Is boxing going to die?

[GreatestIam]

UFC is more thena fade its been around for over 12 years but is now starting to really come into its own, with advertisment, tv shows etc... As for boxing well boxing has been around for hundreds of years and NO it wont die anytime soon, or atleast for another hundred years until congress, senate or whoever thinks its to violent, well no theyll get rid of UFC 1st so no boxing will never die!

[ROSEWOOD]

My first fight I saw live was Roy Jones Jr vs Kelley. I had JUST gotten HBO at the time, and have NEVER watched a boxing math. I see how the two look like and naturally I think this Kelley guy is bigger so he is going to win. We'll Roy Jones put on a show and KO the guy with his hands behind his back. Ever since then, Roy Jones became my favorite fighter and I bought a DVD of all his fights. That got me into more boxing and more fighters and now I'm a huge fan. I just can't get enough of boxing and I'm downloading many clips of old fights so I can live the history of boxing. Just 1 fight got me into boxing is my point.

Anyway, in my school there is literally no people who watch boxing besides one of my teachers. All of them have this fad for UFC and it pisses me off. It seems all the boxing fans are olders guys, and theres no one to discuss boxing besides here in forums. Will the younger gen stick to UFC?

You and I will die before boxing does.....thats just the truth...

[kallsop]

The rise of the UFC and it's clones and the fall of boxing are two unrelated events.

Boxing has too many weights, too many belts, too many fighters avoiding each other (when will PBF fight someone in the top 10, or unify a belt?), too many mismatches (PBF-Gatti? Duh), too much Julio Cesar Chavez Jr. on PPV (wake me up when its over), mediocre champions who think they are twice better than Ali (Tarver), bums that disrespect the sport and themselves (Castillo) and no overall management that promotes the sport and protects its integrity.

Anything to learn from UFC? Sure. Nothing but competitive fights, clear champion at every weight class. Class promotions that bring in crossover fans. One organization, one message.

Can boxing turn it around? Not with its current structure. It will continue to eat itself.

[BKM-]

There is nothing better than boxing. Boxing is my breath, my food, my everything. And as long as there are people like me, and big fighters like Oscar De La Hoya, Mayweather and the Klitchko's, there's no worries.

[K-DOGG]

My first fight I saw live was Roy Jones Jr vs Kelley. I had JUST gotten HBO at the time, and have NEVER watched a boxing math. I see how the two look like and naturally I think this Kelley guy is bigger so he is going to win. We'll Roy Jones put on a show and KO the guy with his hands behind his back. Ever since then, Roy Jones became my favorite fighter and I bought a DVD of all his fights. That got me into more boxing and more fighters and now I'm a huge fan. I just can't get enough of boxing and I'm downloading many clips of old fights so I can live the history of boxing. Just 1 fight got me into boxing is my point.

Anyway, in my school there is literally no people who watch boxing besides one of my teachers. All of them have this fad for UFC and it pisses me off. It seems all the boxing fans are olders guys, and theres no one to discuss boxing besides here in forums. Will the younger gen stick to UFC?

Boxing will not die. UFC is excelling for a variety of reasons.

1. It's cheaper than boxing.
2. It's close to "real" pro-wrestling
3. It's a sign of the decline of civilization as we know it.

I'm not saying that MMA participants are not skilled; most assuredly, they are. However, the fact that people are bloodthirsty enough to enjoy seeing a man hit while he is down is more of a reflection of the general attitude in society today as compared to a few years ago. Many moons ago, when I was in grade school, if you had a problem with a guy, you'd meet after school, and punches would be thrown. If one guy went down, the other would give him a chance to get back up, in light of good sportsmanship; never hit a guy when he's down and never kick a guy in the nuts...that's in bad taste. Of course, also, at that time parents gave more of a damn about their children behaving and conforming to moral codes of conduct than now, when more parents are concerned about their freakin' careers and children are just something you do and they let the little bastards run wild in public restaraunts....but I digress.

The popularity of UFC is a reflection of most modern attitudes that believe in winning at all cost, and the hell with sportsmanship. Kick 'em while he's down so he can't get up and kick your ass. All of that being said, boxing will survive because it has been around since ancient Greek times and true, it was far more brutal back then than after the Marquis de Queensbury put in his two cents worth some 150 years ago; but I believe eventually, the artform of sportmans-like combat, the manly art of self-defense, the gentelman's sport will re-emerge because everybody wants a chance to get up if they're knocked down.

All of this is not to say that MMA is not an artform, for it is; but I would liken it more to survival skills than dueling. Boxing is dueling with one set of weapons, your fists; and therefore, is more specialized under it's set of rules than is MMA or UFC. Under UFC, you are best served if you have a well rounded education in various forms of self defense; but not necessarily a specialization in one. Actually, the more diverse you are, the better you will do. And while it's true that if you took a boxer and put him in a UFC match he would get killed, the same could be said for a UFC contestant in a boxing match.

Both sports have their place; but I prefer a sport that focuses on giving a man a sporting chance to recover and work his way back into the match and conceivebly snatch victory from the jaws of defeat to a form of "sporting combat" where if you are stunned, your opponent is allowed to jump on top of you and pound or choke you into submission. To me, boxing is more civilized and that's why I prefer it....and I don't think I'm alone.

