Why do you like boxing?

Spongy

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I've honestly never been a huge fan so I'm curious what the appeal is for you guys and gals.
 

tinymk

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I agree. It is just a bit too slow for me to get excited about but I have friends who are all over it.
 

Boogieman

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I enjoy MMA more than boxing, but I would imagine watching it in person would be a different story. Never watched a pro boxing match in person. And I think a lot of guys put down some serious cash so that in it's self would up the excitement factor!
 

Uncle manny

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My father was a boxer, grew up watching it with him so probably more of a bonding thing. Watching Tyson obliterate people was always fascinating. I think 80s and 90s was more entertaining because of the heavy weight bouts. Then it transitioned to the lighter guys while the heavy weights kinda died out. Still fun for me to watch but could understand why most guys are more into mma now.
 

Long

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I've honestly never been a huge fan so I'm curious what the appeal is for you guys and gals.

I like doing it as well as watching. Watching Mike Tyson fight was amazing on his run up. The peekaboo style fit him like a glove. I was a kid in his prime. Nothing before or since really compares. You can watch Dempsey tee off in the giant or Marciano fire off bent in half, Ali play rope a dope, Iron Mike was playing at an entirely different level.

That's the kind of thing that gets you into a sport. Dempsey, Ali, Marciano, Mike Tyson. Everyone knows those names. Go ask someone on the street who Vladimir K is. Almost nobody knows. That style has done to boxing what removing the headbutt did to the UFC.
 

BigSwolePump

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I like to watch anything where you can punch a muthafuka without legal consequences. Fighting is fun and watching it is entertaining. I am a bigger fan of MMA because there is less rules and you can use all of your weapons instead of being held back with fists only.

Get to live through the younger guys these days.
 

NbleSavage

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Difficult for someone who hasn't studied a sport like boxing to appreciate it IMO. Techniques are subtle and happen very quickly, usually too quickly for the average fan to appreciate the nuance and setup that leads to a Deontay Wilder right hand that ends the fight in the 7th like last night.

Thai is similar, but techniques are more apparent. Wider range of motion, broader striking range (kicking range) make it somewhat easier to follow but clinch work is a great example of a key area of the sport which loses casual fans who just want to see two guys throw bombs at each other and see who lands first.

The term 'kinetic chess' is how I describe thai boxing to someone who's never seen it before. Applies to Western boxing as well IME.

Think of it like this: ye can watch a baseball game and just enjoy the home runs. Or ye can dig into the strategic aspects of pitch selection, communication between the pitcher and catcher during the at-bat, shifting the players in the outfield based on tendencies and in-game situation and enjoy the game at a different level. It takes some time to build an appreciation for the subtlety, but the payoff is there for those who are interested.
 

DieYoungStrong

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Like savage said.

I feel like boxing is more of a pure sport then MMA. Especially the old school fighters up through the 80s and early 90s.

MMA and UFC is more like a street fight to me. I still watch. But I’d take a boxing match like Hagler/Hearns all day every day over a UFC fight. It’s more entertaining imo.
 

JuiceTrain

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Usually there's nothing's good on TV around that time
 

Long

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Like savage said.

I feel like boxing is more of a pure sport then MMA. Especially the old school fighters up through the 80s and early 90s.

MMA and UFC is more like a street fight to me. I still watch. But I’d take a boxing match like Hagler/Hearns all day every day over a UFC fight. It’s more entertaining imo.

The UFC is nothing like a street fight.
 

Raider

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Like savage said.

I feel like boxing is more of a pure sport then MMA. Especially the old school fighters up through the 80s and early 90s.

MMA and UFC is more like a street fight to me. I still watch. But I’d take a boxing match like Hagler/Hearns all day every day over a UFC fight. It’s more entertaining imo.
I’m old so I grew up on boxing. Nothing against mma, I think it’s great, but always been a fan of the chess match going on. One of my buddy’s was a heavyweight pro turned coach so I bowed with him for year( used it as my cardio). I do think the boxing today rarely has the magic of old. Haggler was always my favorite fighter so when he’d fight Hearns or sugar ray etc. it was electric.but, basically if someone is getting knocked out , I’m in!!!!
 

dreamscraper

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I love boxing and MMA but boxing is just more brutal and has better rules. You can't make Rocky without the ten count. The MMA version of Rocky is like a 2 minute long movie that Apollo knocks Rocky down then hammer fists Rocky on the ground until the ref pulls him off, the end.

