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...while the UFC roars. That show at MSG was brilliant with an intense, entertaining and fighting main event. Boxing however, whimpered along, one legged and impotent with a main event booed by home fans, hissed and disgusted until their man got the KO. If there had been no knock out, the fans would have continued their hissing. You know the worst part? It featured two of the best offensive fighters of the decade. This hsould have been a great fight, instead it was a poor rip off.
I haven't spoken much about the whole boxing v UFC debate, simply because I keep talking about how different they are as sports but the comparisons are now important. Boxing was once America's top combat sport but with the farce of Mayweather and Pacquiao, how the former blatantly avoided his best challenger for years and then the two (Pac is just as guilty on this part) put on a sparring session for 300 million dollars, the sport faded into irrelevance. The two men destroyed the sports economics to such a point, that mediocre American "champions" are paid to fight journeymen, while avoiding their best possible opponents.
On the other hand, the UFC keeps spitting out hit after hit after hit. An unbeaten streak is unimportant, the best fights are made more often than not, something like Khabib v Ferguson not happening is an aberration, not a common occurrence. In fact, that fight is likely to happen next for both men and the fact that it has not already happened has been due to uncontrolled circumstances and not purposeful ducking.
If there are true boxing fans and they want to watch true fighters, your attention must turn to Europe and/or European fighters. Lomachenko is going after every belt at lightweight, Usyk had every belt at cruiserweight, way back when, Wladimir Klitschko fought every viable heavyweight contender of his era and now Anthony Joshua has all but cleared out the division, barring two names...they may be on his list once he gets a 240lb monkey off his back.
How did we get here? From Mayweather and Pacquiao robbing you blind, to Wilder holding a paper belt for a once important organisation, to Ward robbing Kovalev and then fouling him and finally with Canelo's wrongful coronation against GGG...each one of these should have been showcase events or showcase fighters for the sport but they failed and each time it drove more away from boxing than it brought in.
Short term gains for long term loss. With this boxing whimpers and it is sad.
I haven't spoken much about the whole boxing v UFC debate, simply because I keep talking about how different they are as sports but the comparisons are now important. Boxing was once America's top combat sport but with the farce of Mayweather and Pacquiao, how the former blatantly avoided his best challenger for years and then the two (Pac is just as guilty on this part) put on a sparring session for 300 million dollars, the sport faded into irrelevance. The two men destroyed the sports economics to such a point, that mediocre American "champions" are paid to fight journeymen, while avoiding their best possible opponents.
On the other hand, the UFC keeps spitting out hit after hit after hit. An unbeaten streak is unimportant, the best fights are made more often than not, something like Khabib v Ferguson not happening is an aberration, not a common occurrence. In fact, that fight is likely to happen next for both men and the fact that it has not already happened has been due to uncontrolled circumstances and not purposeful ducking.
If there are true boxing fans and they want to watch true fighters, your attention must turn to Europe and/or European fighters. Lomachenko is going after every belt at lightweight, Usyk had every belt at cruiserweight, way back when, Wladimir Klitschko fought every viable heavyweight contender of his era and now Anthony Joshua has all but cleared out the division, barring two names...they may be on his list once he gets a 240lb monkey off his back.
How did we get here? From Mayweather and Pacquiao robbing you blind, to Wilder holding a paper belt for a once important organisation, to Ward robbing Kovalev and then fouling him and finally with Canelo's wrongful coronation against GGG...each one of these should have been showcase events or showcase fighters for the sport but they failed and each time it drove more away from boxing than it brought in.
Short term gains for long term loss. With this boxing whimpers and it is sad.
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