[Bonafide]

Its a fad. It wont last.

hehe, tell that to Marc Ratner.

[TexDeuce]

Boxing will not die. UFC is excelling for a variety of reasons.

1. It's cheaper than boxing.
2. It's close to "real" pro-wrestling
3. It's a sign of the decline of civilization as we know it.

I'm not saying that MMA participants are not skilled; most assuredly, they are. However, the fact that people are bloodthirsty enough to enjoy seeing a man hit while he is down is more of a reflection of the general attitude in society today as compared to a few years ago. Many moons ago, when I was in grade school, if you had a problem with a guy, you'd meet after school, and punches would be thrown. If one guy went down, the other would give him a chance to get back up, in light of good sportsmanship; never hit a guy when he's down and never kick a guy in the nuts...that's in bad taste. Of course, also, at that time parents gave more of a damn about their children behaving and conforming to moral codes of conduct than now, when more parents are concerned about their freakin' careers and children are just something you do and they let the little bastards run wild in public restaraunts....but I digress.

The popularity of UFC is a reflection of most modern attitudes that believe in winning at all cost, and the hell with sportsmanship. Kick 'em while he's down so he can't get up and kick your ass. All of that being said, boxing will survive because it has been around since ancient Greek times and true, it was far more brutal back then than after the Marquis de Queensbury put in his two cents worth some 150 years ago; but I believe eventually, the artform of sportmans-like combat, the manly art of self-defense, the gentelman's sport will re-emerge because everybody wants a chance to get up if they're knocked down.

All of this is not to say that MMA is not an artform, for it is; but I would liken it more to survival skills than dueling. Boxing is dueling with one set of weapons, your fists; and therefore, is more specialized under it's set of rules than is MMA or UFC. Under UFC, you are best served if you have a well rounded education in various forms of self defense; but not necessarily a specialization in one. Actually, the more diverse you are, the better you will do. And while it's true that if you took a boxer and put him in a UFC match he would get killed, the same could be said for a UFC contestant in a boxing match.

Both sports have their place; but I prefer a sport that focuses on giving a man a sporting chance to recover and work his way back into the match and conceivebly snatch victory from the jaws of defeat to a form of "sporting combat" where if you are stunned, your opponent is allowed to jump on top of you and pound or choke you into submission. To me, boxing is more civilized and that's why I prefer it....and I don't think I'm alone.

Damn good post though I disagree with a couple of points. You say to hell with sportsmanship in the UFC, but there is much sportsmanship that goes on in the cage. Most often the fighters touch gloves, they often help each other up (even after a round), and usually hug and smile after the fight is over, with no malice towards one another. That is the epitome of sportsmanship in my opinion. There are exceptions of course but for the most part guys display good sportsmanship.

As for more civilized, well I suppose that is in the eye of the beholder. Choking someone out is a much less violent and humane way to end a fight. Beating someones brains in for 12 rounds is the polar opposite of this.

As for boxing being around since ancient times, this is true, but so has a form of mixed martial arts in the form of pankration, which was thought to be even more popular than boxing at the time. Other than that good post. Boxing and UFC don't have to compete, they can live well together. I know many fans of both.

Here is a little read on pankration if anyone cares.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pankration

[K-DOGG]

Damn good post though I disagree with a couple of points. You say to hell with sportsmanship in the UFC, but there is much sportsmanship that goes on in the cage. Most often the fighters touch gloves, they often help each other up (even after a round), and usually hug and smile after the fight is over, with no malice towards one another. That is the epitome of sportsmanship in my opinion. There are exceptions of course but for the most part guys display good sportsmanship.

As for more civilized, well I suppose that is in the eye of the beholder. Choking someone out is a much less violent and humane way to end a fight. Beating someones brains in for 12 rounds is the polar opposite of this.

As for boxing being around since ancient times, this is true, but so has a form of mixed martial arts in the form of pankration, which was thought to be even more popular than boxing at the time. Other than that good post. Boxing and UFC don't have to compete, they can live well together. I know many fans of both.

Here is a little read on pankration if anyone cares.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pankration

Thank you; and I agree with the bold. I probably shouldn't have implied there is "no" sportsmanship in UFC for you are correct. I suppose the "nutshell point" would be the whole jumping on a guy while he's down thing. I just don't care for it.

[TexDeuce]

Thank you; and I agree with the bold. I probably shouldn't have implied there is "no" sportsmanship in UFC for you are correct. I suppose the "nutshell point" would be the whole jumping on a guy while he's down thing. I just don't care for it.

And you don't have to, that is perfectly fine. At least you are educated about both sports and give both a fair shake. I wish all fans were as unbiased and thoughtful as you are.

When someone does get hit on the ground, it does look violent. Often times guys cover up pretty well though, and honestly there has never been a serious injury or death in the UFC. The worst was a broken arm due to the guy refusing to tap out.

[-EX-]

I don't think boxing will die. As long as the fights keep selling, and exciting matches keep coming.