Boxing Versus Mixed Martial Arts...Again

When all of the receipts were tallied, the Floyd Mayweather vs Juan Manuel Marquez PPV fight card generated over a million buys. It signaled the culmination of a decade-long quest for Mayweather to become the leading draw in boxing.

To many, it also sent a strong message to denizens of mixed martial arts fight cards (i.e., UFC 103 which was staged on the same night). While UFC President Dana White and others set this up as a showdown between boxing and MMA, I never saw it that way and never will.

First, let's get the facts straight. UFC 103 was by no means a major fight card, especially compared to a boxing event like Mayweather-Marquez, which marked Mayweather's return to the sport after a two-year "retirement."

Despite the over-the-top, pre-fight boasts by Dana White, expecting this MMA card to best Mayweather-Marquez was a stretch to say the least. Secondly, no one on either side of the "combat sport" pond expected Mayweather-Marquez to do this well. Not even the equally boastful Mayweather could have envisioned these numbers. Last but not least, the events aren't really in competition if you ask me.

Don't let the mainstream sports media fool you. Despite some superficial similarities (blood-letting, knockouts, and punching), both sports are very different with contrasting fan bases. The similarities naturally cause people to compare the sports, and that's fair. I also understand that there will be competition for advertising and PPV dollars in the combat sport arena, but that doesn't mean that each fan base should hate on the other to get attention.

There is room for boxing and mixed martial arts. Although both sports are inherently violent, I sincerely hope they reserve their pot-shots and low blows for the rings in which their combatants participate. If promotional heavies like Golden Boy (boxing) and the UFC (MMA) are smart, they would be looking at synergies rather than verbal beefs. Beef may be good to eat, but it's not necessarily good for business in the long run. 

Boxing and mixed martial arts, with their violent nature, will never play well amongst many segments of society. The sooner that both sports realize this and look for ways to cooperate rather than hate, they will both be better for it.