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Boxing Thread (vs. worst split decision ever)

The appeal of MMA when it first started was the blood sport nature of the event. The fact it was banned in most states and almost bare knuckle fighting really did play upon our love for combat. Unfortunately now it has become so technique orientated that the wrestling is an important skill to resort to and we can all agree that is where boxing is superior. Even watching two guys just club each other has become a little dull. Like DooMMood said I cringe when I see guys in a bar fight so I don't really get a thrill watching organised street brawls.
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While I appreciate the ground game and in fact know a thing or two about it I have to say it just isn't as exciting to watch as two skilled boxers duking it out. I've trained with some Brazilian Jiu Jitsu guys as well as Judo and some other grappling arts, and in a fight between a pure boxer and Jiu Jitsu fighter I would 9 times out of 10 put money on the Jiu Jitsu guy. But if your asking about which one is more entertaining? Boxing all the way.

To me MMA is an attempt at codifying a more complete form of unarmed combat. It is basically a street fight with rules, which kind of takes it further away from a street fight. And while it is exciting to watch armbars, kimuras, and triangles coupled with kicks and elbows it just doesn't "look" as good as boxing does. Ground and pound is also something I don't really like watching in MMA, I completely understand that aspect of it and why it is an important technique. But it just isn't sporting IMO. Like you guys have said it is a street fighting technique, and it is nowhere near as refined as a combination thrown by say Sugar Ray Robinson or Roberto Duran.

It has been a long time since the Heavyweight division held any real entertainment value. Back in the Ali/Frazier era they were far more athletic. Now days you get immovable blocks of men that require less skill and more brute strength to defeat. I have always preferred the lighter division any way. Welterweight and middleweight fighters are more exciting for me as they tend to throw more punches and "lucky" KO's are rare. They only reason the Heavyweights are so revered is the fact they would usually win if you threw them in with a lighter fighter. This doesn't make them a better fighter.
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Man the Ali/Frazier era was a true golden age for heavyweights. The division was just so stacked with talent those days. I mean you have three great champions; George Foreman, Joe Frazier, Ali. Then you have all the great challengers; Ron Lyle, Earnie Shavers, George Chuvalo, Ken Norton, former champ Floyd Patterson... I could go on and on.

The two fights that got me into boxing and remains to this day 2 of my favorite fights of all time are Ali VS Frazier III Thrilla in Manila, and George Foreman VS Ron Lyle. The heart those fighters displayed is amazing to me.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=96KfeAFakak Lyle VS Foreman full fight.
 
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Will boxing recover? Interesting question and my feeling is that it will, although it has been on the decline, as a sport, for some time now. Mayweather and Pac have at least kept some interest in it over the last 7-8 years. Klitschko is a decent heavyweight fighter and champion but there is no one to challenge him.

MMA has appealed to me since the decline of boxing has been going on because it is actually regulated now. Boxing is boring in most matches to me because of: jab-jab-hold, jab-jab-hold, jab-hook-hold-push, etc. That is as boring for me to watch as you guys who dont like watching an MMA fight go to the ground. IMO, for MMA to truly transcend boxing it must get PEDs under control because it is annoying that some of these guys are relying on them (just like in MLB and NFL). Plus, as a fan, it means we are missing some of the perceived best match ups.
 
I recently watch a doco on the Thriller in manilla where they interview Joe Frazier . He pretty much said all of Ali's ills are karma from they way he treated Frazier all those years ago. After watching that doco I tend to agree. After ole Joe defended Ali during the years that he was banned, he turns around and calls Joe an Uncle Tom and attacked his family and essential racially vilified him all to drum up interest in the bout.

The fact that both men were out on their feet at the end of 14 rounds and Joe didn't want his corner to throw in the towel makes it all the more diappointing that Ali carried on afterwards. In hind sight the match should have been a draw or perhaps more correctly a stale mate. Ali wouldn't have made another round either and was never the same fighter after that.
 
Just watched the Pacquiao loss again. So bizarre, everything about it simply rotten to the core. Wasn't the greatest bout but Pacquiao won 8/9 rounds so easily.

I'm giving boxing one last chance. Only 'cos Irelands top contender Andy Lee is fighting Julio Cesar Chavez Jnr. this time tomorrow in El Paso. Plain and simple, gonna have to knock him out cos anything else will only go the way of the Mexican. Should be a good ruck. 'Mon Andy lad.
 
We are all ONE said:
Um, boxing has been dead since Tyson
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Actually considering boxing has the past 2 years had record high viewings, attendance #s and PPV sales, I'd say thats far from true.

@Busty: I've seen that same documentary too, the one on HBO? Greatttttttttttttt one. You ever watch the fight? They have it on youtube (whole thing). I think the karma thing might not be TOO far off. You obviously know about how he would dominate his opponents mentally (both before and during the matches), and just relentlessly destroy them psychologically, sometimes in horrible ways.

One documentary (was it the same one?) talks a lot about how what ALI said to Frazier was RACIST in a sense, how they were basically calling Joe Frazier out for being the "white mans slave" all dressed up, whereas Ali was fighting for the black race.

But Ali got put in his place that match, even though he lost. He finally got a real challenger to take him (almost) the whole way. The quote after by Ali is epic and prob the first compliment the guy ever gave to Frazier, which should say a lot:

Joe Frazier, I'll tell the world right now, brings out the best in me. I'm gonna tell ya, that's one helluva man, and God bless him.
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Immediately after he said this, he collapsed and had to be carried out of the ring.

Ali would have lost that match had Fraziers trainer not thrown in the towel. But Frazier and Ali also might've been even more fucked up permanently as a result (almost went perma blind). Might've changed their entire lives, considering Ali still has $ as a result of his shit talking and Frazier, the composed, respectable opponent who fought as hard as the trash talking poor sportsman now lives in the basement of a gym and makes some $ when he can.
 
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