“Come on guys, let’s think inside the box here.”

 

Sulaiman, 76, the president of the WBC added arguments to the MMA v. Boxing argument which are as old and tired as he is. He joined the long line of people sitting precariously on an ivory tower attempting to stifle the growth of mixed martial arts.

“It’s like two animals trying to kill each other. In Mexico it has not happened and I’m fighting for that not to happen. But with the public in the United States, I don’t know. They like it very much but I criticise it. It’s not human.”

But boxing is human? How is punching somebody in the face and the ribs humane ? It would be like two cell mates in prison, one convicted for assault, and the other convicted with assault with a weapon and the one convicted with plain old assault looking down his nose at the brutality of using a weapon.

If somebody wants to inject a criticism of MMA, I would like it to be somewhat fresh. This argument is beginning to sound as mundane as “American football? It’s so slow and why do they need helmets” v. “Nothing ever happens in Soccer, who would want to watch people run about and hardly ever score”. It’s ignorant and clearly bypasses any understanding of the basic intricacies of each sport. To say UFC is like two animals killing each other would perhaps be more apt in the early development of the sport when guys like Tank Abbott were acting as if it was a bar fight not a sport. However, the sport has clearly evolved.

If MMA v. Boxing was a fight; Boxing has been world champion for years, while MMA has been fighting in dingy underground venues, but suddenly MMA has grown into a more complex and dynamic fighter ready to challenge the stalwart of combat sports. Boxing is a once great fighter, who has fallen to the demons of fame. MMA is the new dynamic fresh face on the market.

Sport stars often talk about leaving the sport in a better place than when they entered it. I am no expert on boxing but I can guarantee that those currently involved in the organisation of boxing have not left the sport in a better place since they inherited it. The people involved with boxing should start trying to fix their own sport’s problems rather than worrying about MMA. The rise in UFC can be seen as parallel with the rise of the Ultimate Fighter reality show, the reason for this is because people do not want to see a blood bath, they want to follow fighters that they have seen evolve, fighters that they understand the strengths and weaknesses of and fighters that they feel they know personally. This means that UFC has been able to create cards full of stars who interest the fans rather than just a main event.

Somebody needs to send all people involved in boxing a tape of the most recent G.S.P. v. Matt Hughes fight. If they take the time to watch it they will see an intricate game plan executed perfectly, not a thug exhibit brutality. Or watch as Mir a technician tapped out the brute power of Brock Lesnar. A fighter cannot just be heavy handed and be a success, they need to be a student of the sport who excels in a number of disciplines. They should also look at the rules of MMA and see how closely the sport is governed and the ref’s ability to stop the fight once a fighter stops defending himself.

Of course discussing silly statements like this only adds to the problem and legitimises people’s ignorance of MMA, but really, statements like this need to stop being news. Bitter legends of boxing, lend me an ear, (Evander Holyfield’s will do) and take some time to understand UFC, or at least accept it. The argument is going to blow up if Mayweather does come to MMA so it would be simply lovely if some boxing people could try and sound intelligent with some basic understanding, rather than sound like a jilted ex-boyfriend as the fans continue to support the overwhelming growth of MMA into a major sport.

Or we should all just accept that pro wrestling is too fake, MMA is too real and boxing is this happy little middle ground where nobody gets hurt, providing a perfect but yet civilised output for everybody’s brutality needs. Thanks boxing, we salute you, keep up the good work.