Tweet
By Keith Terceira - Boxing in recent decades has been kicked to the curb by the general public due mainly to the focus of main stream media on the few bad apples (promoters and fighters) and rather than balance the coverage the majority of print and television companies stopped reporting anything that was good in our sport, choosing to pander to other professional sports. [details]
-
-
To be fair, MMA took its outcries the early days, with politicians wanting to ban it and being called "human ****fighting". The sport was attacked heavily through the 90's. There are states still today trying to ban it through law to this day, such as Iowa.
The notion that MMA is just old style 1800's boxing isn't quite correct. The original idea of MMA back in 1993 was to match style vs. style. To see which martial art was the best in full contact fighting. That is, who would win if a karate black belt fought a jujitsu black belt, or if a kickboxer fought a boxer, or if a kung fu black belt fought an Olympic wrestler.
It was never intended to be a variation on boxing, although that is what the new owners of the UFC seem to want it to be. Their president Dana White trashes boxing in every interview he has a chance to, because he himself was a failed boxer at one time, and it is not to be confused as the same opinion of all MMA fans. -
I was not attempting to say MMA was attempting or taking its concept from boxing. I am saying though that at one point in time boxing matches had an element of what MMA offers and was banned.
What disturbs me is the encreased striking in the sport as more boxers get into it and fans crave longer matches.
Already at a local level according to two commissioners Bernie in Ohio and Big Greg in Texas crowds are getting smaller as fans begin to recognize the names of fights and follow the fighters instead of the sport itself.
THis was to be expected as the sport ages but some promoters like all promoters may attempt to influence things by matching more strikers against strikers for longer matches and more KO's.
This could be a disaster for the sport and for the fighters.
Some promoters in my area are already attempting to do shady things like run amateur shows but bringing in ringers to keep guys busy and sell out shows.
No purses and overmatched bouts.
Right now the UFC is getting all the media coverage and they run a fairly good operation but under them is a whole industry popping up that doesn't have the same experience and good intentions as the UFC. It is those guys that will get MMA the wrong type of attentionComment
Comment