[Andreas]

Whenever i speak about fights or making your body stronger, with someone, i usually hear them say a bunch of martial arts with fancy moves and got me thinking, is it because boxing doesnt sound like fancy thing with acrobatic moves like Kung Fu, Tae kwan do?

People talk about injuries in boxing but for me it looks that other martial arts are dangerous too. (muay thai looks like the scariest for me)

What is boxing as a lifestyle? How does it feel to practice it while growing up? What are the ups and downs?

[Mehor]

(10-12-2011 06:47 AM)Andreas Wrote:  

Whenever i speak about fights or making your body stronger, with someone, i usually hear them say a bunch of martial arts with fancy moves and got me thinking, is it because boxing doesnt sound like fancy thing with acrobatic moves like Kung Fu, Tae kwan do?

Mixed martial arts alway trump boxing in terms of real fighting.

[thegmanifesto]

(10-12-2011 08:59 AM)Mehor Wrote:  

(10-12-2011 06:47 AM)Andreas Wrote:  

Whenever i speak about fights or making your body stronger, with someone, i usually hear them say a bunch of martial arts with fancy moves and got me thinking, is it because boxing doesnt sound like fancy thing with acrobatic moves like Kung Fu, Tae kwan do?

Mixed martial arts alway trump boxing in terms of real fighting.

Absolutely false.

Boxing can end a fight quicker than any martial art.

Don't believe me?

Watch smaller and older, beyond over the hill Boxer (and former champ) Ray Mercer against bigger and younger Former MMA Heavyweight champ Tim Silva:

(I don't want to start an MMA VS Boxing debate. Those are retarded debates. I just wanted to show the importance of boxing in MMA).

That is why MMA guys focus so much on boxing (along with Muay Thai and Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu).

I recently did a post:

Bernard Hopkins Schools MMA Fighter Rashad Evans to The Game

http://www.thegmanifesto.com/2011/10/ber...-game.html

Just look how focused Rashad Evans' is when listening to Bernard Hopkins.

As far as the original posters question, there are more than a few posts on Boxing on here. Search for them.

[thegmanifesto]

"That is why MMA guys focus so much on boxing (along with Muay Thai and Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu)"

I should have added wrestling also.

[OGNorCal707]

Meh, there's no point in debating boxing vs. MMA. But I will respectfully disagree with the G-Man, however I will say that most self defense situations standing up and throwing punches are how the vast majority of fights unfold.

That said, boxing as far as a "self defense" mechanism is very much 1 dimensional. I understand the point G was trying to make with that vid clip, but IMHO that fight looked like B.S., it could have totally been "fixed" and despite the fact that Tim Sylvia is a huge dude (6 ft. 8 in) and the former UFC heavyweight champ, I've never been impressed with any of his fight that I've watched.

A better example might be Rampage Jackson vs. Jon Jones, Rampage basically just likes to "stand up and throw" and is basically boxing against guys with way more weapons in their arsenal. Rampage lost to Jones, and I believe he got throughly beaten by Lyoto Machida, and Machida should have fought Jones for the light heavyweight champ.

Now to further my point and wrap this up. Boxing you can only use your fists and there are a bunch of rules. Muay Thai might not be the best example because it's also a sport with rules, but it's the "art of 8 limbs", you can throw kicks, elbows, knees, etc.

In a real life "street self defense" situation there are NO rules. You can kick a guy in the balls, gauge out his eyes, and gauge strike his throat.

[thegmanifesto]

OGNorCal707 -

I agree with you (save the "fixed" part, why would they "fix" a fight in favor of a boxer in an MMA fight? That would only hurt MMA's credibility. Plus Mercer uncorked a perfect right on Silvia's chin.), I was more responding to the above comment: "Mixed martial arts alway trump boxing in terms of real fighting."

And mainly the "always" part of that statement.

There is no "always" in fighting.

[MikeCF]

You know who NEVER says boxing is overrated? Guys who have actually fought. It's always keyboard warriors or bjj blue belts who are sure boxing isn't great.

If you're in the streets, it's too easy to lose your footing when throwing a kick. Is the ground slippery? Is there a piece of cement missing from the sidewalk? Is there a stray beer bottle or piece of slippery dog shit? Good luck if you throw a kick.

Again, guys who have actually been in street fights know: NEVER lose your footing, and never go to the ground, because the guy may have buddies about to kick you in the head.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2XQh_1meROg

Most guys simply couldn't hang in a real boxing gym. IN the MMA gyms where you're paying 100-200 a month, you don't have the street youths. You don't get tough training with spoiled white kids.

