makemymark

Boxing and UFC face off

In the early hours of Sunday morning, Manny Pacquiao and Juan Manuel Marquez clashed for the third time. The results of their first two boxing epics are controversial; a draw and a split decision in Pacquiao’s favour, many feel Marquez was robbed of victory on both occasions.

Pacquiao, arguably the best pound-for-pound fighter in the world, was going to blast Marquez away on this occasion. His development and success in eight different weight classes is unprecedented. The Mexican, a three-weight world champion himself, would not be able to cope with the Pac Man’s speed and the impossible angles from which he throws his combinations.

The fight went the distance. The Pac Man was announced as the winner; another split decision. The Las Vegas crowd erupted, in anger. The fight didn’t go to plan. Marquez boxed brilliantly. His defensive movement completely nullified Pacquiao’s left hand; cleverly stepping out of range and counter punching when the Filipino southpaw stepped forward. Statistics show that the Pac Man landed more punches but they were glancing shots that barely reached their target; the Mexican landed the cleaner, crisper punches. When the final bell rang, Marquez raised his fists to the air in victory and Pacquiao retreated to his corner despondently. The result was in little doubt. The judges’ scoring was inexplicable.

The cynic in me says that the Pac Man was never going to lose that fight if it went to the scorecards. His challenger to the pound-for-pound crown, Floyd Mayweather Junior, easily out-pointed Marquez in 2009. The much anticipated mega fight between the two would have been devalued by a Pacquiao defeat. A decrease in potential profit would’ve been unpalatable to their respective promoters.

The idea that astronomical sums of money are influencing big fight decisions is a damaging one; loyal fans are becoming increasingly disillusioned, casual fans are looking elsewhere. The timing of a controversial result couldn’t have been worse for the sport.

The Ultimate Fighting Championship made its debut on the Fox Television network a few hours prior to the Pacquiao Marquez fight. The main event, a world heavyweight championship clash between Cain Velasquez and Junior Dos Santos became the most watched live hour ever of mixed martial arts. The fight itself lasted just over a minute; champion Velasquez was knocked out by a devastating overhand right from Dos Santos.

For the first time, audiences were able to make a direct comparison between the two combat sports. Boxing has the glittering history, filled with classic battles and legendary fighters. MMA is a young and growing sport with the UFC at its forefront, in the process of making its legends. There is an air of nobility about boxing while MMA is more brutal and at times difficult to watch. For the casual fan, the most attractive and exciting aspect of combat sport is the knockout. Due to the nature of striking in MMA, the use of fists, feet, elbows and knees, there is always potential for explosive knockouts. However casual fans lose interest when two fighters with excellent grappling skills spend an entire fight on the canvas.

What is certain is that if professional boxing continues to produce dubious results in some of the biggest fights, the spectre of corruption will continue to haunt it and the UFC’s fan base will be sure to increase.