UFC Poses No Long Term Threat to Boxing

[Andrew Green]

From a Boxing Site obviously...

http://www.doghouseboxing.com/DHB/Horgan_072606.htm

"Well, it’s official: the UFC is now a mainstream sport in America. With the Mandalay Bay selling out for the Ken Shamrock vs. Tito Ortiz card July 8, it has become evident that the UFC is no longer the underground freak sport that it was just ten years ago. As a matter of fact, the sport is gaining so much momentum that some experts are saying it could lead to the demise of boxing! However, my fellow boxing fans, fear not. The UFC will NEVER and I mean NEVER pose a long term threat to the sweet science, and in this article, I will show the many, many reasons why."

One interesting thing he slaims is this bit:

"Just think about it: starting a boxing gym is a pretty safe bet to make money. In addition to having people who actually want to box, you have people coming just to get in shape. Starting a UFC gym is so much more risky because people won’t be coming in to shed pounds. Business would depend on hard core male fighters who would have to be willing to sacrifice a year of their life to learn enough to take part in a fight. "

Is that true? Is a MMA gym really that impractical compared to a Boxing Gym?

[Hand Sword]

Aah! The panic, and self re-assurance! The age bracket that boxing has thrived on forever, and NEEDS, is either now firmly, or getting there quickly, in MMA's corner. The paydays will be coming soon!

And..

No! the gyms aren't less practical.

[Brian R. VanCise]

The UFC will ultimately supplant boxing. Boxing has been very stagnant or declining in popularity for awhile. On the other hand the UFC and MMA is growing and getting more popular by the minute. Plus the fights are just way more exciting with many more variables involved. Even top boxers have said that they do not want to get into the UFC. (they have already said they are not as tough) The UFC will continue to grow! (buy stock now)

Brian R. VanCise
www.instinctiveresponsetraining.com (http://www.instinctiveresponsetraining.com)

[Kensai]

The UFC will ultimately supplant boxing. Boxing has been very stagnant or declining in popularity for awhile. On the other hand the UFC and MMA is growing and getting more popular by the minute. Plus the fights are just way more exciting with many more variables involved. Even top boxers have said that they do not want to get into the UFC. (they have already said they are not as tough) The UFC will continue to grow! (buy stock now)

Brian R. VanCise
www.instinctiveresponsetraining.com (http://www.instinctiveresponsetraining.com)

That's an interesting point Brian, forgive my ignorance, but is it actually on the stock market?

Regards,

Kensai

[Brian R. VanCise]

Currently it is privately owned! (to my knowledge) However, that will probably change at some point so be on the look out!

Brian R. VanCise
www.instinctiveresponsetraining.com (http://www.instinctiveresponsetraining.com)

[Kensai]

Currently it is privately owned! (to my knowledge) However, that will probably change at some point so be on the look out!

Brian R. VanCise
www.instinctiveresponsetraining.com (http://www.instinctiveresponsetraining.com)

Damn right mate, that would be huuuge in my view.

[Andrew Green]

I definately agree that UFC is more entertaining, I've never ordered a boxing PPV, but have forked out for quite a few MMA events.

What about the claim that MMA is not something that people will get into on a more "casual" basis like people do in Boxing? Walking into a boxing gym will likely have you see lots of people that will never so much as spar, they are just there for the workout. Can MMA attract that sort of person to keep gyms full enough for the sport to really grow?

[AceHBK]

What about the claim that MMA is not something that people will get into on a more "casual" basis like people do in Boxing? Walking into a boxing gym will likely have you see lots of people that will never so much as spar, they are just there for the workout. Can MMA attract that sort of person to keep gyms full enough for the sport to really grow?

Other than the Tito vs. Ken early stoppage, fans get their money's worht when it comes to UFC compared to boxing.

To answer your question I think so. I think MMA can definately keep gyms full for the sport to grow. It needs to find a way to attract those people with money.

It needs to be available more and seen more. The man who wrote this article is right that it isnt beating out boxing and that is mainly due tot he fact that UFC is not in every state. Meaning, NY for example. It is now only a matter of time before NY will allow UFC and I am telling you now, the day UFC hits Madison Square Garden, look out boxing!

[7starmantis]

What about the claim that MMA is not something that people will get into on a more "casual" basis like people do in Boxing? Walking into a boxing gym will likely have you see lots of people that will never so much as spar, they are just there for the workout. Can MMA attract that sort of person to keep gyms full enough for the sport to really grow?