Look up Benny Paret and Emile Griffith KO. Most brutal KO of all time. Paret dies in the ring.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7e8jRdW73Sg

Ray Mancini vs Duk Koo Kim
https://youtu.be/6jJRwoJdLa4?t=3146

Kim put a coffin in his gym and said he was coming home the champion or was going to die trying. After all those brutal rounds he still gets to his feet after getting knocked down but then dies after.

MMA even to me was better in a ring. The size and shape of the cage just promotes endless circling instead of getting cutoff and backed in the corner.

Boxing has always suffered with this bullshit that things were better 20 years ago. I remember watching Mike Tyson fights. Everyone at the time said it wasn't as good as the 70s with Muhammad Ali. In the 70s, I am sure people said no one was as good as Ray Robinson in the 50s. In the 50s, the fights were boring compared to Jack Dempsey in the 20s.

Between MMA and boxing I have probably easily watched 1000 guys get knocked out and I think I have watched 6 fights that one guy dies. A great fight has nothing to do with a knockout.

I love Marvin Haggler but Siberian Rocky or James Kirkland from just a few years ago were far more entertaining on average. Canelo is practically at the point of surpassing Haggler too if he hasn't already.

Like tonight with Teofimo Lopez vs Lomachenko. Lomachenko was 396 - 1 as an amateur, one of the most technical boxers ever but is up against a much younger, bigger and bigger puncher in Lopez. I am cheering for the dog in Lopez to beat the great Lomachenko. It is a huge task. I know it is worth watching because it will not be over in 2 seconds like Aldo vs McGregor. Lopez should be in it the whole fight with his power.
 

rawdeal

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A RARE bird ... a PPV-worthy fight, better than most PPV fights imo, and it's on free tv tonight.

Lomachenko vs. Lopez on regular espn, not the subscription espn+ that was invented a few years back. Undercard begins @ 7:30EST for the few who are that into Boxing. Main Event estimated for 10:00.

If not aware, do a little homework on both fighters. Lomachenko spent years in the Amateurs for Ukraine, is widely considered the best Amateur ever, and is an artist in the Ring on a par with, but not identical to, Mayweather. Lopez is the most dynamic, exciting fighter to come along in quite a while, different style from Tyson, but just as destructive.
 
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The insane amount of cardio that comes with it, as well as the fact I can reasonably take someone down with a strike or two makes it fun to learn. I know I’m late to this.
 

dreamscraper

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I loved the Lopez fight. Dominating Lomachenko in boxing is just crazy. The real problem boxing has though is the announcers give too much input. IMO there should never be an unofficial scorecard shown. Andre Ward having that fight a draw is completely absurd.

More crazy than that main fight though was Edgar Berlanga. 15-0 now with 15, 1st round KOs. That kids power is really scary because everything he throws seems damaging without really trying.
 

GSgator

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It has a rhythm to it the foot work, the combos and timing your opponent into a counter punch . I guess it can come across Boring for ppl that aren’t in to it. It’s also the fundamentals of fighting most bad ass MMA fighters are good boxers.
 

SHRUGS

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Its great I like the stand up fighting. Never have to deal with them rolling on the damn ground for minutes doin basically nothing. Stand up and punch each other. It can have slow moments like anything else but I grew up watching Tyson and Holyfield and Big George. It was always fun to watch. Some of the new heavyweights are pretty fun to watch these days. I enjoy watching boxing way more than ufc most of the time.
!S!
 
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I like boxing because it's an opportunity to exercise my discipline, strength of character and body. It's literally a workout for my body and mind. I wish nowadays I could do everything I want to do.
 

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