Boxing Taps Out | Thebigtip

I am an unashamed fan of the fight game and combat sports in general. Boxing which has given enthusiasts of the sweet science some of the most memorable moments in sporting history is dying. Mixed Martial Arts has Boxing in a rear naked choke and Boxing is close to tapping out.

Australians have long-admired some of the finest pugilists the world has seen; the late Lionel Rose, Jeff Fenech and Kostya Tzsyu and our current crop of boxers, who are keeping Australia’s rich boxing history on the map, Vic Darchinyan and Daniel Geale. I hesitate to include Danny Green and Anthony Mundine who, to the boxing purist have not had the impact globally that the aforementioned have had, but have done their bit on Australian shores to keep boxing relevant…just.

Fight fans want to see one fight, they have held this view for several years, and this fight, unfortunately it appears will never happen. Filipino Congressmen, Manny Pacquiao vs Floyd ‘Money’ Mayweather Jnr, two of the greatest fighters in the history of the sport, head to head, 12 rounds. No excuses. 

It wasn’t all that long ago when the sport of Boxing was littered with talent, Roy Jones Junior, Oscar De La Hoya, Bernard Hopkins, Lennox Lewis and arguably the most notorious and recognizable in recent times, Mike Tyson. Those born in the 90s would only affiliate Tyson with the hit movie, The Hangover and not the most intimidating heavy-weight Boxers throughout the 80s and 90s. 

There would not be many of the general populas who could even name a boxer in the heavy weight division, the general sport enthusiast could probably mention, “those big Russian brothers and that guy with Allen Iverson’s hair”. Specifically the Klitschko brothers and Englishman, David Haye. 

A  division which was the driving force behind the sport at its peak and included some of the greats, Sonny Liston, Joe Frazier and the greatest of them all, the one and only, Muhammed Ali; arguably the most engaging and interesting sportsman in history. The strength of the sport, all those years ago, can best be described by the barber shop scene in one of the greatest movies of all time; Coming to America. If you haven’t seen it, as Molly Meldrum would say - do yourself a favour.

The sport of Boxing is being consumed by the beast that is, Mixed Martial Arts or more specifically the Ultimate Fighting Championship which is the brand by which MMA is being propelled forward, very rapidly. 

Dana White, President of the Ultimate Fighting Championship is an engaging, passionate and generous man and is single-minded in his goal to make MMA the most popular sport in the world. More than capable of going a round or two inside the cage, a beast on the bench press and the saviour of Mixed Martial Arts. In partnership with the Feritta brothers, Frank and Lorenzo, owners of Sports Promotion company Zuffa, (meaning scuffle in Italian), this conglomerate rescued a fledgling franchise and transformed the sport into the fastest growing form of entertainment in the world. Although with the rise in the youth fascination of Vampires, Mixed Martial Arts appears to have a rival. 

In 2010, the UFC brought its road show to Australia. Tickets sold out in 22 minutes, the only time I can remember a venue selling out quicker was the Green Day concert at Thebarton Theatre in 1995 which sold out in 17. I was lucky enough to purchase a ticket; to the concert…I missed out on a ticket to Australia’s inaugural UFC.

The rise in MMA is evidenced by the regularity of UFC events, an enormous Pay Per View market and a very successful reality television show – The Ultimate Fighter. Boxing, with its show the Contender also dabbled in the world of reality TV. I was a regular watcher of the Contender (as I am of the Ultimate Fighter), hosted by Sylvester Stalllone, Rocky Balboa himself at his eloquent best.  

I quickly grew tired of the producers of the Contender series highlighting the down-trodden “contender” who needed to win, not just for himself but his family and his people, a kid from the wrong side of the tracks who was looking for a second chance, more often than not in order to support an exceptionally cute girl around 4 to 6 years of age. The fights scenes were horrific, a collection of highlights, more fictional than reality, with odd camera angles giving the boxing enthusiast little chance of knowing who had the upper hand until the anti-climactic result.

The Ultimate Fighter on the other hand is the polar opposite, the training montages superb providing real insight into what these athletes go through, the expertise of the coaches (former and current champions), the fights scenes, well, they were not scenes, it was the real deal. 

Despite all of this, if you conducted a survey with 100 sports enthusiasts (not, sportsaholics such as myself), but the general sports enthusiast, are they more likely to be able to name the best pound for pound boxer in the world, Manny Pacquiao or the best pound for pound MMA fighter in the world George St. Pierre? I lean toward the former.