Boxing, the sweet science; a historic, moving, influential sport that has earned the love of generations of fight fans. Boxing brought us the Greatest, Sugar Ray, Marciano, The Pac Man. Boxing is an ageless gem, for which there is no equal.
Boxing fans have witnessed amazing history. Those fans are highly knowledgeable and well seasoned.
While it may hold no equal, boxing does hold a modern day rival that has been forged in the spirit of what boxing is, meaning prize fighting.
A new challenger in the realm of combat sports has emerged. Mixed Martial Arts is that challenger. In recent times new icons have emerged. MMA has brought us The Last Emperor, The Spider, Gracie after Gracie, The Dragon.
MMA has captured an new generation of fight fans that are driving the sport forward. They too have earned their rightful place as reputable fans of combat sports.
Relatively young in the commercial fight promoting world, mixed martial arts has gained a strong foothold in the community of fight fans. That foothold is more than a decade strong and consists of an establishment of validity that can not be ignored.
The two sides seem content to compare their arts, their loves, their opinions as to which form is superior. The debate runs deep, the theories are many.
Years ago the potential of a pro boxer fighting a mixed martial artist was brushed off as ludicrous. Today, it is very much the fabric of debate for many.
While fans of either discipline would prefer to claim their allegiances surely backed up by undeniable facts as to why one is superior to the other, neither argument can overshadow the other. This is because the two can not be tested against each other. Not with any relevant conclusion based on the outcome of an MMA vs. Boxing fight.
Boxing for example is such refined art. It proves ageless theories as to the importance of heart, endurance, gameness, strategy, and will.
Yet an MMA enthusiast will tell you those traits also play very heavily into the outcome of an MMA fight. Both are correct. Even with all the similarities between the two, they can not be equally contested.
Both sides have valid points and aspects to bring to the table as to their superior style of combat arts. In then end though, those traits remain unique to the style. Why is an MMA fight against a boxer a bad idea? Consider the unique nature of either style and the answer should become apparent.
A boxer can spend an entire career focusing on four points of contact. His entire training will solidify in his mind and his body that there are four attacks possible. The points of contact consisting of his two hands and those of his opponent.
This knowledge allows for the boxer to focus in acute areas when considering both offense and defense. Obviously the whole body plays a role in boxing but the hands are the tip of the sword. His mind is conditioned to contemplate the defense and attacks based on those facts.
For a mixed martial artist the spectrum broadens considerably. Where only the hands are employed as weapons in boxing, in MMA there are eight points of contact. Two feet, two knees, two elbows, and two fists.
Multiply that by two and a fighter has eighteen things to consider before throwing a punch. That doesn’t take into consideration the ability to take one down, or complex aspect of submissions.
So where a boxer can focus in a broader spectrum and excel in that area, an MMA fighter must spread his mind thinner, as well as his body and also remain effective based on those aspects.
Those points are the very reason why the two can not be compared. Is it tomayto tomawto, or is it apples and oranges? The latter makes more sense.
Even the theory of a boxer competing against an MMA fighter is fraught with loopholes that can not be addressed fairly. Not to mention the plethora of questions that are raised by the notion.
Under which rules does the event take place? What type of gloves are used? What type of scoring rules are used? How many rounds? What attire? Cage or ring? The questions are endless, and the answers are few.
While the fans may believe one art is superior to the other and wish to see their predictions come to fruition, there really is no effective way to prove the point.
Is it so hard to believe that the two can co-exist without competition? Can two reputable sports not prove their worth as individuals without the need for ultimate supremacy?
Boxing is what it is, as is MMA. Both are individual sports with varying rules based on similar roots. NASCAR and Formula-1 are both racing but are worlds apart. Boxing and MMA are very much on the same level as that point.
Both hold their value, both have their drawbacks. Yet neither can really hold a candle to the other. Strangely that vicious circle can not be broken. No matter how bad advocates for either would love to prove otherwise.