[OGNorCal707]

Who wins in a street fight, Floyd Mayweather or George St-Piere?

My moneys on GSP.

[OGNorCal707]

(10-12-2011 03:00 PM)MikeCF Wrote:  

You know who NEVER says boxing is overrated? Guys who have actually fought. It's always keyboard warriors or bjj blue belts who are sure boxing isn't great.

If you're in the streets, it's too easy to lose your footing when throwing a kick. Is the ground slippery? Is there a piece of cement missing from the sidewalk? Is there a stray beer bottle or piece of slippery dog shit? Good luck if you throw a kick.

Again, guys who have actually been in street fights know: NEVER lose your footing, and never go to the ground, because the guy may have buddies about to kick you in the head.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2XQh_1meROg

Most guys simply couldn't hang in a real boxing gym. IN the MMA gyms where you're paying 100-200 a month, you don't have the street youths. You don't get tough training with spoiled white kids.

I agree with you about Brazilian Jiujitsu, as I feel that it is only really an effective self-defense strategy in a one-on-one fight in a relatively safe environment. If you're in a bar fight rolling around on the floor with a guy and choking him out aren't going to do much good if his 3 buddies are stomping on your head.

BJJ in combination with another form of self-defense (boxing, muay thai, kung fu) is the crucial shit, this way if you know it's one on one and it's safe to take the fight to the ground you're going to shut the other guy down, assuming he doesn't know BJJ, Judo, or wrestling himself, which is still the vast majority of men out there.

As far as boxing gyms vs. MMA gyms, I can't speak on that, because my MMA experience is extremely limited and I've only "worked out" with a friend in high school who was the local welterweight boxing champ.

I will say that MMA guys wear 4 oz. gloves vs. boxing 16 oz., if I'm not incorrect. Getting hit with those MMA gloves you feel it a lot more, not to mention knees and elbos hurt like a motherfuck.

Oh yeah and Mike, not to be a smartass, but your vid clipped proved nothing. Those two dudes looked like a couple out of shape guys with no fight training. A kung fu, kempo, or muay thai expert could have just as easily fucked them up.

[MikeCF]

(10-12-2011 03:04 PM)OGNorCal707 Wrote:  

Who wins in a street fight, Floyd Mayweather or George St-Piere?

My moneys on GSP.

You watch too much TV.

Last fight I got in, guy was talking shit to my boys. Then he turned to talk to me.

Like most people, he assumed he could just pop off. Maybe I'd shove him, or get some distances, or whatever.

The second he got close enough for me to punch, he was on the ground.

On the streets, a ref doesn't stand in between you and tell, "Let's get it on!"

On the streets, the guy with the most SMARTS senses when shit is going to go beyond talking, and he ALWAYS punches first.

PBF has killer instinct, and if he sensed a fight was going to down, he'd have GSP laid out before nice guy GSP knew what happened.

[Screwston]

Yes, boxing is underrated! I've been thinking og taking some lessons to keep me on my toes.

I've been in about 20 street fights so I think I have a decent idea of how it can go. You're a dumbass if you'd try to kick someone when y'all are going at it unless u try to go for his nuts lol. Do y'all know what they practice in prison? Boxing. The same guys who fight with each other because they're bored.

My grandpa boxed in his teenage years and was going to go to Las Vegas but his mom wouldn't let him. We shadow boxed a few years ago and I can tell he had some hands on him when was younger. He was getting me pretty good and I'm not some fat, slow blob.

[MikeCF]

(10-12-2011 03:14 PM)OGNorCal707 Wrote:  

Oh yeah and Mike, not to be a smartass, but your vid clipped proved nothing. Those two dudes looked like a couple out of shape guys with no fight training. A kung fu, kempo, or muay thai expert could have just as easily fucked them up.

Nada. Boxing, more than any other fighting style, gives you a killer instinct.

HARD sparring is regular. Your body gets pounded way more in boxing than MMA.

Any guy who has trained both will tell you that. Boxing is brutal. It makes you a killer.

On the street, it's the killer who is going to win.

[Chad Daring]

I've read a few write ups that compare martial art styles, and when it comes to knock down drag out power in one single blow boxing always seems to come out on top. Not to mention the aforementioned practicality should you ever find yourself in a bad spot.

Anyways, to get back to the original question.

