bvd1022 : I'm gonna agree with you 100% on fighters being able to fight cross promotional like you're saying... however some do to an extent. There are a few Strikeforce fighters that still go to Japan. Didn't Alistair Overeem recently do a competition in Japan or was it King Mo?

This seems more of a UFC issue than a complete MMA problem.

As far as dream fights that need to happen... boxing is guilty, too Manny Pacquiao vs Mayweather anyone?

MMA needs GSP VS Anderson Silva badly. There's another super fight.


Sorry I haven't been posting. Been moving and couldn't keep up.

I enjoy watching MMA, but I wouldn't say I'm a big fan. When it is on TV and free I watch it, but I am not the type of guy that would spend 50$ on a PPV. Also the only real fighters I know are the ones you read about on the internet, or hear about on TV.

cantstoplearning : I’ve covered the Pacquiao-Mayweather situation… It is strictly about Mayweather’s reluctance if anything to get in the ring. I know that sounds crazy considering the guy hasn’t lost though I think he should have lost a couple of decisions that went his way but it’s a fact. I felt he lost to Oscar De La Hoya and to go even further back when he won the WBC Lightweight title from Jose Luis Castillo in 2002.



The fact that Pacquiao beat Oscar De La Hoya into submission where as Mayweather escaped with a razor thin decision over him and then Pacquiao followed that with an annihilation of Ricky Hatton where Mayweather had considerable difficulty before stopping him. It probably makes it a safer option for Mayweather to avoid Pacquiao.



What I personally don’t like as a boxing journalist and as a fan is that Mayweather chose to use the on going PED element in pro sports as an excuse for not signing the contract. An excuse that eventually led to a civil lawsuit between Pacquiao and Mayweather for among other things deformation of character.



I think Mayweather’s argument of wanting to be on a level playing field when he competes is a valid point on the surface. The problem with the argument is that Mayweather fought thirty-nine fights prior to him suddenly having a problem with potentially fighting people who may or may not have or have used performance enhancing drugs or supplements.


It in my mind questions Mayweather’s credibility frankly. In my mind it makes me feel that if this were such a focal point for Mayweather then why did he fight thirty-nine times many of those bouts against top level competition and there was nothing of the sort of a concern coming from Mayweather about the element of PED’s.



It may be totally irrelevant though because the biggest problem for Mayweather is he cannot stay out of trouble and is facing some serious jail time on eight counts of domestic violence. It’s tragic in a way that a guy with so much talent who could be a great ambassador for the sport of boxing and a role model for kids as well as young fighters chooses to squander his god given talent. It’s sad frankly.



I choose to give Pacquiao more credit because the only thing he’s done through all of this is fight who is available and has dominated in such a fashion that it has brought comparisons between himself and the legendary Henry Armstrong who won world titles from Featherweight to Welterweight and held three world titles in three weight classes (Featherweight, Lightweight, Welterweight) at the same time in his career spanning from 1931 to 1945.



Armstrong also had nearly 150 professional wins. Fighters fought more frequently back then which I a trend I would surely welcome seeing again. Armstrong was a great fighter, as is Manny Pacquiao. It will be interesting to see now that Pacquiao has become Jr. Middleweight champion if he will attempt to win the Middleweight championship, Armstrong tried and earned a draw against Ceferino Garcia in 1940.



Off topic slightly, it is amazing what a simple Jab can accomplish. I am one who feels that there should be no debate between Boxing and Mixed Martial Arts either for or against either sport but for those who are against Boxing and feel boxing is boring watch the Georges St-Pierre-Josh Koscheck rematch from last weekend and pay close attention to how St-Pierre controlled the fight with a simple yet stiff jab. Larry Holmes made a career off of his jab and it was refreshing to see an MMA fighter utilize the most elementary of boxing skills yet the most effective. The jab…



Jordanv78 : I know how you feel to a degree… I am a fan but I cover Boxing for a living and because of A access issues, B the fact that there are more and more international cards now of days then there have been, I am use to spending at least $2,000 a year just to cover the cards I cover. I also have paid for webcasts in the past of fight cards in Europe. There are some cards that I wish were either on ESPN or on regular broadcast television as it was from the late 50s through the mid-90s.



