HSW Posted February 10, 2014 Share Posted February 10, 2014 A few years ago boxing seemed like it was a dying sport and the UFC was the future. Now, I am not so sure. I find myself getting tired of seeing the same stale offerings from the UFC. Boxing on the other hand has been great lately. Mayweather, GGG, Andre Ward, etc, etc. The list goes on... I think that Dana White has been killing his own sport through god awful mgt practices and he should not be allowed to talk to the press. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Kosher Ham Posted February 10, 2014 Share Posted February 10, 2014 I know for certain that I rarely hear anyone talk about it anymore. It's never been my thing, my brother loved it but even he doesn't mention it. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dr. Do Itch Big Posted February 10, 2014 Share Posted February 10, 2014 I am not a fan of Dana White, he bashes his own fighters and comes off as ignorant. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
pjfootballer Posted February 10, 2014 Share Posted February 10, 2014 Is this an opinion or is there data? If an opinion, you may want to change the thread title. For the record, I've never been a fan of MMA or any of that type of sport. I watch boxing occassionally and I find that alot or the no name matches are better to watch then the headliners. I watch WWE when I want a good laugh or there's nothing else on the boob tube. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Destino Posted February 10, 2014 Share Posted February 10, 2014 I'm an MMA fan that used to watch just about every big boxing fight with my dad growing up. Start to finish a UFC event is a better watch than a boxing pay per view. Especially if it's topped off with a boring one sided Mayweather fight which is interesting for about two rounds and then makes you wonder just why the hell you were looking forward to this. I still think boxing is pretty much dead. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DM72 Posted February 10, 2014 Share Posted February 10, 2014 Boxing is far from being dead. When you still have a couple of fighters making $20M and up per PPV, how can it be dead? A big boxing PPV STILL trumps an MMA PPV. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
lovetoaster Posted February 10, 2014 Share Posted February 10, 2014 I love boxing, and I love MMA. To me, nothing matches the energy of an important boxing match. Unfortunately, there are not that many of those fights anymore. As my attention has gone away from boxing, it has grown in MMA. This is always a discussion where people will defend "their" sport and it can get nasty. I am a fan of both, but I just feel that the quality of MMA is much better than boxing has to offer these days. And say what you will about Dana White, he has been the major player in building the UFC into what it is today. He is abrasive and can be an ass, but if we are comparing unsavory characters, boxing has MMA beat hands down. There are a lot of greedy, slimy people in the fight game that have done a lot of damage to boxing. Boxing is not dead, but it is not doing well. It is still big with certain segments and in many other countries, but as far as a U.S. following, I think boxing has been passed by MMA. Greed and the lack of quality in the heavyweight division have really hurt boxing in the U.S. And if we are talking about money, there are only a few people at the top of that pyramid in boxing that make that kind of huge money. And the guy at the top is planning his retirement, and I don't see a guy in the wings that can generate that kind of love/hate. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Chachie Posted February 10, 2014 Share Posted February 10, 2014 Despite the surge in MMA popularity, it really is still in it's infancy in this country. Boxing is sliding downhill fast on the country's radar. The UFC of the 1990s was seen as sort of laughable and was really just a way to compare fighting disciplines. In just 15 years it's become it's own fighting discipline where each athlete had better have expertise in at least 2 styles. They also better be in amazing shape. in fact, the average mixed martial artist today is certainly better than the previous generation, which shows advance in the application of the sport. MMA has women now too, which will only take it higher. Today's average boxer cannot hold a candle to boxers who were in there prime before 1995. (Except Mayweather.) I grew up on boxing and I still think it's a great sport but I'm a living testimony of the changeover in fan base. I'd be willing to bet the people who currently watch both sports can name more active UFC fighters alone off the top of their heads than boxers from 3 different sanctioning bodies. Boxing is by no means dead but the promoters running the sport have damaged it greatly over the last 20 years and the fighters in it are simply not up to the bar set by the historical greats. I loved loved loved boxing. Now I don't even watch it. I know that's just me but I don't even hear people mention it in conversation anymore. I never thought that would happen. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Chachie Posted February 10, 2014 Share Posted February 10, 2014 I just now saw that all I did was echo everything lovetoaster had already written. My bad. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Taylor703 Posted February 10, 2014 Share Posted February 10, 2014 Boxing is dying. Mayweather-Pacman would've injected life into it but honestly the only enjoyable fight I've seen recently was Broner getting his head knocked off. I love MMA, have been a fan for years and it's only growing. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
lovetoaster Posted February 10, 2014 Share Posted February 10, 2014 I just now saw that all I did was echo everything lovetoaster had already written. My bad. No worries, man. To me, a huge thing that has helped MMA was things like The Ultimate Fighter and free cards on Spike and now Fox/Fox Sports 1. You get important fights for free and you get to learn more about the fighters before you have to pay for them. For example, the Mousasi/Machida fight on Saturday night is a very significant fight. And it's free on FS1. I can't imagine a boxing match of that magnitude happening on free TV. For the better part of 20 years, it seemed like every boxing match of any consequence was pay-per-view or at least on HBO/Showtime. People are not going to pay to see fighters they don't know anything about. I grew up watching really good, impactful fights on ESPN and USA. I think boxing is putting better fights on free TV now, but it has taken a while and not as many people are paying attention anymore. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DM72 Posted February 10, 2014 Share Posted February 10, 2014 Boxing is dying. Mayweather-Pacman would've injected life into it but honestly the only enjoyable fight I've seen recently was Broner getting his head knocked off. I love MMA, have been a fan for years and it's only growing. You really believe MMA is more popular than it was 3-4 years ago? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
