Floyd Mayweather vs. Rich Franklin: Boxing Goes Toe-To-Toe with MMA

Turns out Strikeforce may not be the only opponent that Dana White has to think about when marketing his UFC cards.

After years of saying that MMA would never take away boxing's fanbase, but then watching ratings and coverage fall, boxing has decided to take a page out of the MMA playbook.

On Sept. 19, HBO will feature the first stacked boxing card.

Normally televised undercards for boxing events show only one or possibly two bouts, in which the talent level is usually subpar. This time, however, the card (headlined by the much-anticipated Floyd Mayweather-Juan Manuel Marquez fight) will show three fights—all with well-regarded boxers.

The motivation for the change seems to be clear. After UFC 103 was scheduled on the same Saturday night, the boxing officials seemed to take it personally. With the weakness of the UFC card, boxing officials decided to go for the kill by not banking solely on the Mayweather name to steal viewership for the evening.

In a counterattack, the UFC has decided to air a few of its undercard fights live on Spike, hoping to reel in viewers that are wary of paying for either card.

But which card truly is better?

Let's first look at the UFC card.

The live fights on Spike have a few intriguing matchups, but as with most UFC preliminary bouts, there is nothing of championship-level significance, with the highlight being the first post-TUF fight for champ Efrain Escudero.

Switching over to the pay-per-view portion of the event...

Two fights on the card could prove to be very interesting—the always dangerous heavyweight Mirco Cro Cop takes on up-and-comer Junior Dos Santos in what should be a very quick but action-packed bout, while an indifferent attitude has been the response to the scheduled Josh Koscheck-Frank Trigg and Tyson Griffin-Hermes Franca battles.

The best bout on the card might wind up being the welterweight eliminator fight between Martin Kampmann and Mike Swick. 

The main card? A battle between Rich Franklin and Vitor Belfort might wind up being a closely contested bout, but it hardly seems like a headlining event.

So how does the boxing card stack up?

Undoubtedly, HBO's card has the biggest name in either competition. Floyd Mayweather is considered by many to be the pound-for-pound king of boxing, and those who disagree surely have him a close second behind Manny Pacquiao.

Mayweather boasts a 39-0 record, possesses one of the biggest mouths in fighting, has held titles in four weight classes, and is arguably the most recognizable face in all of boxing. 

But his opponent is no slouch either. Juan Manuel Marquez is widely considered one of the greatest Mexican-born fighters ever. He's held titles in three weight classes and holds a professional record of 50-4-1.

There are big names on the undercard as well.

The first fight features Antonio Diaz vs. former welterweight champion Zab Judah. 

The next card will be a lightweight title bout that features one of the most exciting fighters in the sport, Michael Katsidis (25-2) challenging champion Vincente Escobedo (15-1). Katsidis is loved in the boxing world for his bloody battles and his willingness to stand and trade quick and powerful punches with any opponent. 

The last undercard fight is a featherweight championship bout between Chris John (22-0-2) and Rocky Juarez (20-4-1). The two fought to an electric yet controversial draw in February and are looking to settle the score. 

So which card stacks up the best?

It's clear that in terms of the overall quality of the matchups, you'd have to give the edge to the Mayweather card. With the P4P king, two championship fights, and another former champ on the same card, there will be more than enough talent to spare.

The only problem is that boxing seems to have done so much damage to itself recently that there may not be many people with the faith left to give it another shot.

It's a shame because the card should be a good one, but in the end, viewership totals will probably favor Dana White again.