[LethalDosage]

Originally Posted by MustangV6Man? And we should. MMA is a legit sport, no boxer could hop in a cage and no MMA guy could hop in a ring. I just was raised on boxing for life.

Yea, see, it's nearly impossible to reason with a boxing purist on the subject of MMA. They just simply won't hear it. I'm not hating, tho...I love boxing and respect it as much as you seem to and wish it would come back to what it was early in the 1900's...but it won't. It never will. There are too many reasons for Americans to do other, more lucrative things like football, baseball, basketball. Can you imagine if Lebron James grew up boxing instead? There are shades of the old days tho (and I'm still shocked you wouldn't acknowledge that Berto-Ortiz fight had an old-time flare to it, being a boxing fan and all). It's just that nowadays, MMA is where it's at. It's more pure. It's involves every aspect of hand to hand combat, and it's a shame you can't see that side of it.
I'm not even about to say boxing is dying. In fact, I believe it's still very strong because of fighters from other countries like South America and Europe. Fighters like Yuriorkis Gamboa are bringin back the best of boxing...it's awesome how he fights n yea, he's small but the dude's a total badass.
A few more that keep boxing relevant are Alfredo Angulo, James Kirkland, Nonito Donaire, Andre Ward, Cristobal Arreola (just kidding ...hes a bum), Vic Darchinyan, Abner Mares and Joseph Agbeko (who had an awesome, BRUTAL rematch), Yohnny Perez, Juan Manuel Lopez-- and one thing they all have in common? Almost all are South American or European fighters.

[BT1288]

Originally Posted by LethalDosage ah, thank you for making me laugh...I needed that

You're

[atlacatl213]

My qualm about boxing and the changes it has gone through is because it just became bland over time. I don't find boxing to be legit any more, since it's gone crooked. People get offered money just to throw away a win, and there's always the hype given because of promoted matches. I love boxing, I used to do it for fun. I enjoy lots of the old greats, Dempsey being one of my favorite guys.

Comparing MMA to Boxing is apples to oranges. I don't enjoy MMA too much because it seems to me as if they have the mantra of "if all else fails, go for the choke." It doesn't do much for me, since many fighters just like to default to arm bars, chokes, and locks. I don't know about the rest of you, but I don't enjoy the scene of two sweaty men hugging each other on the ground... I think Thai boxing would be a more brutal sport if we're talking of terms of badassery. You got them training from a really young age, it's incredible. I like fights that start and end on feet, not on the ground.


But going back to main topic. The most important thing for boxing is stamina and speed. It does not matter how strong of a punch you have, if you cannot make contact, then it is pointless. If you can't keep up with your opponent, then it is also pointless. Work on not being so telegraphic, (in other words, don't let your body tell your opponent what you're going to throw at him, especially when it comes to jabs). Look at which style suits you better, and expand onto different styles. The three I see most common are:

Peek-a-boo/inside boxing - Relies heavily on closing in the gap with opponent and being really close to them. Uses a lot of hooks and uppercuts for attack. If you're fighting an out-boxer, this would be pretty effective style to use against them. Different between peek-a-boo and inside boxing is just the use of the guard in peek-a-boo can double as a good means of defending. All in all, it helps to have a good chin since this style of boxing is most effective when you're close range, and your opponent will throw a lot at you to make sure you don't get into that range. Depending on stamina and ability to take a punch, this style can be weak against brawlers. (my primary style of boxing)

Outside boxing - Emphasis more on technicality and tends to win fights by points. They have amazing footwork and use jabs and straights primarily. They like to keep their distance and are good against brawlers/sluggers since they lack finess, and don't allow them the chance to use their raw power against them. Stamina is key since they do a lot of moving around (my fallback style).

Brawler - Although slow, they have lots of power behind their punches. They are not shy at bursting with combinations, but they can run out of stamina quickly because of it. Their fighting style can be unpredictable but if you don't get caught up in their fury, you should be fine. They're good fighters against inside boxers since they can hang with them, but outside boxers can take them apart if they're of good caliber (my friend's favorite style haha).