"Boxing is dead."
"Boxing is not like before."
"Today there are no good fighters."
These are just a few comments, abandoned by fans of the sport of kings, patiently waiting to breathe life into the blazing lungs of boxing.
Despite the virtual set of organizations that have their own version of the world title, most people could not name even one of those who claim to form a fragmented championship in heavyweight. WBA, WBC, IBF, WBO, IBO (perhaps another organization has surfaced, as written in this article), does this matter anymore?
However, with at least five world heavyweight belts, can the casual name of an observer even be a single champion? If so, be sure that the person is in a rare group. Try calling two, three or four. I would say that my eight-year-old niece would be more likely to call all four Beatles.
Having risen to boxing, I was lucky to see many of the greatest warriors of the sport, some in their prime. I sat stuck in front of an intense television that was installed inside a wooden cabinet. There were two round knobs for changing channels on the right side of the monster, one for UHF channels that regularly broadcast static ones.
Somewhere inside the choice of channels 2, 4, 5, 7, 9, 11 and 13, I witnessed how Ali won his title from Leon Spinks; Sugar Ray Leonard wins welterweight from Wilfred Benitez; Alexis Arguello falls into Aaron Pryor twice - I also watched a few cartoons.
When I grew up in adult life, archaic television was upgraded to one with a remote control and the addition of a cable box. Between the closed-circuit TV and the cable, my boxing correction was satisfied with the wars from some of the greatest fighters who ever laced their gloves. Durant beat Leonard. Leonard beat up Hagler. Hagler beat Hearns. Hearns beat Duran. These people all bought each other and were so dominant that they needed to be called only by their names in order to be recognized.
Do you really need to say “Mike” when talking about Tyson? Enough.
Iron Mike was the last man in boxing who could be called by an average man or a random fan. Of course, Holyfield, Big George Foreman and Lennox Lewis were all great champions, two of whom defeated Tyson. However, most people remember Iron Mike.
Tyson fights surpassed the sport of boxing. They were not afraid; These were grand spectacles: their own events. It doesn't matter who the opponent was. Mike could be a pit against the Pope, Elvis, or even God; and it would still be called The Tyson Fight.
Today's boxing PPV numbers are pale in comparison to the successive record cards that Tyson has turned off, even when his career has been declining. Delahoya and Mayweather wrote a record PPV number for their recent fight, but he didn’t lose spending a lot of money on promotion. Commercials, commercials for print and - for the first time in boxing history - the entire television series of television shows was filmed to deceive the fight. Subtract these extra costs and see if Iron Mike is hiding another PPV king.
Tyson fights did not need hype, just the date and time. People tuned in to see if someone could last at least two minutes with a champion. The second round of Tyson's fight was less common than an honest politician. Once PPV vendors had to promise three round guarantees or the fee was reduced.
With Tyson's absence, many boxing fans found solace in a new combat sport: MMA (mixed martial arts).
MMA combines one-dimensional combat sports, such as boxing and wrestling, and packs them together, expanding the competitor’s arsenal. Fights MMA - a much more accurate picture of the real battle, because the fighters are not limited to just punching (above the waist) or feet. Even when they participate in combat skills, the goal is not related to the opponent, but to win the battle by filing or stopping. The decision of the judge is made if the deadline expires in a scrum.
Rules are included to ensure safety and eliminate barbaric street fighting brutality. Biting and popping eyes are two examples of forbidden insult tactics.
Mixed martial artists - fighters. For comparison, boxers were called fighters, but the claim is somewhat wrong. Real battles included any offensive strategy that could win the battle, and not just punch.
Despite the fact that many boxers have succeeded in street fighting, many factors - besides the fact that they are a great fighter - come into play to take into account success. Boxer trains to pierce faster, stronger and more accurate. They also have excellent stamina. When you beat an athlete in the form of an ordinary person who does not train, only the factor of endurance will influence the fight in favor of the athlete. Combined with the skills of boxing you do not have a competition in favor of a boxer.
Ask the wrestler to meet with the same boxer in a street battle, and the results are likely to be very different.
Theoretically, an MMA fighter should win both because of training in all areas of combat. The MMA Fighter strides to become well-rounded in stamping, kicking, wrestling and performances. They train their hands not for a boxing match, but for a real fight, where they can be carried to the ground. Boxers do not train to defend against strikes or strikes.
A great example was that former street fighter Kimbo Sluys destroyed once in the world heavyweight boxing and Olympic champion, Ray Mercer, for two minutes in the MMA debut match in Slice. Mercer defeated knockout victories such as Tommy Morrison, and had two very contradictory losses to Evander Holyfield and Lennox Lewis. Many believe that Mercer was robbed in these fights, and even Lewis is rumored to have recognized that this is true.
However, the former boxer's excellent boxing skills were not tied to anything when the street fighter became a mixed martial artist, lowered him onto the mat and hit him before giving him a guillotine choke.
Nevertheless, despite the fact that MMA seemed to be an evolution of boxing, it could withstand some of the successful sports. Many people may not know that Wladimir Klitschko holds three heavyweight boxing alphabets, but he still earned more money in his union with Sultan Ibragimov than every MMA fighter on the latest UFC (Ultimate Fighting Championship) card.
Felix Trinidad came out of retirement to lose to Roy Jones Jr., and boasts that he also earns more to lose than most MMA fighters, even champions, have earned in their own careers.
In order for MMA to develop as a sport, it will have to turn on what boxing is on. PPV numbers have already eclipsed boxing, now is the time to reward competitors, who will no doubt be short in the fight against their careers.
Elite XC is a MMA company with a Showtime television event. The company is managed by Gary Shaw, who still contributes to boxing events. Perhaps Shaw is a person who will attract MMA to the center of attention, who has embroidered boxing for golden years and still seems even today.
Time will tell.
