Is Boxing falling out?

[gzk]

WI take Sil Lum Kungfu. 3/4 the stuff we learn isnt allowed in MMA. They aren't allowed to strike to the throat, eyes, grown, wrist locks, arm bars (open joints locks from standing.. ie trapping a punch, breaking their wrist, elbow, and shoulder while you throw them down. I mean dont get me wrong not dissing MMA, a lot of those guys could do well on the street, but dont diss other styles because their style isnt represented in UFC. Because on the street there are no rules anything goes. That is also why you will never see our schools fighting in a tourniment with a point system. We would be disqualified first 10 seconds of the fight.... Anyways thats just my $.02

Joint locks are not only allowed, they are quite common. The only difference is that almost all fighters will tap out before their joint is broken, but this is because they are aware that their joint could be broken. Groin and throat strikes used to be legal in the UFC as well, but they were not commonly used. Nobody became UFC champion with throat or groin shots. Techniques against the eyes have always been illegal but they do happen accidentally.

[marie curie]

My problem with boxing is the pure brutality of the sport. It is two guys going headshot-headshot-headshot their entire careers.

Dr. Lundberg replied: "It's not the deaths but the chronic brain damage that is so frequent." The AMA reports brain deterioration in three out of four boxers who have twenty or more professional fights.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Boxing#Medical_concerns

Fatality rates per 100,000 participants

1. Horse racing: 128

2. Sky diving: 123

3. Hang gliding: 56

4. Mountaineering: 51

5. Scuba Diving: 11

6. Motorcycle racing: 7

7. College Football: 3

8. Boxing: 1.3

Whereas MMA has had only two deaths and none of them in US-sanctioned fights

n MMA's history 0 people have died in fully sanctioned MMA events. One person (Douglas Dedge) died at an unsantioned MMA event in Kiev, Ukraine (International Super Challenge on 3/16/98). The death was from a pre-existing medical condition (black outs which led to him being banned from competing in sanctioned US events) and improper medical supervision and clearance at the unsanctioned event, and was not due directly to punishment sustained in the ring. Another death, a man called 'Kim' in South Korea, had died of a myocardial infarction (heart attack) following a bout.

[cross]

Do you think that boxing has lost some of its quality and popularity? Do you think that this is due to the rise of MMA?

I think the main reason boxing has lost alot of its popularity is due to people becoming so desensitized to it. Most people have seen boxing for long enough that its not new and exciting anymore. This is why MMA is having such an impact and drawing larger audiences. Its something new that people havnt seen alot of before. The "fad" will begin to fade when people have been exposed to it long enough.

Which do you prefer to watch?

I rarely watch either anymore. Considering i dont have pay tv and being a spectator is no longer a huge interest of mine. But if i had to choose i would rather watch MMA.

[Justin Treadaway]

Joint locks are not only allowed, they are quite common. The only difference is that almost all fighters will tap out before their joint is broken, but this is because they are aware that their joint could be broken. Groin and throat strikes used to be legal in the UFC as well, but they were not commonly used. Nobody became UFC champion with throat or groin shots. Techniques against the eyes have always been illegal but they do happen accidentally.

Joint locks are only allowd on the ground, not from a straight punch.

[cross]

Joint locks are only allowd on the ground, not from a straight punch.

Its alot harder to do a joint lock from a full speed full power punch than you might think. Im not saying it cant happen, just that it would be near impossible unless the other guy is throwing extremely slow and sloppy punches, thats probably why its not seen in mma.

[Dazed and Confused]

I agree with Night Owl's points, particularly those about corruption, lack of charisma and it being seen as a "low brow" sport. Certainly at grass roots level there is no major effort put into getting people into boxing. In England I have found sort of inverse snobbery about it- if your not a working lad straight out of the council estates you get treated with suspicion.

As a boxing fan myself though I think the sport is losing popularity purely because there is a lack of characters to latch on to. In the UK Ricky Hatton generates a lot of attention, but thats mainly among hardcore boxing fans. The only fighter to get more general sports fans watching is Amir Khan, but he's not fought anybody decent yet.

I don't think MMA is a major factor in the UK, I've never seen it mentioned in the sports pages or on the news, and iits on very obscure tv channels.

Marie Curie those are very interesting figures you quote there. Certainly put me off sky diving. Do they include fatalaties to rugby players?

Edited July 3, 2007 by Dazed and Confused

[gzk]

Joint locks are only allowd on the ground, not from a straight punch.

Check http://www.ufc.com/index.cfm?fa=LearnUFC.Rules. Says nothing about standing joint locks being illegal.

[Justin Treadaway]

What is small joint manipulation? Fingers/toes?

[gzk]

What is small joint manipulation? Fingers/toes?

Yes.

[Ace2021]

Concerning bushidoman's comments about The Contender and fighting reality shows:

The Ultimate Fighter is more appealing to me than The Contender, and i'm sure that goes for everyone, if not, most.

More dynamic!