Larry Merchants Comments on Kickboxing/MMA

[jwalk2515]

1) You're thinking of Jim Lampley, Larry doesn't make and hasn't made any hateful comments towards MMA. Nothing he said had anything to do with MMA as a Sport, so stop with the propaganda.

2) Boxing guys don't feel MMA is spoiling the Sport. Right now the only arguable competition for the UFC is run by a Boxing Guy.

I'll give you point #1. I was most definately thinking about Jim Lampley so I'll eat that one.

#2 arguable at best. Doesn't matter who runs the #2 organization; I'll stick by the boxing not liking MMA statment with out it being propaganda.

 

[chino0503]

of course mma fighters and mt fighters dont have the right stance for boxing....... THEY'RE NOT BOXING!!! mt fighters gotta worry about kicks, knees and elbows. mma fighters gotta worry about everything!!

its like saying a boxer goes in the cage and gets taken down all the time.... a boxers stance wouldnt work in mma. you gotta be more square.

 

[Sinister]

#2 arguable at best. Doesn't matter who runs the #2 organization; I'll stick by the boxing not liking MMA statment with out it being propaganda.

You'd be sticking by something largely incorrect. Old School Boxing guys are indifferent about MMA, but none of them have forgotten the backgrounds of guys like Dempsey, and none of them have lack any respect for Combat Athletics. What any of them dislike is a combination of the aesthetics of a cage, and the temperment of fans or Fighters. But they don't disagree with the existence of the Sport by-and-large.

They most definitely don't think MMA is doing anything to Boxing. If anything it's helping, Boxing used to be the odd-Sport out. Now it seems like the dignified Combative spouse to the Sporting World where MMA is the new dirty whore in town.

 

[Rinksterk**]

I agree with KK. This whole MMA vs boxing is a fabrication of the UFC propaganda machine and the internet. The only people who buy into this bullshit is people who don't know shit about both sports.

Step outside into the real world and you'll realize how stupid this is. Its the same with the judo vs BJJ thing in the grappling forum. There are MMA guys who train at my boxing gym. There are boxing fans and MMA fans where I train BJJ. I know MMA guys who got excited for Mayweather fights. I discuss MMA with some guys at my boxing gym. This may be a shock to some of yall, but Sherdog is not representative of the real world.

 

[Sinister]

Well, it is and it isn't. I mean despite the rhetoric and propaganda, here we all are, all walks of Fight Fans with their own territories in a nice little microcosm. You've got your common populous who know nothing, and buy into bullshit, and you've got your knowing fans who take the time to learn different.

MMA and Boxing right this second are getting along better than they ever have. Elite XC's productions actually hype Showtime Boxing Shows because of Gary Shaw's connections. MMA'ists at least here in Vegas are starting to understand that if they want to learn how to throw hands, they have to go to a Boxing Gym and spend some time in the Elder Sport. At the same time Wrestling and Grappling is starting to become a means of strength training for guys like Ak Lalaye who trains both at Top Rank and Extreme Couture's.

Bottom line is we're all in this together, the ONLY guys who perpetuate Dana White-esque rhetoric are Sports Writers who don't know shit.

 

[fightingrabbit]

I agree with KK. This whole MMA vs boxing is a fabrication of the UFC propaganda machine and the internet. The only people who buy into this bullshit is people who don't know shit about both sports.

Step outside into the real world and you'll realize how stupid this is. Its the same with the judo vs BJJ thing in the grappling forum. There are MMA guys who train at my boxing gym. There are boxing fans and MMA fans where I train BJJ. I know MMA guys who got excited for Mayweather fights. I discuss MMA with some guys at my boxing gym. This may be a shock to some of yall, but Sherdog is not representative of the real world.

Lol, i was going to say something similar, but i didnt want to bring up the MMA/BOXING thing and all its retardisms. It just plain befuddles me that people even have debates about it.

I like Boxing. I like MMA. End of argument.

Whos going to tell me otherwise? LOL.

 

[Quoted 4 Truth**]

wow, i wish i saw this thread before i posted mine.,.....,

 

[WCLegend90]

Boxer's cant throw proper kicks, elbows, or knee's.

It goes both ways.

 

[Sinister]

Not always, there are a lot of former kickboxers who weren't bad that have transitioned to Boxing.

 

[Garrett E.]

Maybe I took what he said out of context, maybe I didn’t. My inherent point is that when people try and go to relate the two sports, they often fall victim to looking at specific aspects of both games. A LOT of MMA guys hand’s suck, this is something that’s fairly obvious—but to relate it to boxing, is ridiculous. It’s solely because these people are probably more grappling based and lack the fundamental training and time that it requires to be good with your hands. Also, on top of that, they have to train both hands (which is relatively new to some) and refine their wrestling. The reason I have a problem with anything like that, is because usually I feel when commentators are negatively refereeing to mma, they are attempting to downplay the skill, experience, and heart it requires to compete. Boxing was my first love, it was the first practical fighting system I trained, and I love it through and through.

