I fnid in MMA while you'll attract that. The initial couple weeks of training will repell the most of them.
I don't doubt there are many MMA fighters training in boxing gyms. They know the techniques are solid. I have a good friend who is a highly skilled boxer and nak muay that fought Yodsenklai no less than 3 times who has now gone to MMA. So I'm sure there is some carry over. But I don't expect that to carry over quite as deep as Philly just yet. FWIW (that and $2.50 gets you a frappuccino!) I don't think David Hayes is in the same league as B-hop. But I guess really it's irrelevant as you're more than correct to point out that boxing and MMA are not the arch enemies they once were. Though they're not exactly waking up together either. Yet. True that. If they see the money or get a whiff of a chance to make I'm sure they're on it like white on rice. Good point. Though from what I see on the regular forums I head to (EastSide, Saddo etc.) MMA is still not often spoken of too kindly. Though it's changing I have to admit that... slowly... but there is change. Though - tonight in the pub for example... boxing and MMA don't mix in conversation all that much. Because those who are up on boxing and watch the rankings and follow fighters... seem to be a bit older and have focused on boxing for so long... they notice MMA if it gets sent their way - but don't follow it or keep up on fighters and names/stats. Granted that could just be my lot of mates. Hmmm... a fair bit different from here. The gyms we have that teach MMA generally don't have a proper boxing coach. The gyms we have that teach boxing... don't have people rolling. This is one thing that is very noticeable here in Hong Kong. It took a while to get one of the gyms to let me kick the bags. lol... And that's after knowing and working with them for more than a few years. I'm up for the mix... but I don't think you're going to see that mix in Philly. No way no how. Philly is one very tough city with a very long history of straight up boxing. MMA I don't think is going to make much of an inroad there amongst oldschool boxing fans. Certainly not with a fighter like B-hop. Which was really what I was on about... that I didn't find it remotely surprising that he said what he did. Yep there will be more and more crossover... but that in my opinion will be primarily because of the oldschool boxing crowd aging. The younger generations won't draw the distinctions that have been the hard edges between the two for so long. Sheesh... I'm getting old.
The degree of entrenchment of a given attitude in a given sport's culture doesn't necessarily somehow make the attitude in question any more or any less ludicrous. In fact, I think you'll find that many people of many different sports/styles have made comments of such nature on this very board (though they didn't last very long here), and it very well may be that their sports might also have cultural biases against MMA or MMA-esque training or competition. Why then should Mr. Hopkins's comments be viewed any more positively in that matter than should those of, say, this user [whose posts were later on forged by a moderator, so I'm not so sure what the original content was]?
I'm not trying to argue that Bernard Hopkin's is correct. Or that we should all run out and adopt his views towards MMA. I'm only saying that I've commonly seen that view held by quite a few boxers over the years. Yes it will most likely recede a bit. But for someone like B-hop... it doesn't surprise me. My main issue was with rocket3 running on about B-hop being a washed up boxer. Anyone who follows boxing seriously knows that B-hop never took a beating. The guy was always in top shape... never more than a pound or two off his fight weight. So what we're hearing isn't some punch drunk ex pug as some would have it... it's just his very opinionated and admittedly myopic take on MMA. And you'll have to forgive me for taking B-hop a tad more seriously than some tool like WingChunKid. lol.. in fact the name says it all really.
hate to bring up old threads but you have totally misconstrued my point I was not saying I'm 17 so you should leave me alone and excuse my swearing my point was I don't really no much about this guy your right but it says allot that I don't, it says allot that most of the people on here you classify as MMA fan boys are probably younger than you and don't know allot about boxing as you love to point out. like it or not its inherently far more important what interests us than you, we are the fans of the future we will spend the money and ultimately decide what thrives. and if this ridiculous interview is how boxing markets its self now days I cant say I'm in any rush to find out more.
yawn. Rock on future fan. Glad you found something you can be a part of. Membership is good. Did they give you a fanboy card? Did you learn a secret handshake. Or perhaps a Tapout t-shirt?
once again I'm shelved into this mysterious fanboy contingent in an attempt to belittle my argument and side step my point entirely yet you still have not come up with an explanation as to what that actually means.
I'm sure that in the 70's people were talking about how Kung Fu et al. was going to destroy boxing. It never happened then like it wont happen now. Plenty of people still pay big money to watch boxing matches and TV broadcasters still pay big money to broadcast them.
I don't doubt that boxing will continue to survive however I think the situation with Kung Fu in the 70's and MMA in the 2000's is quite different. MMA is a combat sport with a successful brand and growing recognition of successful fighters as celebrities (see Rampage as Mr.T and Randy Couture in the Expendables for ex.). As such I think it does pose a threat, in the sense of being a competitor for audience, with boxing and I also strongly suspect that certain promoters and network executives recognise it as such. I don't think it will ever replace boxing or that boxing is now on it's way out but I do think MMA as a sport is growing exponentially and due to the crossover with boxing this is bound to have some effect.
I don't think it's a zero sum game though. Increasing popularity and acceptance of MMA may serve to increase the popularity of boxing. It is only the fanatics on either side who are determined to make this a 'one or the other' kind of deal.
Well, yeah, that generally happens to dead people. Unless necromancy is involved. Fanatics tend to cool down as they get older and realise that there are much, much more important things in life than trying to persuade everyone that their way is 'better'. Hopefully they come to this realisation before they die.
So just to be clear I presume we are also including Bernard Hopkins in the category of a 'fanatic' given his stance on the subject. TBH while I agree with slip that it's stupid to dismiss the guy's views by saying he is punch drunk or 'washed up' I do think it's sensible to dismiss his views simply because they are clearly uninformed and seem to be based primarily around his view that grappling is gay. That is the kind of stupid nonsense which gets posters severely flamed on MAP every time they crop up. I respect Bernard Hopkin's abilities and his knowledge of boxing but his opinions on MMA are just uninformed nonsense.
This man, he projectin. He projectin' so hard i'm gonna point him at a canvas and show people some gay porns. I mean powerpoint presentations
