Boxing's Need to Learn From the UFC
by Brent Brookhouse on Jan 13, 2010 6:10 PM EST
in MMA News
Email
Print
The Decade of Change series at SBNation.com continues this week and today a piece went up on the things SC of Bad Left Hook would like to see change in boxing over the next ten years. Most relevant to MMA fans would be the lesson that boxing needs to learn from the UFC:
You can't take everything from the UFC, especially immediately, but little things can be implemented. The presentation of the sport needs to be updated. The sport's advertising seems stuck in the 1990s, and its fighters don't get enough of a chance to build a genuine rapport with the audience the way the UFC's combatants have over this past decade. There's a disconnect there that doesn't exist in the UFC, and that's surely by design. From the heroes like Randy Couture to the villains like Brock Lesnar and the lesser fighters on the undercards, UFC's fans care about the fighters. UFC fans know a lot about guys like Chris Lytle. Boxing fans have to dig on their own to learn much about guys on a similar level.
Boxing is at a crossroads. The potential for Mayweather-Pacquiao -- the biggest possible fight in sports today -- is still there. That fight alone is a win for boxing, but then what? UFC builds its young fighters into stars. Boxing's young stars are built almost solely on hype, press releases, and word of mouth.
There is much more great stuff to read in the article as well as the rest of the SB Nation Decade of Change series.
27 comments
|
0 recs |
Do you like this story?
Comments
I am watching Liddell v. Jardine right now and
on the countdown Chuck said he still thinks he won that fight. Fucking delusional!
"Talk all the shit you want now!
The biggest problem I have with boxing is that there are so many promoters and belts and rankings and they just don’t mean anything after a while.
Each promoter only promotes a handful of their most profitable fighters, so every different promoter and ranking and weight class has so many good fighters that never get the time of day to prove anything or be known by anyone.
They have no real direction, like a ship without a rudder, they may be going somewhere but who the hell knows where?
If they start a coordinated effort to actually streamline the operations, eliminate some of the belts and rankings, it will provide clarity for the viewer and give more weight to each individual achievement in boxing. And also provide for some interesting fights to solidfy new champions.
As it stands now, any fan just getting into boxing will take them a lot longer to adapt to the current state of the sport, than a new fan that is getting into MMA.
Boxing has a great history and it is too bad the current state of it seems so bleak.
The referee in the photo looks like Senator John Kerry.
by Gorilla88 on Jan 13, 2010 5:55 PM EST reply actions 2 recs
UFC does great because it has 5 clear divisions and all the fighters are under their banner.
It’s very easy for fans to follow their fighters and their progress in the promotion.
by snakecharmer1340 on Jan 13, 2010 5:56 PM EST reply actions
like fedor
and mousasi
and aoki
and henderson
Yes they have the lion’s share and 90% of the top fighters in the world under the Zuffa umbrella. Let’s not kid anyone and say all, however.
http://mixedmartialartsblogger.wordpress.com/
by Cory Braiterman on Jan 13, 2010 6:08 PM EST up reply actions
I think he meant...
All the fighters in the UFC are under their banner, unlike Boxing where every fighter has a different promoter, or in Strikeforce where M1 promotes a few guys.
Associate Writer - WindyCityGridiron.com
Exactly what I meant.
People get crazy defensive sometimes. All the fighters that fight for the UFC are under them. So the UFC can build the fighters up over time.
by snakecharmer1340 on Jan 13, 2010 6:32 PM EST up reply actions
I was about to type that same comment before I read yours. This is part of why I’m for one promotion being it, with minor leagues to get drawn upon for talent.
The article was very good. As someone who watches but doesn’t follow boxing, the insight really helps from the perspective of someone who follows the sport.
by Matthew Roth on Jan 13, 2010 6:40 PM EST up reply actions
OK I see what you mean now
http://mixedmartialartsblogger.wordpress.com/
by Cory Braiterman on Jan 13, 2010 6:42 PM EST up reply actions
Agreed.