d0ublestr0ker0ll Posted February 10, 2014 Share Posted February 10, 2014 I love MMA, and used to love boxing. MMA became like an upgraded version of fighting to me. I can't go back. MMA is my favorite sport. More than football. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Chachie Posted February 10, 2014 Share Posted February 10, 2014 No worries, man. To me, a huge thing that has helped MMA was things like The Ultimate Fighter and free cards on Spike and now Fox/Fox Sports 1. You get important fights for free and you get to learn more about the fighters before you have to pay for them. For example, the Mousasi/Machida fight on Saturday night is a very significant fight. And it's free on FS1. I can't imagine a boxing match of that magnitude happening on free TV. For the better part of 20 years, it seemed like every boxing match of any consequence was pay-per-view or at least on HBO/Showtime. People are not going to pay to see fighters they don't know anything about. I grew up watching really good, impactful fights on ESPN and USA. I think boxing is putting better fights on free TV now, but it has taken a while and not as many people are paying attention anymore. Not to mention some of the amazingly tough and talented boxers in the game today who can't break into the public spotlight BECAUSE promoters have sullied the sport and watered down the competitive structure. You really believe MMA is more popular than it was 3-4 years ago? I do. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
lovetoaster Posted February 10, 2014 Share Posted February 10, 2014 You really believe MMA is more popular than it was 3-4 years ago? Overall, I think it is. The PPV numbers have been down, but the Fox deal has been really good for both parties so far. However, it will be interesting to see what happens now that PPV cash cow Brock Lesnar has been gone for a while, Georges St. Pierre is on a hiatus and nobody knows what is going to happen with Anderson Silva. But other guys like Chris Weidman and Jon Jones are stepping up. As for boxing, I don't know who is capable of taking that mantle from Mayweather when he hangs up the gloves. I know who thought he was capable of doing it, but that did not end well recently. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DM72 Posted February 10, 2014 Share Posted February 10, 2014 As for boxing, I don't know who is capable of taking that mantle from Mayweather when he hangs up the gloves. I know who thought he was capable of doing it, but that did not end well recently. I don't think no one who really watches boxing ever thought Broner was gonna be the guy to take over after Mayweather AND Pacquiao retires. Dude is talented, but he was overrated and he has one of the most unlikable personalities you will ever see. But I remember this same question being asked when De La Hoya was nearing retirement and I'll say the samething now than I said back then. Somebody ALWAYS comes up. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Taylor703 Posted February 10, 2014 Share Posted February 10, 2014 You really believe MMA is more popular than it was 3-4 years ago? It certainly is. The fighters aren't as good in my opinion but it's definitely more popular than it's ever been. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
lovetoaster Posted February 10, 2014 Share Posted February 10, 2014 I don't think no one who really watches boxing ever thought Broner was gonna be the guy to take over after Mayweather AND Pacquiao retires. Dude is talented, but he was overrated and he has one of the most unlikable personalities you will ever see. Oh I agree, I think he thought he could be the guy though. Not many other people though. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Taylor703 Posted February 10, 2014 Share Posted February 10, 2014 I don't think no one who really watches boxing ever thought Broner was gonna be the guy to take over after Mayweather AND Pacquiao retires. Dude is talented, but he was overrated and he has one of the most unlikable personalities you will ever see. But I remember this same question being asked when De La Hoya was nearing retirement and I'll say the samething now than I said back then. Somebody ALWAYS comes up. I've stopped watching boxing mainly because my favorite fighters have either retired or just don't have that many entertaining fights anymore(Malignaggi, Calzaghe and Kessler). Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
d0ublestr0ker0ll Posted February 10, 2014 Share Posted February 10, 2014 Kimbo, Chuck Liddell, Brock, even Anderson Silva, brought in the fringe fans. They were superheros until reality popped its head up. Kimbo Slice, who is now universally accepted as a novelty at best, was WIDELY hyped before he got destroyed in MMA. It's crazy to remember how many people were watching his MMA bouts. The MMA Thread was overflowing. Now fighters are all so talented that the star power has been spread throughout the organization. It's harder to follow as a result. If you love the sport though, it's the best it's ever been. 2013 was the craziest year of MMA ever. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Taylor703 Posted February 10, 2014 Share Posted February 10, 2014 Why would you mention Silva and Liddell in the same sentence with Lesner and Slice? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
d0ublestr0ker0ll Posted February 10, 2014 Share Posted February 10, 2014 Why would you mention Silva and Liddell in the same sentence with Lesner and Slice? Because they brought in fringe fans, like I said. Not comparing their skillsets. And Lesnar was a very good fighter before he got Diverticulitis. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Destino Posted February 10, 2014 Share Posted February 10, 2014 Because they brought in fringe fans, like I said. Not comparing their skillsets. And Lesnar was a very good fighter before he got Diverticulitis. The UFC certainly lost some appeal with Lesnar's end but they've kept going pretty strong. Now that they have the Fox contract they have the sports media reporting on their events more prominently and offer more quality free fight cards to watch. If they get some more fighters that really draw in the curious I think they have a lot of room to grow. Also they managed to make women's fighting, not only interesting, but frankly must see TV. Who would predicted that? The thing that surprises me about the UFC is how many women watch it. When I go watch a boxing event at a dive bar it's all guys and whatever unfortunate girlfriends were dragged along. When I go watch a UFC event at the same bar, women are there to watch the fight with their girl friends. My wife says it has something to do with the tight shorts. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
#98QBKiller Posted February 14, 2014 Share Posted February 14, 2014 You really believe MMA is more popular than it was 3-4 years ago? Yes. And this thread should've been titled "In my own opinion boxing has surged past MMA recently" Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Alaskins Posted February 14, 2014 Share Posted February 14, 2014 I'm extremely surprised. I'm a fan of both and regularly attend bar events (sometimes at the same bar) for both and MMA has probably a 3:1 advantage on fans. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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