People forget long before the days of pay-per-view television a vast majority of bouts were broadcast or rebroadcast on ABC Sports in the rare instance of a fight card being available live via closed circuit. Muhammad Ali then the Heavyweight champion of the world defending his title on ABC, imagine that… I was lucky enough to grow up in the 80s where fight cards were still frequent on network television featuring top level world champions to rising prospects. I miss those days greatly…



God bless ESPN Classic…

bvd1022 : That was a great post. I enjoyed reading it.

Yeah when I was small the first Boxing match I can remember watching was a Mike Tyson fight on regular TV. Watching Tyson, and Rocky movies got me into liking boxing back then. I think sometime around that era was when the fights started moving over to HBO and PPV.

With the popularity of Boxing going down over the past two decades, they should realize that if they want to drum up some buzz for the sport they should start having big matches on TV again. Look at it this way, you don't have to buy a PPV to watch any of the major sports championships....why boxing? Especially when fewer and fewer people follow the sport.

Jordanv78 : I disagree with you that the popularity of Boxing is going down. I think that is a general misconception in this country because people tend to forget that there are 17 weight classes in boxing and seem to put too much stock on the Heavyweight division in terms of the well being of the entire sport.


What’s going on with the Heavyweight division right now is very similar to what happened in 1956 when Rocky Marciano retired with the Heavyweight title. There was a period of a good six or seven years where there were a lot of good fighters but none of whom had that star quality that jumped out and captivated your attention. It wasn’t until a fighter by the name of Cassius Clay fresh out of winning a gold medal in the 1960 Olympics began his rise up the professional ranks and had not only the skills to dazzle everyone but also the personality that captivated your attention that boxing as a sport experienced another big boost in popularity.

What some people may not remember is the 50s and 60s boxing was pretty much carried by the lower middleweight divisions. Sugar Ray Robinson, Jake LaMotta, Rocky Graziano, and Emile Griffith all were focal points of the sport during that time and served to carry the sport during Cassius Clay’s (Now Muhammad Ali’s) three year suspension from boxing for refusing induction into the armed forces.

The difference now is the sport of boxing is far better in terms of globalization and there are significantly more marquee fights taking place in Europe and with the advent of the internet more and more fighters are getting better exposure then they would have even back in the 80s.

In terms of here in America I am a fan of the independent pay-per-view cards that are becoming more and more a mainstay that fills the gap of the pay-per-views HBO produces. The thing that I wish would happen is A network television gets back into boxing and gives another avenue for the young prospects to showcase their skills and B I wish that some of these networks would cover the sport more evenly as opposed to the “This is our opinion, that makes it the truth” type of mentality that has turned many promoters to doing their own independently produced and distributed pay-per-view cards where they don’t necessarily have to deal with network executives that may not have a background in the sport of Boxing.

I have covered many cards that have taken place in Europe and the ones particularly in the UK have been very enjoyable and would serve as a real eye opener to those who think that boxing isn’t popular anymore.

In terms of HBO I cannot tell you how many memories I have watching the fights they they’ve done particularly the ones that I watched as a kid in the 80s. They may have fancy HD and better graphics and presentation now but nothing in my mind will ever top what they were able to do in the 80s in terms of building anticipation and presenting the proverbial “Big Fight” atmosphere. Showtime also is great in their coverage and was neck and neck with HBO in the 80s.

The thing that I like that is coming up that Showtime is behind is this weekend Bernard Hopkins is challenging Jean Pascal for the WBC World Light-Heavyweight Championship. This was originally scheduled as a pay-per-view card but Showtime decided that it should be available to Showtime subscribers. What I like about this one is if Hopkins wins he will be the oldest man to ever win a recognized world title in the History of Boxing. George Foreman is the oldest man to ever with the Heavyweight title at 45. Hopkins nearing 46 will make history if he is successful.

As a historian I am intrigued by this one and hopefully it will serve as a boost for the sport. The fight is taking place in Montreal and is expected to have a crowed in excess of 20,000 Boxing is popular…

No offense to anyone, but am I the only one who's noticed that Vizzed's MMA topic has turned into an all-boxing chat with a little bit of MMA thrown in at the end? No offense, I like boxing too, but I much prefer MMA.

