



Boxing could be lifted off the canvas by regulation

The Sonny Bill Williams-Francois Botha debacle was another black eye for boxing.

The Sonny Bill Williams-Francois Botha debacle was another black eye for boxing. Photo: Getty Images
























  • I remember back in the early 2000's when I was showing my mates the UFC. It's amazing how far it has come and I think what everyoneloves about the sport is that they put the best against the best. It often means you won't see lop sided records. In boxing, people like Mundine will only fight against those he knows he can beat whch leads to an innacurate account of his fighting ability, even though his record is great. Anderson Silva and Fedor in his prime are 2 rare athletes who took on the best every time and came out on top.

    People are starting to see an appreciate all that is involved with MMA.

    Date and time
    February 14, 2013, 6:08AM
    • I'm a big UFC fan, but I've started noticing how some fighters defending their belts do the bare minimum in the octagon to retain them: Lots of standing off and little harmful intent. In other words, champions taking the minimum of risk, knowing that, if the decision is left to the judges, they will tend to rule in the champion's favour. This often adds up to a dull affair. Even the great Anderson Silva can be a bore, continously feinting while waiting for his (unsurprisingly nervous) challenger to engage...yawn. I usually watch the tournaments on DVD and often find the preliminary fights on the second disc- featuring the hungry up-and-comers - much more entertaining than the "main" event. The UFC are to be congratulated for their success, but need to be careful their champions don't forget they are paid to entertain the fans.

      Date and time
      February 14, 2013, 7:19AM
  • Unfortunately, most press (Mr Lutton being a pleasing exception) aren't interested in uncovering stories. So, we get the easier to cover "mundines a goose, SBWs a fraud type angles" appearing in the press.
    With a little more coverage great stories like Mick Katsidis as teh epitome of redemption, local boys stepping onto the world stage (Paddy Murphy) and prodigous talents wrestling with their identity and natural gifts (Damien Hooper) can capture the public. From this, boxing prmotions move from marginal at best to actual businesses and the incentive to move the sport beyond fiefdoms becomes a momentum for change.
    Whether MMA/UFC leads the way now I'm still out. I can't help but think that UFC shares too much of the Vince McMahon stage managed drama.

    Date and time
    February 14, 2013, 6:29AM
    • Of course “cage fighting” is better regulated.

      You are allowed elbow someone in the head when they are lying on their backs with their arms locked up and they are unable to defend themselves? They are not wearing boxing gloves but in effect padding that protects their knuckles and allows them to punch harder and cause more damage (knuckle dusters). There is far more potential for disaster and loss of life.

      I love MMA I am a massive fan. The most exciting part of any MMA fight is when both fighters stand and exchange (the boxing part of the fight).

      MMA will come and go. There are too many champions that have had less than 10 fights. Brock Lensnar was once considered unbeatable after 4 or 5 fights. Boxing has been around forever (so has MMA) but boxing will always be far more socially acceptable than some chap with tattoos on his head gassed up on steroids hammer fisting some guy that’s already flat on his back unconscious on the floor. The only way UFC will grow again is to take away Dana White and pay the fighters what they deserve – Floyd Mayweather makes $30 million a fight. The PPV sales for MMA come close but the fighters never get more than $500k. They are being exploited and this makes MMA more shady any day of the week. So More dangerous – More Shady – More exploitation than boxing any day of the week.

      Joe Hart
      Date and time
      February 14, 2013, 7:47AM
      • Virtually everything you say is demonstrably false.
        The fact that you think gloves prevent injury is staggeringly ignorant. The fact is that brain injuries are not in any mitigated by a lack of gloves. In fact boxers sustain far more brain damage as a direct result of the larger gloves in boxing. Boxers sustain dozens, sometimes hundreds more blows to the head in bouts than ever occurs in MMA (for a number of reasons, one of which is that smaller gloves mean quicker finishes - ie less blows - but also because of the insanely dangerous standing eight count, which in effect forces a concussed boxer to get up and sustain further brain injury - something that never happens in MMA due to the finishing rules).
        Brock Lesnar is retired, he is no longer an MMA athlete, so I have no idea why you are even discussing him. Currently the heavyweight champ is Cain Velasquez, who defeated Lesnar and is indisputably the best athlete in the heavyweight division.
        Tattoos? That's absurd. Loads of boxers have tattoos. Rugby players too. Why does it bother you when MMA fighters have them??
        The fact that you don't understand why boxing is far more likely to cause brain damage makes your perception that MMA is more dangerous almost laughable. You are speaking from a position of complete ignorance. Have you ever even fought?
        And you're right that boxing (which I also love) has been around forever - which is the only reason it's more socially acceptable, because logically you can't be ok with boxing and oppose MMA on safety grounds (or rugby for that matter). That would be the logic of a fool.
        And about pay - Anderson Silva makes tens of millions every year. All the champs do.

        Date and time
        February 16, 2013, 12:11PM
      • Further, when you say the athletes in MMA get ripped off, you show ignorance about how boxers are remunerated.
        Boxing is totally top down. ie Mayweather makes tens of millions, but fighters on his under-card make a couple of thousand if they're lucky, sometimes only hundreds of dollars to fight.
        The minimum pay for a UFC fighter is $6,000 to fight and a further $6,000 to win, as well as locker room bonuses which usually amount to around $2,000 or $3,000 for the lowest ranked fighters. They can also earn tens of thousands more through fight of the night, knockout or submission of the night bonuses. All fighters also make a couple grand from sponsorship each fight.
        That is at the very bottom of the scale. Most fighters make hundreds of thousands a year, and the top UFC fighters make millions (the best get a cut of the pay-per-view - so a guy like GSP can make ten million for one fight).
        In Boxing the bottom fighters make as little as $300 or $400 dollars to fight. No bonuses.
        And this is for fights on ESPN or HBO.
        The top guys make even more than UFC fighters - the mayweathers of the world. They get as much as thirty or forty million a fight sometimes. But they take almost all the earnings. The up and coming fighters make almost nothing.

        Mate, go do some research.

        Date and time
        February 16, 2013, 12:19PM
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