enjoy a good social gathering

Most interactions with mma fans are Americans who come over to the bars

While in boxing I can have big parties with lots of friends
 
MMA is a sport that's still developing.

Boxing has had a century of refinement and it shows.
 
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