I think there is some truth to this. We have the largest bag room in our area and casual "boxers" and guys who enjoy hitting the bags pay alot of the bills. I only have a very small handful of serious MMA people who really workout hard in there. The bag room as a whole is only say 20% of the income anyway. Of course we aren't an MMA or Boxing gym, but recently we have had a MMA gym open and they bring their guys to use for bag work. If I had to rely on them to pay my bills I would go out of business. I taught a full contact MMA class once here and we started with over 20 people. In 3 weeks we had 4 people. A MMA gym must learn to allow the casual boxers and such to at least workout there to help pay the rent. They will go workout somewhere, why not at your place?

7sm

[Kreth]

Other than the Tito vs. Ken early stoppage, fans get their money's worht when it comes to UFC compared to boxing.
Actually that fight went longer than many of Tyson's early ones, and it didn't seem to hurt his popularity.

[Rook]

Actually that fight went longer than many of Tyson's early ones, and it didn't seem to hurt his popularity.

Tyson actually knocked out alot of those people though, whereas this was a premature referee stoppage. The UFC needs to fire that guy... he's the same ref that messed up the second Arlovski-Silvia fight.

That article seems to display a lack of knowledge (or perhaps willful ignorance) about the current state of boxing and MMA. Boxing's "thinking sport" status is eroding... or at least so claim many of the analysts who say that technical boxing has been declining. Watching the occasional pieces of boxing matches on TV, most the fighters seems to lack greatly in skill compared to other years past.

The MMA game is definately far, far more technical. The ground game is one of the most nuanced fighting areas, and one that MMA fans are able to understand at least the basics of. The variable actions available to an MMA fighter make this a far more thinking-oriented sport than boxing - the MMA fighter has all the options of a boxer's standup game along with those of an international style kickboxer, "dirty boxer" and Thai fighter without even looking at the groundgame.

The MMA scene may be less sucessful at attracting people that the "boxercise" gyms, but most the the "hard edge" urban gyms that produce many of the top fighters don't exactly attract the "workout of the week granny" or the less-than-serious fighter either.

[Andy Moynihan]

But then, people thought TMAs would die out after MMA. They haven't. *shrug*.

[Rook]

But then, people thought TMAs would die out after MMA. They haven't. *shrug*.

Some people are interested in things besides training for fighting.

The article made a good point in that alot of people send their kids to local karate classes or suburban boxing gyms and don't give the slightest thought to whether or not they can actually fight - its just babysitting or maybe excercise. Likewise, we have the "workout of the week granny" and the "overweight desk jockey" who really aren't all that interested in actually fighting people or developing skills for doing so, and just want to burn some calories in a more exciting way than running on a treadmill. Lastly, we have the "cultural warriors" who can be compared to civil war reenactors, who like the idea of being part of a long heritage and aren't necessarily interested in fighting the best they can.

Then there are the people who just don't know any better and think that chi blasts are the soul of sucessful self defense.

[7starmantis]

Yes because those are the only reasons one would study a TMA.

[Kreth]

Yes because those are the only reasons one would study a TMA.
Yeah, what about the chicks?



:uhyeah:

[tshadowchaser]

My thought is that boxing has been around a long time and so has the mma in different names over the centuries
i think we could most likly trace both back to the Greeks if we tried hard.

I pesonaly like UFC and think it puts on a better show and is safer for the participnts but thats only MHO

[Hand Sword]

MMA has been signed on to CBS. That's 4 shows a year coming to free tv. A spot where boxing made it's growth back in the day, and not seen for awhile. Supposedly one of the most lucrative deals ever. An ultimately final blow to boxing perhaps?

[Empty Hands]

Well, they're right in one sense. Boxing itself is a far greater threat to boxing than MMA could ever be. Boxing managed to corrupt itself down to a far less popular sport long before MMA came around.

[Brian R. VanCise]

MMA coming to CBS already on Fox now and then and Spike TV. You have to admit that it is really, really growing. Boxing simply is not growing like MMA.

[terryl965]

MMA coming to CBS already on Fox now and then and Spike TV. You have to admit that it is really, really growing. Boxing simply is not growing like MMA.

Boxing is so water down people are looking for something new and that is MMA, now with that being said boxing is certainly not dead. It is on life support until the family decides what to do with it.

[Kenpojujitsu3]

Some people are interested in things besides training for fighting.

The article made a good point in that alot of people send their kids to local karate classes or suburban boxing gyms and don't give the slightest thought to whether or not they can actually fight - its just babysitting or maybe excercise. Likewise, we have the "workout of the week granny" and the "overweight desk jockey" who really aren't all that interested in actually fighting people or developing skills for doing so, and just want to burn some calories in a more exciting way than running on a treadmill. Lastly, we have the "cultural warriors" who can be compared to civil war reenactors, who like the idea of being part of a long heritage and aren't necessarily interested in fighting the best they can.