To get the conversation starting back up: Anyone else excited for UFC 125 coming up Jan 1st? A lot of people say they think it's gonna be a really boring pay per view but I don't think so... Here are my (hopeful) predictions:

Marcus Davis vs Jeremy Stephens: I'm a big Marcus Davis fan, and I'm interested to see how he will do in his first bout at lightweight. I am hoping Marcus Davis will win this one by a submission, if I HAD to guess which round I'm gonna say sometime in the second round.

Clay Guida vs Takanori Gomi: Also a huge Clay Guida fan. I love his energy and his fighting style. I think he's ever improving and would love to see him as a champion someday (although unfortunately I don't think that will ever happen). I also expect Clay Guida to win his fight by submission. I was originally going to guess a first round victory for Clay because of his energy and heart, but I'm gonna say Clay Guida wins by second round submission.

Nate Diaz vs Dong Hyun Kim: I really hate both of the Diaz brothers. I'd love nothing more than to see Nate Diaz get beat up then knocked out. I'm actually expecting Nate Diaz to win unfortunately, but my guess nonetheless is Dong Hyun Kim winning either by knockout in the third round, or by decision.

Brandon Vera vs Thiago Silva: I expect this to be a good fight, and I really don't know which way this fight is going to go. I would have to say that of the two, I prefer Thiago Silva. Either way this fight goes I expect it to be good and I'll enjoy it. My guess though is going to be Thiago Silva winning the fight by decision.

Chris Leben vs Brian Stann: Another guy I really hate. I absolutely CAN NOT STAND Chris Leben. I'd love to see him get knocked out, but I don't think it's going to happen. Regardless, I'm going to estimate the outcome of this fight to be Brian Stann winning by decision.

Frankie Edgar vs Gray Maynard: I don't know how this fight is gonna play out. It could very well be a lay and pray match: a five round fight where we see two guys on the ground seeing who can hold an advantage for the longer period of time. I like Frankie Edgar more than I do Gray Maynard, so I'm going to give my hopeful prediction to Frankie Edgar winning the fight via decision (although I hope I'm wrong about it going to decision regardless of who wins, if I see a five round wrestling match I may bang my head against the wall).


I am by no means a genius when it comes to picking winners, but these are my hopeful predictions of how UFC 125 will play out. The decisions as to whether each fighter wins by KO, Sub, or Decision, I just decided spur of the moment while I am typing this. I am fine with any way my choices win, as long as they win. (Although I'd love to see Chris Leben and/or Nate Diaz get knocked out). Hopefully someone who has a differing opinion won't flame me for my decisions in fighters.

ExiledPariah : Actually, I was going to mention since someone responded that Friday Morning US time there is a big card in Japan that Dream is behind. I don’t know if this is confirmed as the main event but Alisteer Overeem is fighting Todd Duffy. I think that might be a sleeper fight that many people are not paying attention to.

I think Duffy will have something to prove seeing as he was recently released from the UFC but I would give the edge to Overeem who is coming off his K1 GP win. And by the way for those who may be wondering Boxing is part of MMA because if you can’t throw a punch you’re odds of success are not that great.

bvd1022 : "Off topic slightly, it is amazing what a simple Jab can accomplish. I am one who feels that there should be no debate between Boxing and Mixed Martial Arts either for or against either sport but for those who are against Boxing and feel boxing is boring watch the Georges St-Pierre-Josh Koscheck rematch from last weekend and pay close attention to how St-Pierre controlled the fight with a simple yet stiff jab. Larry Holmes made a career off of his jab and it was refreshing to see an MMA fighter utilize the most elementary of boxing skills yet the most effective. The jab…"

I watched that fight and I was amazed at home much he accomplished with that jab. Once he opened up Koscheck I knew the fight was pretty much over. Koscheck couldn't see anything coming from that side and GSP exploited it.

geeogree : It certainly wouldn’t shock me if St-Pierre studied film of Larry Holmes. Holmes the most underrated Heavyweight champion in Boxing history use to dominate people with his jab which he called “The Hammer”. It reminded me of Holmes vs. Mercer.

I’ve seen Holmes average 50-60 jabs in a round and win rounds just based on how he was able to time opponents with the jab seemingly with surgical precision.