Why Boxing over MMA?

Boxing is more exciting for me, there's more punches(/strikes) being thrown, distance is closer, and the technique is much more refined at comparative levels. Fights tend to go longer and have their own story to them, whereas even MMA title fights between competitively matched fighters often just end up finishing in a single round which I personally find to be pretty underwhelming. MMA fighters often have glaring weaknesses or holes in their game too which makes it much less interesting to watch. Having boxed as an amateur and done a bit of coaching, I can also appreciate and understand boxing better, and can also recognise and feel put off by the low level of boxing/striking present in most MMA.
 
i like both sports, and follow both these days, but boxing will always hold that special thing for me

i have boxed and trained in several martial arts, and even though it is only one discipline, boxing has so many factors that can decide a fight and i believe much more artistry involved(even if it is only one discipline)
 
Boxing has a precision that the MMA lacks for me. At its highest levels its so beautiful to watch. Watch highlights of James Toney's defense, or Finito Lopez's offense and you'll know what I mean. There is a mastery of art at the highest levels of boxing that MMA can't match IMO.

That said, from an entertainment standpoint,...MMA delivers more consistently. But that's only because they're better at setting competitive matches. A good year in boxing is more entertaining than a good MMA year,...but an average boxing year is worse than an average MMA year.
 
I like both boxing and MMA but hate all that ground shit in MMA. It can make the fight slow and boring. The real question is why isn't kickboxing more popular. Most of the time the fights are way more entertaining than both sports.
 
My myself, i find that the elite in boxing are often greater than the elite of mma
 
At the minute I'm going through a heavy boxing phase. I think we've had some really great fights recently which has helped but for me although I love MMA (I like grappling) I just don't think it has the depth of talent that you get with boxing. I still watch MMA but often after the event has aired when I have time. With boxing I try to watch it as soon as possible or live preferentially.
 
JayMuaythai said:
I like both boxing and MMA but hate all that ground shit in MMA. It can make the fight slow and boring. The real question is why isn't kickboxing more popular. Most of the time the fights are way more entertaining than both sports.
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because kickboxing is sloppy and shit!
 
treelo said:
because kickboxing is sloppy and shit!
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Depends what fighters you're watching. The sport has a lot of potential especially recently where more Thai's are being signed to big promotions and many of them have the same type of skill level within their sport that some of the top guys in boxing have within boxing.
 
MMA involved men rolling around on top of each other + inferior boxing.

Does that answer your question?
 
I love both mma and boxing, but mma is not a sport in my opinion. Since there are no cross promotion between the various organisations. Not to mention that the UFC belt is worth about a $100 and the production is horrible.

Boxing is more of a sport, though not without its problems, and that is important to me.
 
Love both , but the old timers can't stand mma especially watching two blokes on the ground together or ground and pound, too brutal for them.
 
JayMuaythai said:
The real question is why isn't kickboxing more popular. Most of the time the fights are way more entertaining than both sports.
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Agreed. The ruleset tends to encourage action more than MMA or boxing. That said, as much as I like Glory, things dont feel quite as big and exciting as they did back in the days of K-1 GPs and all those big names at their peak.
 
I like them both, but they frustrate the hell out of me. Boxing, of course, because the big fights often don't get made. Or if they do it's years after they should have been made. MMA because of the trashiness of its marketing. Also, a lot of MMA looks like c-level boxing or kickboxing to me, and that is tough to love. I'm a big fan of the bjj.
 
Bogotazo said:
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.
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Good points. Was watching UFC at the bar with my mates for the first time in awhile and i just couldnt get over the low quality crass production of the UFC (felt like it was still the early 2000s).
Roided referees in muscle shirts, Joe Rogan hyping the shit out of every fighter, Bruce Buffer unable to foreign pronounce names... I half expected Dana White to run in the cage after a fight shirtless and berate his fighters...
 
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No fighters shitting all over themselves and the canvas.

Joking aside, I do enjoy watching an MMA event from time to time. But like many said, the whole promotion aspect, Dana throwing his own champions under the bus, the former commentary by morons like Goldberg, a guy like CM Punk (who I have nothing against, he seems like a chill dude) being a co-main event. It just screams cringe more often than not. I just can't stand all the brodude action going on during some of these events. They seem to want to cater to the lowest common denominator, which is fine, it seems to work out for them. Doesn't mean I've got to eat it up is all.
 
Bogotazo said:
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.
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<PlusJuan>
Avoid getting hit in the head too much OP, you've got writing talent
 
MMA is entertaining, it is a fairly new branch of sport, and I especially respect the skill and dedication of the fighters. Honestly became a fan of some of them such as Dominick Cruz. I also listen to analysts with great interest to learn about the tactics and movements of mma.

My first and everlasting love will always be boxing though. I watched boxing with my dad as a youngster and later on I started training myself which i still do to this day.

I trained kickboxing too for a while, but switched back fairly soon.
 
I prefer MMA currently, purely because it's generally more entertaining. I tried to watch all of Broner v Garcia the other night, but it was quickly resigned to a slow and obvious outcome, with very little room for that to change. On the other channel you had Robbie Lawler and Cowboy going back and forth with great action. I just couldn't justify not watching that fight instead, as it was unquestionably more interesting and entertaining than the boxing fight.

As for the marketing and presentation, this is mainly just confirmation bias from boxing fans. In boxing you have commentators like Jim Lampley, who has been the voice of mega fights for the last 10-15 years or whatever it is. A company man through and through, ridiculous favouritism and hyperbole. Not that too dissimilar to Joe Rogan, just not as interesting as a person. In terms of ridiculousness, there's no real argument to be made, boxing has plenty of ridiculous press conference, brawls and ridiculous promotional shit running through it's history. The UFC just gives more opportunities for the two fighters to interact with each other, which is better promotion. This is a complete none issue for me, the UFC marketing does its job, should be much better, but it certainly doesn't offend me, and I wish we had as much boxing material as we do UFC material. Imagine a boxing fight pass, full of fights, original documentaries, day to day boxing shows and even stuff like the Contender which was great.

The reality is that if you don't have much interest in grappling, or everything that falls outside of punching with two hands, you're not going to be that into MMA. I love grappling, so agood ground fight is more aesthetically please to me than any stand up fight, barring a Gatti V Ward style boxing fight, but those are few and far between. When boxing is at it's best, that's what I'll be watching, but the safe bet for more interest and entertainment is with MMA. All that excitement and interest boxing fans get from a really technical high skill fight, can be gotten in various different disciplines in just one MMA fight, but obviously if you don't know anything about grappling or kicking, you're not going to care.

Realistically, the two sides have already been drawn and you're never going to get a complete cross over, there's far too much emotional attachment.
 
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