Floyd Mayweather/ Juan Manuel Marquez Leaves UFC in Rearview
by
Hadari i Jones
Contributor Written on September 30, 2009
LONDON, ENGLAND - MAY 22: Boxing superstar Floyd Mayweather in his first open workout since coming out of retirement, as he prepares for his fight against Juan Manuel Marquez of Mexico, at Peacock Gym on May 22, 2009 in London, England. The fight's due to take place on July 18, 2009 at the MGM Grand in Las Vegas, Nevada. (Photo by Julian Finney/Getty Images) (Photo by Julian Finney/Getty Images)
The main thing that we learned from Mayweather vs. Marquez, and the competing UFC event, is that mixed martial arts still has a long way to go.
It was billed as a head-to-head showdown, the first time that boxing and MMA would be trying to garner views from the same pool. Turns out, it was about as exciting as the Mayweather fight.
In a show of dominance, the Mayweather event clobbered UFC 103 and sent MMA purists scrambling for answers.
For the past couple of years people have been under the perception that boxing is a dying sport, and MMA was ready to reap the benefits.
Well, boxing is not dead, and MMA still has a lot of work to do before they are even in the game.
The pressure to carry a pay-per-view event was squarely on Mayweather's shoulders, and just like his defensive roll, he was more than adequate, selling over one million units.
The MMA community says that this was due to the fact that the UFC event was one that lacked true headliners, and that may be correct, but what about boxing's true headliners?
Mayweather has never been one to carry a card himself, and there was a lot made of that fact. He was part of one of the biggest fights of all time by box office accounts, but that was credited with his opponent, Oscar De La Hoya.
If boxing and UFC were to go head-to-head, with both promoting top fighters would the results be any different? Probably not.
An event consisting of Anderson Silva and Brock Lesnar would probably be demolished by the upcoming Miguel Cotto and Manny Pacquiao fight.
For all the death bells that have been sounding for boxing, the sport still has a large and loyal following. This has to be considered to, there are boxing fans who would never watch MMA, but few MMA fans show much disdain for boxing.
My theory on this is that boxing is seen as a more honorable sport, with emphasis being put on technique and hand-to-hand combat, while MMA is viewed as anything goes.
This may not be true, but in many circles MMA is still seen as a violent mess, devoid of any real skill.
I know that this isn't the case, because most MMA fighters are skilled in multiple disciplines of martial arts. The time and effort that goes into that probably dwarfs the skill level needed for boxing.
If MMA wants to advance they could learn some things from the "sweet science." The first thing is to instill some semblance of class.
Boxing is seen as regal, and for big fights the stars really turn out. How such a brutal sport ever turned into a glamorous event, I will never know, but it works.
Many MMA events come off looking more like WWE than a real sport. This is due mainly to UFC president Dana White, who, for all his marketing skills, keeps missing the boat on promoting his product.
Another thing UFC could do is celebrate their history. Boxing's past champions are lionized in the eyes of the public and remain visible throughout their lives.
Invoking the names of champions like Ali, Marciano, Lewis, and Tyson still resonates with the general public. We all know who they are, and by the way, where is Chuck Liddell?
Boxing encompasses different generations, cultures and social classes. UFC could go a long way making the casual fan interested by catering to a larger scope of people.
The attitude that UFC is for a younger generation only hurts MMA and cripples it, in its competition with boxing.
Larry Merchant is older than dirt and sometimes falls asleep during broadcasts, but his analysis is still respected throughout the boxing world.
It is those types of fans that UFC needs to reach out to because they bring the credibility that the sport needs.
MMA can be a very viable alternative to boxing, but until the necessary changes are made, it will be forever in the rear view mirror of boxing.