It’s easy to see who is champ in what weight division, and what that means, when it comes to the UFC. In boxing, there are more belts out there than superstars. Frankly, I have no idea what any belt means in boxing. But even if I didn’t know what a belt meant, I watched the big fights because of who was fighting. Holyfield, Tyson, etc. Now, even their stars are fading, with no new blood to replace them. The only fight in boxing I care about right now is the Mayweather / Pac man fight.
I love me some Sexyama!
Which is exactly why I have a hard time being impressed hearing that...
Pacquao (SP?) is going for his 11teenth belt in a 8th different weight class or something like that.
Showtime has already made some really good adjustments. The entire presentation of the Super Six tournament is great in my opinion. They’ve created the kind of event needed to grab people’s attention while branding it in a way that compliments the in-ring product nicely. The narrative they’ve established is very easy to follow.
Mayweather
Agree with pud333 (There are way to many weight classes and belts). I think the goofy names for all the weight classes help keep it inaccessible (which is somewhat mitigated in MMA with fewer weightclasses).
But for me, it’s all about the product. I’m vaguely interested in Pac fighting Mayweather. But honestly, I’m not even sure why I’m interested in that fight, seeing as the only time I saw Mayweather, I went to a bar to watch him (against De La Hoya), and NOTHING happened in the entire fight.
OK, I’m sure that there was plenty of technical stuff happening that I don’t understand. My point is that I’m much more drawn to MMA because I think it’s more interesting. My guess is that most people, given the same amount of hype, exposure, organization, etc. would rather watch MMA, so I’m not sure what boxing can do to equal that appeal.
Use all ten points.
Just a quick thought for discussion
Boxing is a Olympic sport so do you guys believe that in the near or distant future mixed martial arts will inevitably become a Olympic sport. Would you approve of this or disprove and why? Also this would allow fights like Fedor vs. Lesnar to become a possibility without the conflict of separate promotions.
The Olymic version of MMA that I forsee would be sort of sucky point fighting like boxing is. Also the MMA Olympics would be more of a prospect breeding ground than a forum for established stars.
Keep firing Assholes!
Melvin Manhoff is my favorite fighter.
I’d be more interested in no-gi submission grappling becoming an olympic sport. if judo and wrestling are, why not no-gi?
by Matthew Roth on Jan 13, 2010 8:25 PM EST up reply actions
The thing with BJJ is that it is primarily a Brazilian sport.
At least we have the ADCC which is pretty much the Olympics of sub grappling.
Keep firing Assholes!
Melvin Manhoff is my favorite fighter.
i wonder if olypmic mma would use a cage or a ring?
by mr. gogoplata on Jan 13, 2010 8:53 PM EST up reply actions
The thing with BJJ is that it is primarily a Brazilian sport.
BJJ is primarily a Brazilian sport, but submission grappling draws from a much wider universe than just BJJ. Judo, Sambo, and catch wrestling are all pretty well developed submission grappling arts, and even amateur wrestling is getting back to it’s roots with FILA recognizing submission grappling an official style back in 2006.
olympic mma
would be a different sport because it would require a compressed tournament schedule.
Use all ten points.
It would be so watered down it’d be awful.
Olympic boxing barely resembles actual boxing
Editor - BloodyElbow.com - SBNation's mixed martial arts headquarters.
MMA Editor - SBNation.com
by Brent Brookhouse on Jan 13, 2010 10:07 PM EST up reply actions
Comments For This Post Are Closed
Secondary Sidebar
User Tools
Related FanPosts on Bloody Elbow
Related FanShots on Bloody Elbow
FanPosts
Community blog posts and discussion.
Recommended FanPosts
Recent FanPosts
MMA Rankings
Certain photos copyright © 2012 by Associated Press or Getty Images. Any commercial use or distribution without the express written consent of Associated Press and Getty Images is strictly prohibited.
