Dana White talks boxing
This weekend, given James Toney and former UFC heavyweight champion Randy Couture going head to head, MMA speculated about the sport of boxing. It wasn’t just fans watching James get demolished that savoured the opinion that MMA guys are superior. It was UFC CEO Dana White, too.
“Let me tell you the truth,” White said in a candid interview with Maxboxing.com. “Absolutely 99% of the time, the Ultimate fighter should win because the guy has more weapons. But when two guys step in there it’s a fight. Anything can happen in a fight. Anybody that doesn’t think James Toney can’t knock Randy Couture out cold this weekend is out of their mind.”
He continued: “I’m a fan of boxing. Believe me; I know they are two different sports. And when people ask me who would win, a boxer or an MMA guy, of course I’m going to say the MMA guy. He’s got more tools. He’s got more weapons.”
Dana White’s confidence could be said to mirror the state of the two sports. For the last decade, boxing has seen decreased ratings, to the point where the big broadcasting companies, such as HBO, aren’t even interested in picking up heavyweight championship fights (Klitschko and co.).
What’s more is that there doesn’t seem to be an American heavyweight prospect anywhere on the horizon, and promoters can’t even get the best for pound-for-pound guys to fight each other.
MMA on the other hand continues to enjoy increasing popularity and buzz in North America. UFC has put on shows in more than 140 countries, is worth more than a billion dollars, and featured on wide-selling EA Sports video games. Not to mention the fact that the sport, which was once virtually banned in the States, is now legalized in 44 states.
But aside from saying MMA fighters are generally more dangerous than boxers, Dana White offered some explanation that appeared to poke holes in his argument. When asked why it’s okay for boxers to go to MMA but the reverse is never done, White’s response was telling. “Because these guys [MMA fighters] aren’t boxers as much as they work on their hands and think they’re boxers. I came from boxing. I know the difference between boxing and MMA.”
White’s response suggests that he wouldn’t be in favour of putting an MMA guy into a boxing ring with a boxer. So MMA can showcase its superiority over boxing, but only in a forum where it doesn’t have to submit to outside regulations. There are probably many reasons White wouldn’t be enthusiastic about that arrangement, not least for the fact that having MMA guys knocked out in boxing matches wouldn’t make for good business.
On the other hand, White diagnosed the ills with boxing with his insight into the sport. “Listen. Boxing is screwed up so bad—and this is just me being honest—I think it’s close to unfixable. [...] If f**king boxing was still on its game, you think you’d see any of these European champions? h**l no. When boxing was dominant, when everything was good here, USA and Mexico dominated. Now you see these guys; you don’t even know who the champions are. They are promoted in other countries. Nothing against those guys but they know it and they have to admit it. The United States and Mexico used to kick everybody’s a*s.”
White does get at many changes that have sunk into the sport of boxing in the last decade or so. But contrary to his opinion, these aren’t necessarily bad things. It is true that boxing increasingly lost a viable marketplace on American soil, but it’s also gained an international one. Stating the decline of boxing in the States is fair, but it also implies mentioning its gain everywhere else on the global stage.
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