Rashad Evans and Rampage Jackson: Boxing Fight of the Year Candidate?

Walking home from boxing practice last night, it occurred to me that Rashad Evans vs Quinton Jackson could be an amazing fight for boxing and mixed-martial arts fans alike.

One of my disappointments as a fan of both sports is that rarely do MMA fighters have any real skill or background in boxing. That makes it hard to compare how a real boxer like fighter Roy Jones Jr. would do if he converted to MMA, for example.

Why do I care? Simply put, I want to know who is the baddest man on the planet!

Is it Bernard Hopkins or Georges St. Pierre?

I know that's a dumb question, because B-hop wouldn't survive a second in the ring with GSP before being taken down and submitted or ground and pounded. But that's assuming Bernard still had no skill in MMA.

What if a younger Bernard, at his prime in boxing, took a year or two to learn and practice other MMA skills, and then set foot in the Octagon? How bad would that mother (shut my mouth) be inside the cage?

It doesn't have to just be Bernard. It could be any top tier boxer. I'm just interested in how dangerous are those fists when refined and honed to the level that they have?

Well, that question might not be answered for a long time, because boxing still pays more, and the respective sports seem pretty sure of themselves being better, or too different, from the other.

Rashad Evans, however, re-ignites this question inside of me. He lists his MMA disciplines as wrestling and boxing. Not kickboxing. Just that plain, good 'ol fashioned, sweet science.

And he's damn good, too!

I understand and respect that other MMA fighters work extremely hard on their stand up game, which includes boxing. But it usually looks choppy and forced.

Shane Mosley would have a hard time looking natural, too, if he had to worry about kicks and take downs. But somehow, the other Sugar, Rashad Evans, pulls it off.

He's got that hop in his step. He glides around the cage. He bounces in and out with feints. He has great combinations. He throws like lightening and backs it up with thunder.

The dude is mean.

And Rampage is no slouch either!

Sure he has other skills, but I have yet to notice them. I'm too glued to what he'll do with his fists to notice much else.

He's not a "sugar" like Rashad. He doesn't bounce around the cage. He doesn't feint in and out. He comes at you strong and hard, like a rock. A big rock. Maybe a boulder.

I love the way he boxes. I mean, I'd rather be like Rashad, but Rampage seems to do everything my boxing coaches are telling me to do now. I'm no expert or veteran of either sport as a practitioner or fan. But I do notice the little things.

I noticed how Quinton covered up nicely when Wanderlei came at him, and then countered with a beautifully, smashing, left hook.

He did much the same against Keith Jardine, but just missed getting the knockout. He also sits back on his punches. You rarely see him lunging forward and getting off balance.

If those two are to fight, whether at UFC 98 or later, it'll be a boxing match for the MMA ages.

Sure they might try and take each other down here and there. They might even throw in a leg kick. But ultimately that fight will be decided by way of the fist.

I love Rampage like everyone else, but I'm going for Rashad to win, just because of the way he moves.

Hell, we might even see Larry Merchant broadcast this one.