I have the same argument against MMA guys that say boxing isn’t dynamic enough and is boring. They are inherently 2 different sports with different strategies and points of importance. Balance on your feet while throwing punches is an essential aspect to boxing—because that is all your doing. How about keeping your balance on a back mount, or balance when someone is shooting for a double? It’s like trying to relate BJJ or Wrestling to MMA. They are of course going to have better ground game, because that is solely what they train, under different and specific rules—but it doesn’t really mean shit other than your better at the sport you compete in than another guy that competes in a different sport.

 

[Sinister]

The reason I have a problem with anything like that, is because usually I feel when commentators are negatively refereeing to mma, they are attempting to downplay the skill, experience, and heart it requires to compete.

Yeah but this could possibly be more attributed to a certain amount of insecurity (for lack of a better term). Unless you ask them about the skill, experience, and heart it requires to compete, their opinion on that remains obstructed and can't be assumed by a statement that only compares one aspect of a fight game.

There's zero reason for a guy who has only done BJJ to get upset if I say his balance and technique when throwing punches sucks. Yes he can turn around and say my grappling sucks if that's the case, but speaking about his punching ability doesn't even begin to insinuate anything about his BJJ.

 

[5acrossYOeye]

WAR LARRY!

The man can do whatever he wants!

 

[radman]

John Wayne Parr had mentioned that he would to totaly train differently when he prepared for boxing match as oppose to Muay Thai, and it was in reference to footwork.

Muay Thai foot work is completely different to boxing, and merchant beign an old boxing afficianado, is right. Its like comparing rugby and US football.

 

[Garrett E.]

Yeah but this could possibly be more attributed to a certain amount of insecurity (for lack of a better term). Unless you ask them about the skill, experience, and heart it requires to compete, their opinion on that remains obstructed and can't be assumed by a statement that only compares one aspect of a fight game.

There's zero reason for a guy who has only done BJJ to get upset if I say his balance and technique when throwing punches sucks. Yes he can turn around and say my grappling sucks if that's the case, but speaking about his punching ability doesn't even begin to insinuate anything about his BJJ.

Maybe my insecurities stem from biased editoral work.

http://www.mmaweekly.com/absolutenm/templates/dailynews.asp?articleid=2188&zoneid=4

"Even if an MMA fighter did beat a top boxer in an MMA fight, Lampley said it would "mean nothing" because "it's a bar fight," and he could go to a bar at any time if he wanted to see a bar fight."

I mean, i didn't see the live broadcast so i don't know, but this seems pretty damned negative to me. I'm also assuming by calling them "bar fighters" he's removing the fact that they train just as hard as boxers in order to be good. Meaning... no heart, skill, but maybe they have experience... in bar fighting.

I don't like one sport over the other. I am not an MMA fanboy that hates boxing--like i said before i like it. I just can see why people think the boxing community discourages/looks down upon MMA or any sort of Martial Art.

"Human cockfighting" "bar fighting" ect ect. you can't ignore the bias. Just because it's a new sport doesn't mean its bad.

Sure, they may not have the best footwork, best balance, ect ect. but maybe the critism is unwarrented because those aspects of the game are not "have them or loose"--you have other things you can work on, and still manage to win an MMA match.

Boxing, you gotta have them, or else your a bad boxer.

 

[Sinister]

Jim Lampley's a moron. He does NOT represent the voice of the Boxing community. He's just a broadcaster with very little pull who beats up his girlfriends in his spare time. As I stated earlier, he and a couple of other pseudo-journalists perpetuate the nonsense, but that's not the climate in the Gyms or with Promoters. If anyone with pull in Boxing felt that way, Showtime wouldn't have picked up Shaw's package, and HBO wouldn't entertain the notion of broadcasting MMA events. The suits at the networks are the most powerful people in Boxing right now, and as long as you can show them a Sport will make legit cash and can sustain itself, they'll be open to showing it.

The "bias" is very overstated, and no insecurity doesn't stem from the words of others, it stems from within.

 

[WCLegend90]

Not always, there are a lot of former kickboxers who weren't bad that have transitioned to Boxing.

I was speaking in general.

 

[Sinister]

In general under the specific circumstance that the Boxer has never done anything in his life BUT Box. That's rarely the case nowadays. On the recent card this thread is about, two of the guys who fought were former kickboxers. Jandaeng, and the guy who fought David Diaz as well.

Similarly there are guys in other Arts who are decent with their hands. Some you wouldn't suspect so.

 

[Adam Bunker]

Larry Merchant is a dick why even bother getting upset over what he says,he's like 120 years old lol!

 

[king56]

well the truth is that that boxers have WAY different stances then MMA and MT fighters. this is because they can afford to fight with a huge wide stance and not worry about being taken down or kicked in the front leg.

of course they have slightly crapier balence...because they have been training with much less of a base underneath them.

 

[jdm_boy]

it is a skill that has to be trained. It's similar to how boxers won't have the "balance" to stand with martial artists. Both combat sports/disciplines require different structure, skill, technique, but I believe that it is a hurdle that martial artists can break eventually.