I think boxing has gone by the way side a lot. I've wanted to get into boxing, if only for training purposes, for a while, and now that I'm in good enough shape I've come to find out the only boxing gyms in my area are SWPL franchise deals that cost an arm and a leg.

"I will say that MMA guys wear 4 oz. gloves vs. boxing 16 oz., if I'm not incorrect. Getting hit with those MMA gloves you feel it a lot more, not to mention knees and elbos hurt like a motherfuck."

Tell that to these guys
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=e5sAs_1Fzlo

[Batata]

Boxing is integral to MMA. Is MMA the superior fighting system? Obviously. You can't dispute that. Boxing is a single dimension of combat, albeit, extremely important.

[Gmac]

I have been seriously considering getting into boxing, but I'm worried about the long term damage to my face, head, and brain. With a corporate gig, showing up to work with cuts and bruises on my face isn't exactly ideal...

Training wise, aren't the risks quite a bit lower?

[Basil Ransom]

I just joined a boxing gym a week ago, and it's awesome - I'd taken classes here and there over the years. I wasn't athletic growing up, and I'd just look at sports with balls, and say to myself, what the fuck's the point? Not a concern with boxing. And I'm neither a follower nor a leader, so team sports are just alien to my nature. I went through 12 years of school without girls, where the main determinant of status was how much ass you could kick, and still have that mentality in me a little.

But boxing is just so pure and primal... and you will be ever grateful to your mentor, to the man who teaches you how to fight. This isn't a baking lesson. It doesn't hurt that girls will find it intriguing when you seem like an otherwise white-collar guy.

(10-12-2011 05:48 PM)Gmac Wrote:  

Training wise, aren't the risks quite a bit lower?

You don't start sparring until you've got 6 months to a year of training under your belt. And you don't have to spar or fight if you don't want to.

"Most guys simply couldn't hang in a real boxing gym. IN the MMA gyms where you're paying 100-200 a month, you don't have the street youths. You don't get tough training with spoiled white kids."

Most boxing gyms are full of white collar types.

[Gmac]

I need to just fucking man up and do it.

[Screwston]

How much should you pay for lessons on average? Should I just pick one in the phonebook and go if its a good price?

[Timoteo]

(10-12-2011 09:52 AM)thegmanifesto Wrote:  

(10-12-2011 08:59 AM)Mehor Wrote:  

(10-12-2011 06:47 AM)Andreas Wrote:  

Whenever i speak about fights or making your body stronger, with someone, i usually hear them say a bunch of martial arts with fancy moves and got me thinking, is it because boxing doesnt sound like fancy thing with acrobatic moves like Kung Fu, Tae kwan do?

Mixed martial arts alway trump boxing in terms of real fighting.

Absolutely false.

Boxing can end a fight quicker than any martial art.

Don't believe me?

Watch smaller and older, beyond over the hill Boxer (and former champ) Ray Mercer against bigger and younger Former MMA Heavyweight champ Tim Silva:

(I don't want to start an MMA VS Boxing debate. Those are retarded debates. I just wanted to show the importance of boxing in MMA).

That is why MMA guys focus so much on boxing (along with Muay Thai and Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu).

I recently did a post:

Bernard Hopkins Schools MMA Fighter Rashad Evans to The Game

http://www.thegmanifesto.com/2011/10/ber...-game.html

Just look how focused Rashad Evans' is when listening to Bernard Hopkins.

As far as the original posters question, there are more than a few posts on Boxing on here. Search for them.

Most of the quick endings in MMA are hand strikes, as opposed to kicks. Most MMA guys have either a wrestling background, or a martial art that focuses on various holds. They aren't as comfortable on their feet, using their hands. The disadvantage that pure boxers have is the learning curve for the other disciplines they have to defend against, but if they can avoid takedowns and kicks, they can end fights quick.

[Timoteo]

I also think the boxing vs. MMA debate is silly. I don't see the death of boxing that so many in the media, and so many MMA fans see. Yes...MMA is growing in popularity, but I don't think they're taking fans from boxing. I think it's because MMA has a bigger tent. Fans and practitioners of all of the fighting styles that comprise MMA now have professional fighters and events that they can follow. Martial artists may not have been big fans of boxing. On the whole, I don't see MMA as being more exciting than boxing - many of the MMA fights I've watched have been pretty boring, especially if you have two grapplers going against each other. The fights tend to be BLOODIER than the average boxing match, but not necessarily of higher quality. The problem with boxing is that not enough attention is paid to the lower weights, where there are more action fights. If boxing got away from the premise that as the heavyweights go, so goes the sport, they would be better off. Also, the politics of boxing kills the sport. From the 80s on back, the best fought each other. It seems from the 90s forward, the best fighters avoided each other because there are too many belts/organizations, each with their own agendas. Since there is only one real organization in MMA, the best fighters will always have to fight each other.

