Can boxing and MMA co-exist?
Until the last year, or so, boxing was like the older brother who didn't pay much attention to what its upstart, rough-around-the edges little brother was doing.
Boxing had always been king. It had always had stars. But now, boxing is starting to get a little annoyed at all the love MMA is getting. While boxing's popularity has declined, MMA is soaring.
The Miami Herald had a feature today on the two sports, focusing on boxing champ Floyd Mayweather Jr. and UFC star Chuck Liddell sniping at each other.
Mayweather calls MMA a fad. Dana White, UFC president, fired back, as did Liddell.
The fact is that if boxing had a charismatic superstar, no one would be worried about boxing's popularity. Mayweather is not that guy. He talks a good game and gets the hype, but as he showed in the Oscar De La Hoya fight, he's about as exciting as a wet potato.
In his Sunday column, Herald columnist Dan Le Batard talks about how much more MMA offers the fight fan: "more blood, more action, more danger, more testosterone, more art, more more."
But to really watch MMA is to appreciate the skill involved. Sure, Mayweather would probably pummel a top UFC fighter in a boxing match. But can you imagine Mayweather in a MMA against someone like Anderson Silva?
They'd be carrying Mayweather out in pieces.
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