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Because boxing is the most physically and mentally challenging sport on the planet, that's why.
Once you get to a certain level, the mental aspect of the sport transcends the physical by such a high degree. You'll hear pundits refer to boxing is much more mental than physical and it's true. Alsp, having limited tools (just hands as compared to mma) makes you light years sharper in your lizard brain. Boxers often see into future subconsciously. It's hard to describe if you haven't done it on a certain level. It's very much like playing poker on the highest level except that roledex of your mind is moving so fast it becomes innate and tribal.
Once you lose for the first time, you go through a lot of things mentally. You often doubt that you never had before. There is no programming for boxers to lose, you never train to lose and once you get the first loss, you learn how to lose which can have a ripple effect over your mental game; a bad one, especially if it's by knockout. Some fighters have a hard time pulling the trigger like they used to or become gun shy. Some lose confidence now when they never had those deficits prior and now they're a husk of what made them so special.
MMA doesn't have this because it's not as demanding as boxing is, it's true. We've seen it time and time again, mma fighters are mentally, physically, and skill-set weaker than boxers at the highest levels.
Once you get to a certain level, the mental aspect of the sport transcends the physical by such a high degree. You'll hear pundits refer to boxing is much more mental than physical and it's true. Alsp, having limited tools (just hands as compared to mma) makes you light years sharper in your lizard brain. Boxers often see into future subconsciously. It's hard to describe if you haven't done it on a certain level. It's very much like playing poker on the highest level except that roledex of your mind is moving so fast it becomes innate and tribal.
Once you lose for the first time, you go through a lot of things mentally. You often doubt that you never had before. There is no programming for boxers to lose, you never train to lose and once you get the first loss, you learn how to lose which can have a ripple effect over your mental game; a bad one, especially if it's by knockout. Some fighters have a hard time pulling the trigger like they used to or become gun shy. Some lose confidence now when they never had those deficits prior and now they're a husk of what made them so special.
MMA doesn't have this because it's not as demanding as boxing is, it's true. We've seen it time and time again, mma fighters are mentally, physically, and skill-set weaker than boxers at the highest levels.
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