[MikeCF]

(10-12-2011 06:39 PM)basilransom Wrote:  

I just joined a boxing gym a week ago, and it's awesome - I'd taken classes here and there over the years. I wasn't athletic growing up, and I'd just look at sports with balls, and say to myself, what the fuck's the point? Not a concern with boxing. And I'm neither a follower nor a leader, so team sports are just alien to my nature. I went through 12 years of school without girls, where the main determinant of status was how much ass you could kick, and still have that mentality in me a little.

But boxing is just so pure and primal... and you will be ever grateful to your mentor, to the man who teaches you how to fight. This isn't a baking lesson. It doesn't hurt that girls will find it intriguing when you seem like an otherwise white-collar guy.

(10-12-2011 05:48 PM)Gmac Wrote:  

Training wise, aren't the risks quite a bit lower?

You don't start sparring until you've got 6 months to a year of training under your belt. And you don't have to spar or fight if you don't want to.

"Most guys simply couldn't hang in a real boxing gym. IN the MMA gyms where you're paying 100-200 a month, you don't have the street youths. You don't get tough training with spoiled white kids."

Most boxing gyms are full of white collar types.

I boxed in rings and coached youth boxing - for free, because boxers are POOR.

But you have a USA Today article.

Sure thing, buddy.

[Basil Ransom]

(10-12-2011 07:53 PM)MikeCF Wrote:  

I boxed in rings and coached youth boxing - for free, because boxers are POOR.

But you have a USA Today article.

Sure thing, buddy.

Hmm, your word vs the owner of Gleason's, tough matchup...

Quote:

White-collar hobbyists make up 65% of Gleason's 1,000-strong membership and they are the main source of revenue at many boxing gyms in large urban areas, from New York to Detroit to Los Angeles.

"Today, the majority of people ... in all boxing gyms are white-collar-types," says Bruce Silverglade, owner of Gleason's, the USA's oldest active boxing gym. It's what really keeps boxing gyms alive today."

Gleason's Hall of Fame list includes Jake La Motta, "the Raging Bull," Muhammad Ali, Mike Tyson and current welterweight champion Zab "Super" Judah. It has served as the training ground for 127 world champions, two Olympic gold medalists and hundreds of amateur champions.

There are no girls here, no need to preen.

[MikeCF]

(10-12-2011 09:39 PM)basilransom Wrote:  

(10-12-2011 07:53 PM)MikeCF Wrote:  

I boxed in rings and coached youth boxing - for free, because boxers are POOR.

But you have a USA Today article.

Sure thing, buddy.

Hmm, your word vs the owner of Gleason's, tough matchup...

Quote:

White-collar hobbyists make up 65% of Gleason's 1,000-strong membership and they are the main source of revenue at many boxing gyms in large urban areas, from New York to Detroit to Los Angeles.

"Today, the majority of people ... in all boxing gyms are white-collar-types," says Bruce Silverglade, owner of Gleason's, the USA's oldest active boxing gym. It's what really keeps boxing gyms alive today."

Gleason's Hall of Fame list includes Jake La Motta, "the Raging Bull," Muhammad Ali, Mike Tyson and current welterweight champion Zab "Super" Judah. It has served as the training ground for 127 world champions, two Olympic gold medalists and hundreds of amateur champions.

There are no girls here, no need to preen.

Boxing CLASS and Boxercise are not boxing. You either understand this (because you've lived it) or you don't.

Read one USA today article and spend 5 minutes on Google, and suddenly everyone is an expert.

[Magnum]

I've fought as a amateur in boxing and it is much harder than people think.I've also been a cornerman for pro boxing and let me tell you it is fucking brutal up close.Watching it on TV or even being 10 rows back in the arena wont give you an idea of the punishment involved.In my opinion boxers endure more punishment than the mma guys as the fights are longer and more emphasis is placed on hard punches to the head.But they're both tough sports so they both deserve respect.

[subutai]

Boxing gives you the superior reflexes and footwork. But boxers need to cross train -- otherwise, they may not see that Muay Thai elbow flying towards their temple.