11.16.09 THERE’S PACQUIAO, AND EVERYONE ELSE

This is true. MMA is all over the place and there is no denying the sheer brutality makes for some epic fights. It’s almost like boxing isn’t even trying to compete. Boxing has been a mess for years, with no real US contenders, promotors running the show, and no governing body that could lend some oversight to the sport.

I guess I am just a boxing blow hard and need to pay more attention to MMA, but it still just doesn’t feel right. Growing up watching some of the greats: Robinson, Hagler, Hearns, Duran was watching legends in action. With MMA it seems like theres a hundred “top contenders”, but maybe that’s me. I just wish boxing could dust itself off and regain some of it’s popularity. The Mayweather-Pacquiao fight will be a good place to start.

Max Kellerman ruined boxing. It’s that simple. That dude sucks ass.

“…the only bow in the quiver…”

Don’t think you are understanding that metaphor.

/Dodges Punte grabbing bow from quiver and shooting with another bow.

What is going to make boxing better than MMA?

Boxing. To. The. Death.

+1 EP. Is it me or isn’t Kellerman’s wide-eyed stare at whoever he is interviewing really creepy? Would it kill him to mouth out the interviewee’s answers as they’re speaking like Larry Merchant does?

With MMA it seems like theres a hundred “top contenders”.

How many champs does boxing have? I’ll answer so you take as much time as I had to looking it up, it’s 86. WBO, IBF, WBA, WBC, The Ring…how many governing bodies does one sport actually need. And that’s one of the problems with trying to promote boxing. Nobody cares who the champ is and without a distinct champion to root for or against, it waters down the very thing they’re trying to promote.

Then add in 17 different weight classes and it gets watered down further. Light flyweight and flyweight, there’s really a difference of 4 lbs between divisions…that’s retarded.

One final point, of the 86 champions can anyone name one from each weight class? Maybe we should start small, UFC has 5 weight classes, can anyone name 5 boxing champs? I can do all 5 in the UFC right now, Heavyweight - Brock Lesnar, Light Heavyweight - Lyoto Machida, Middleweight - Anderson Silva, Welterweight, George St. Pierre, Lightweight - BJ Penn. Much, much easier to market. And I guarentee even those that don’t follow UFC or MMA in gerenal reconize at least 2 or 3 of those name.

I think to the American public that MMA will never have the same asthetic appeal that boxing can have, because so much of the audience still sees wrestling and submission fighting as “gay dry-humping,” but the UFC has done an insane job in elevating the sport to where it is now. Pacquio-Mayweather would destroy anything the UFC can put forward, and the Super-Six tournament is a great and novel idea, but otherwise they’re dying in star power.

Also, since the sport is still so young, we’re really just seeing the evolution of fighters who train in multiple martial arts from the jump, instead of guys like Randy Couture and Chuck Liddell, who started in wrestling and then picked up the rest as they went along. Guys like Anderson Silva, Fedor, and Georges St. Pierre (who just became a spokesman for Under Armour and has already been for Gatorade in Canada) are examples of what true greatness can eventually become in MMA, but it’s still an imperfect sport.

Agreed, Biggie, the weight classes are out of control. And to be honest I didn’t know about the 86 champs there are in boxing. What you said about the WBO, WBC etc. I agree with. Unless a fighter unifies the belts, which is very rare, you’re right, it is pretty vague as to what is going on in boxing.

For me it is still a question of the showtime aspect. Anyone watching the intro to the fight on Sat. night couldn’t help but get amped up. The stars were out, it’s Vegas, it’s a title fight!! Not only that, but it’s 12 ROUNDS, not 3. I know, I know, MMA doesn’t need 12 rounds and even if it did it would be physically impossible with the amount of energy they exert. I’ll shut up now, I just wish the youngsters would show respect where it’s due. God I am getting old.

And I guarentee even those that don’t follow UFC or MMA in gerenal reconize at least 2 or 3 of those name.

FUCK! BROCK LESNAR? WHO THE FUCK IS THAT GUY?

I don’t get why we always have to compare. I follow MMA more, but I like both. I don’t want to have to argue about which is better every time boxing comes up.

That said, Larry Merchant is a fucking tool. Between him, Mike Goldberg, Mauro Renallo, and Michael Schiavello, why do all fight sport announcers have to be loudmouth assbags? Ugh.

“Could someone even consider making the claim that MMA was better than boxing if all of boxing’s fights were as exciting as Pacquiao’s?”

First, this assumes that it’s not possible to like both. But aside from that, it’s not a smart question. Rewrite it and see how stupid it is.

“Could someone even consider making the claim that boxing was better than MMA if all of MMAs fights were as exciting as [insert most exciting fighter]?”

The most exciting examples of almost any sport are going to be better than the average examples of most other sports.

I don’t even like college football and I still have that ridiculous Boise State/Oklahoma bowl game on Tivo from a few years ago.

Bob Arum said it best.

see: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yE_tsPatoBU