F--- boxing

Aside from being boring to watch on TV, the only thing I notice about MMA are that there are a lot more white fighters in it than in regular boxing. I assume that accounts for approximately 99.999 percent of its rise in popularity.

 

Taking the UFC, as it's the most dominant MMA organisation in the US, their five champions are as follows...

- The heavyweight champion is Brock Lesnar. Lesnar’s a white American.

- The light-heavyweight champion is Lyoto “The Dragon” Machida. Machida is half Japanese and half Latino Brazilian.

- The middleweight belt is held by Anderson Silva. He’s a black Brazilian.

- George St Peirre, a white French Canadian, is the welterweight champ.

- The lightweight champion is BJ Penn. I’m not sure of Penn’s exact ethnicity. A lot of the times you will see him described as Polynesian. He’s from Hawaii and looks vaguely Polynesian. He might be. However, I think his father’s white and his mother is Korean. Whatever the truth of his exact ethnicity BJ Penn wouldn’t fit any conventional definition of white.

Historically, the UFC's money division has been their light-heavyweight (205 lbs) division. Taking MMA Weekly’s top ten light-heavyweights we find…

#1 Light Heavyweight Fighter in the World: Lyoto Machida (Half Japanese and half Latino Brazilian)

2. Rashad Evans (An African-American)

3. Quinton Jackson (An African-American)

4. Anderson Silva (A black Brazilian)

5. Forrest Griffin (A white American)

6. Mauricio "Shogun" Rua (A Latino Brazilian)

7. Gegard Mousasi (A white Armenian)

8. Antonio Rogerio Nogueira (A Latino Brazilian)

9. Thiago Silva (A Latino Brazilian)

10. Luis Cane (A Latino Brazilian)

Not a list dominated by white guys.

The people who have held the UFC Light heavyweight Title are….

- Frank Shamrock. Frank is Ken Shamrock’s adopted brother. Ken is as white as can be. He was born Ken Wayne Kilpatrick. Frank’s birth name was Frank Alisio Juarez III. He’s part Mexican, has some Native American blood and, also, probably has a whole heap of other stuff mixed in.

- Tito Ortiz. Tito’s half Mexican and half Polynesian.

- Randy Couture, who is a white American.

- Vitor Belfort. Belfort is a Latino Brazilian.

- Chuck Liddell, who is a white American.

- Quinton Jackson. Jackson’s an African American.

- Forrest Griffin, who’s a white American.

- Rashad Evans. Evan is an African American.

- Lyoto Machida. The Dragon is half Latino Brazilian and half Japanese.

Once again it’s not a list dominated exclusively by white guys.

The idea that MMA is popular because it’s a combat sport where white people are successful is a fallacy; It’s the kind of thing Bob Arum says. It’s simplistic and really isn’t based in fact,

The idea of the great white hope turned out to be a fallacy. White guys dominate the heavyweight division in boxing. Boxing isn’t as prominent as it once was. I don’t believe it’s a dying sport. That simply isn’t true. However, it doesn’t have the level prominence it did at one point. That’s the case. It’s also the case that the heavyweight division, which as always been hailed as boxing's marquee division, is dominated by white guys. White guys hold all four of the main world heavyweight titles.

 

But they're white Europeans, not white Americans.

 

Very true.

In the past though the fact that the great white hope had to be American was never specified.

The truth is that if a skilled, exciting American heavyweight emerged and was able to become the dominant heavyweight in the world then he would help the popularity of boxing in the US. The race of that heavyweight wouldn't matter. He could be black, white, yellow or green.

 

I've never really bought the whole trickle-down theory.
If there were such a heavyweight with dominant skills and a dominant personality, there would be more interest in him. That would benefit the people who promote his fights, the casinos that host them and the networks that broadcast them, but I don't think it would create more interest in other boxers.
I don't think the casual fan who watches such a guy's fights would all of a sudden want to know more about Manny Pacquiao or Floyd Mayweather.
How many Lance Armstrong fans can name five other professional cyclists?

 

1. I didn't say MMA is dominated by white fighters, I said there were more of them.
2. One fighter doesn't sell boxing. It takes two.

 

So, yesterday Pacquiao stopped Cotto in twelve. Not to put too fine a point on it, he was simply brilliant. The fight wasn't even close and Cotto got busted up pretty bad.

 

No, but it has been put forth on this board before that MMA is more popular than boxing now because of all the white douchebags in tats, trucker caps and Tapout gear gravitating to it. But how to explain why Fedor Emelianenko is overwhelmingly popular while Vitali and Wladimir Klitschko are atop a heavyweight boxing division that nobody gives a damn about? It's not like Fedor a) isn't fighting tomato cans, b) has UFC's marketing behind him, since he's fought for Strikeforce, Affliction, Pride, Bodog, Dream, M-1 and every MMA organization known to man EXCEPT UFC, which is so popular that many people use it as a catch-all for all MMA, and c) can speak English. But here he is.

MMA is popular because it provides an alternative in a time when boxing (and pro wrestling, for that matter) is on the downswing. UFC in particular markets the hell out of their fighters, from Ken Shamrock and Royce Gracie to Brock Lesnar and Randy Couture. Shows like Ultimate Fighter introduce the sport to new viewers. The only time boxing does that is those 24-7 shows for big bouts like Mayweather-De La Hoya.

Maybe the fans look like 'bags, but the product is solid.

 

should've stoped the fight at least two rounds earlier. Cotto was doing all he could to survive. PacMan against Floyd Mayweather next?

Cotto said after the fight he was going to continue boxing. He should retire. His skills have clearly diminished.

 

Sirs, Madames,

After the (dubious) beating Margarito laid down on him, Cotto could have used more work in advance of fight Paq. That said, it probably wouldn't have changed the outcome--just woulda lessened the punishment.

I hate to say it because I like Cotto (see Sugar Shane fight) but he's not himself, not going to get it back. And I think he knows it. Did anyone pick up his body language when he was walking out to the ring? He looked like Michael Spinks before the Tyson fight.

Paq over Mayweather would be a great fight. Mayweather over Paq would be a guaranteed chess match.

o-<

 

That's a fantastic call. I remember him warming up backstage and he just didn't have the fire in his eyes. It was weird. Held his own through 3, never the same from 4 on.

 

Also, there aren't as many champions. In boxing, you have five or six organizations, each with a champion for every four pounds or so. And that's not counting Intercontinental champions (which I only thought was in the WWE) or Champions in Residence or Interim Champions while the actual champ takes a year off.