Then there are the people who just don't know any better and think that chi blasts are the soul of sucessful self defense.

And let's not forget that there are those people who realize there is a large difference between MMA fighting (or fighting of any form) and self-defense. Those people will learn self-defense systems and not MMA fighting.

[Bodhisattva]

From a Boxing Site obviously...

http://www.doghouseboxing.com/DHB/Horgan_072606.htm

"Well, it’s official: the UFC is now a mainstream sport in America. With the Mandalay Bay selling out for the Ken Shamrock vs. Tito Ortiz card July 8, it has become evident that the UFC is no longer the underground freak sport that it was just ten years ago. As a matter of fact, the sport is gaining so much momentum that some experts are saying it could lead to the demise of boxing! However, my fellow boxing fans, fear not. The UFC will NEVER and I mean NEVER pose a long term threat to the sweet science, and in this article, I will show the many, many reasons why."

One interesting thing he slaims is this bit:

"Just think about it: starting a boxing gym is a pretty safe bet to make money. In addition to having people who actually want to box, you have people coming just to get in shape. Starting a UFC gym is so much more risky because people won’t be coming in to shed pounds. Business would depend on hard core male fighters who would have to be willing to sacrifice a year of their life to learn enough to take part in a fight. "

Is that true? Is a MMA gym really that impractical compared to a Boxing Gym?


Lots of people show up at MMA gyms to shed pounds - and they are succesful, too.

MMA isn't just for people who commit their entire life to it. MMA is practiced by all levels of athletes with varying levels of commitment.

I don't think UFC poses a long term threat to boxing. I think NHB fighting sports REVIVED people's interest in regular boxing.

I know I watch a lot more boxing these days than I used to - I think my appreciate for no holds barred combat sports is what made the change.

[Bodhisattva]

Well, they're right in one sense. Boxing itself is a far greater threat to boxing than MMA could ever be. Boxing managed to corrupt itself down to a far less popular sport long before MMA came around.

totally true!

[sgtmac_46]

Lots of people show up at MMA gyms to shed pounds - and they are succesful, too.

MMA isn't just for people who commit their entire life to it. MMA is practiced by all levels of athletes with varying levels of commitment.

I don't think UFC poses a long term threat to boxing. I think NHB fighting sports REVIVED people's interest in regular boxing.

I know I watch a lot more boxing these days than I used to - I think my appreciate for no holds barred combat sports is what made the change. I know I agree with that part VERY MUCH.....I see more interest in the SCIENCE of boxing today than 10 or 15 years ago!

As for Boxing (the business) it isn't threatened by the UFC....IT's threat came from how it has been mismanaged and ran over the last 20 years!

[matt.m]

The UFC will ultimately supplant boxing. Boxing has been very stagnant or declining in popularity for awhile. On the other hand the UFC and MMA is growing and getting more popular by the minute. Plus the fights are just way more exciting with many more variables involved. Even top boxers have said that they do not want to get into the UFC. (they have already said they are not as tough) The UFC will continue to grow! (buy stock now)

Brian R. VanCise
www.instinctiveresponsetraining.com (http://www.instinctiveresponsetraining.com)


I have to agree. It seems to me that It was Sugar Ray Leonard, Tyson, Haggler, etc. Then the 90's came around and well the greatest thing next to sliced bread was Hollyfield and the lightweights. But there was really no big draw........except poor Tyson, for what it's worth, will never be the Mike of the 80's. You know how it goes.........loose gannons and wet dynamite are sure to go off. Just wait for it to happen. When the "Big names of boxing" are doing WWE fights on PPV, well.....enought said.

[matt.m]

I know I agree with that part VERY MUCH.....I see more interest in the SCIENCE of boxing today than 10 or 15 years ago!

As for Boxing (the business) it isn't threatened by the UFC....IT's threat came from how it has been mismanaged and ran over the last 20 years!


I see his side too. I suppose you could say that anything that the MLB and NBA can do to screw itself it will. I haven't watched a basketball game since the '92 olympics and well............I only watched the 2 World Series that St. L has been in during the last couple of years. When Hertzog left and Torre took over, along with the strike......well. I am happy just watching my rugby and football.

[The Elemental]

What the?

This article dates back to 2006, why is it even relevent?

[exile]

What the?

This article dates back to 2006, why is it even relevent?

Because people are interested in the topic, I'd say. There are plenty of old threads that get jump-started because someone searching around in the archives finds something that seems to them worth continuing the discussion on. Looks like plenty of people here have something to say about the issue. Is there a problem?