Media Review: The UFC is showing boxing how it’s done

Broadcasts

The comparability between boxing and combined martial arts (MMA) has been ongoing for many years. It’s a barely unfair debate on condition that they’re solely completely different sports activities and that one is centuries older than the opposite. That being stated, the meteoric rise of the Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) has made the talk extra worthwhile, notably on the subject of the package deal that is supplied to followers.

Boxing has lengthy been the preferred fight sport on the planet and has the potential to be one of many largest sports activities outright. But the UFC – notably with its international growth over the previous decade – is beginning to present up the candy science. If you want proof, simply take a look at the previous couple of weeks.

First there was the Conor Benn debacle, which is nonetheless ongoing by the best way. Attempts to barrel by with the Chris Eubank Jnr combat regardless of a failed drug take a look at threw boxing into disrepute. Then got here the one-two punch that potential fights between Tyson Fury and Anthony Joshua and in addition Terence Crawford and Errol Spence is not going to be occurring anytime quickly.

Instead, Fury is preventing Derek Chisora in a pointless trilogy combat and Crawford will face David Avanesyan in a strong however finally underwhelming title defence. Spence and Joshua are but to substantiate their subsequent steps.

That’s an actual tough patch for boxing. The solely glimmer of hope we’ve had was the wonderful contest between Claressa Shields and Savannah Marshall. Looking forward to the remainder of the calendar 12 months, there’s not an entire lot to get actually enthusiastic about both.

Meanwhile, this previous weekend the UFC staged its most stacked card of the 12 months (maybe even of the previous few years). Despite going down in Abu Dhabi the occasion bought big protection each within the UK and the US.

A brand new light-weight champion in Islam Makhachev was topped with a dominant efficiency. He was then confronted by the UFC’s pound-for-pound No 1 fighter Alexander Volkanovski, with each verbally agreeing to combat one another subsequent 12 months in Australia, Volkanovski’s house nation.

The card didn’t dwell as much as the frankly stratospheric expectations of followers nevertheless it was nonetheless a convincing success. And in simply a few weeks the UFC can be staging one other blockbuster occasion, this one topped by Israel Adesanya defending his middleweight title towards previous rival Alex Pereira. Then there’ll be one other large present in Las Vegas a month later. Oh, and the corporate’s introduced a PPV present in Australia for early 2023.

The cause we’re speaking about UFC broadcasts in a boxing journal is as a result of they’re an instance of what occurs whenever you get it proper. Boxing and MMA have many variations however at their core they’re the identical; they take two combatants, place them inside clearly-defined boundaries and so they combat to find out who is higher.

The UFC isn’t with out its issues nevertheless it’s constantly been going from power to power. Not solely is there rather a lot to be realized from this, however there’s additionally the rising threat of the UFC and MMA absorbing extra of boxing’s viewers. It’s not a zero-sum recreation, however each sports activities are costly to comply with – particularly with all of the PPVs on provide – and extra informal followers are turning towards the slicker, extra dependable productions of the UFC.

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That being stated, in response to media firm SportsProfessional not less than, boxers are way more marketable than MMA fighters. They not too long ago launched their annual listing of the highest 100 most marketable athletes on the planet, utilizing what SportsProfessional dubs a “Marketability Score” based mostly on three elements: “brand strength, economics and audience.”

No MMA fighters featured within the high 100 whereas 4 boxers made the reduce. Irish celebrity Katie Taylor was the highest-ranked fighter, coming in at 47. Canelo Alvarez (64), Tyson Fury (75) and Anthony Joshua (88) have been the opposite three.

Although SportsProfessional compiles a full listing of 100 athletes, it primarily focuses on the highest 50, of which Taylor is the one inclusion from the world of boxing. Her place places her simply forward of England captain Harry Kane and golfer Rory McIlroy.

These kinds of lists ought to at all times be taken with a pinch of salt – an athlete’s marketability is virtually not possible to definitively quantify – nevertheless it’s nonetheless vital that Taylor is so excessive up, particularly compared to the likes of Canelo and Joshua.

She not too long ago spoke to DAZN forward of her upcoming combat with Karen Carabajal this weekend, indicating that retirement – whereas not imminent – is one thing that has been on her thoughts. She uttered these notorious phrases, “I can’t do this forever,” and now she’s going to probably be dogged by questions on simply how lengthy she thinks she will do it.

That could be unfair given she’s nonetheless one of the best feminine fighter on the planet. Whenever Taylor does resolve to hold them up, it’ll be fascinating to look again at her affect on the game.

In the wake of the collapse of a Spence-Crawford combat, each males have spoken to numerous media retailers about how they’ve done the whole lot they will to get the combat made. This is a part of the issue with protection of negotiations – there is virtually no probability that both Spence or Crawford didn’t need this combat. All fighters need to face one of the best opposition potential.

When fights break down, it’s usually by no means due to the fighters. They shouldn’t want to talk within the press about how badly they needed a combat and what concessions they made to get it done.

Also, the criticism of Fury’s and Crawford’s groups for having back-up choices to the superfights they have been negotiating is weird. It’s simply good enterprise sense to have one other combat to fall again on – even when the options are disappointing.

Boxing on the Box

October 29

Katie Taylor-Karen Carabajal

DAZN

Coverage begins at 7pm

October 30

Vasiliy Lomachenko-Jamaine Ortiz

Sky Sports Action

Coverage begins at 1am

Joseph Diaz-William Zepeda

DAZN

Coverage begins at 1am

November 1

Kenshiro Teraji-Hiroto Kyoguchi

DAZN

Coverage begins at 10am