Post by TD on Aug 26, 2009 11:28:46 GMT -5
First off, the average boxing promoter is usually NOT promotionally skilled because it really isn't a profession for him. They have NO idea how to capture a fans interest, work the media and or run an ad campaign for an event.
The MMA promoter is very skilled at those same items. Have you ever seen an MMA event that was NOT advertised? And NOT advertised very well?
Why does that difference exist? The boxing promoter with little to NO advertising desire and skills VS the MMA promoter with plenty of advertising skills and desire to promote his show...?
Usually the boxing promoter is a fly by night, in and out, speculator. And a speculator never spends money on what he believes, he tries to make money by squeezing everyone he can and then stupidly HOPING for a miracle, IE a profit from the show based on a huge fan turnout. He does this by squeezing the very life blood that would make him money, the talent, the fighters on his card.
Sure there are exceptions. King and Arum all ran great media campaigns behind their cards. King and Arum rewarded their fighters very well. King and Arum understood one key element about boxing, its all about knockouts. In the ring, you are either a knockout artist OR a hair stylist. Hair stylists make NO money, Knockout artists make all the money.
MMA has one basic element down pat, few fights go to the cards. There is NO manipulation of the "opinion-decision" outcome. MMA thrives on action and explosion. IF you are timid MMA fighter, you are a heavy bag or a dangling arm-leg waiting for a break to be applied to said arm-leg.
Gina Carrano has a great punch, power kicks and a ground game that is OK...but she didn't try to do what she usually does and that is Knockout her opponent. She turned hair-stylist and she got beat like one. I have never seen her give up back like she did going almost fetal. She become a heavy bag for a grizzley when she did that.
So Carrano-Cyborg was/wasn't almost typical of an MMA fight...wasn't in that most MMA fights are full of fighting fury by both fighters from the get-go. Was in that the outcome was NOT "opinion-based" as it was a "TKO" stoppage. Cyborg threw about 8 right hand hammer shots to a fetal Carrano...letting it go further might have been very dangerous even almost at the bell.
I've seen some boring MMA fights that were stale-mate type ground-wrestling-BJJ entanglements but now MMA fighting is calling that a stalemate and returning fighters to standing positions.
Here's a short look at what I see are key differences between boxing and MMA promoters
OUTCOMES: BOXING...often opinion based outcomes, MMA...usually decisive conclusions. ACTION: BOXING...too many "hair stylists", MMA...all out action.
PROMOTION:BOXING...vague, weak, non-existent. MMA...conflict themed, strong, known far&wide
PROMOTER: BOXING...weak skilled speculator,MMA...fan friendly smart businessman.
FIGHTERS:BOXING...too many NON-fan friendly "stylists", MMA...101% fan friendly, ferocious knockout driven fighters.
Some people here and some dim-witted "writers" like to knock Christy Martin or Lucia...but they WERE woman's boxing. They fought like lions and backed down from almost NO ONE...the only knock, they couldn't sign a contract to fight each other sooner. And this flaw, the avoidance of the strongest opponent really sets women apart from men. Imagine Sugar Ray Leonard dodging a fight with Tommy Hearns and then going into retirement?!?!?!?!?!?!?! Never going to happen in men's boxing.
Think about that, women's boxing two biggest fan friendly fighters NEVER-EVER meeting in the ring to determine who was the badder babe?
If that doesn't send a signal about female boxing's built in problems, what the heck does?? How do they walk into retirment NEVER knowing who was better, who was badder, who's talk actually walked when they talked about each other??? That would be totally incomprehensible in male boxing.
In MMA, Cyborg and Carrano find out who was badder. Now they know. And so do MMA fans. And MMA fans loved what they saw, even if Gina didn't "fight" up to her reputation.
TD
The MMA promoter is very skilled at those same items. Have you ever seen an MMA event that was NOT advertised? And NOT advertised very well?
Why does that difference exist? The boxing promoter with little to NO advertising desire and skills VS the MMA promoter with plenty of advertising skills and desire to promote his show...?
Usually the boxing promoter is a fly by night, in and out, speculator. And a speculator never spends money on what he believes, he tries to make money by squeezing everyone he can and then stupidly HOPING for a miracle, IE a profit from the show based on a huge fan turnout. He does this by squeezing the very life blood that would make him money, the talent, the fighters on his card.
Sure there are exceptions. King and Arum all ran great media campaigns behind their cards. King and Arum rewarded their fighters very well. King and Arum understood one key element about boxing, its all about knockouts. In the ring, you are either a knockout artist OR a hair stylist. Hair stylists make NO money, Knockout artists make all the money.
MMA has one basic element down pat, few fights go to the cards. There is NO manipulation of the "opinion-decision" outcome. MMA thrives on action and explosion. IF you are timid MMA fighter, you are a heavy bag or a dangling arm-leg waiting for a break to be applied to said arm-leg.
Gina Carrano has a great punch, power kicks and a ground game that is OK...but she didn't try to do what she usually does and that is Knockout her opponent. She turned hair-stylist and she got beat like one. I have never seen her give up back like she did going almost fetal. She become a heavy bag for a grizzley when she did that.
So Carrano-Cyborg was/wasn't almost typical of an MMA fight...wasn't in that most MMA fights are full of fighting fury by both fighters from the get-go. Was in that the outcome was NOT "opinion-based" as it was a "TKO" stoppage. Cyborg threw about 8 right hand hammer shots to a fetal Carrano...letting it go further might have been very dangerous even almost at the bell.
I've seen some boring MMA fights that were stale-mate type ground-wrestling-BJJ entanglements but now MMA fighting is calling that a stalemate and returning fighters to standing positions.
Here's a short look at what I see are key differences between boxing and MMA promoters
OUTCOMES: BOXING...often opinion based outcomes, MMA...usually decisive conclusions. ACTION: BOXING...too many "hair stylists", MMA...all out action.
PROMOTION:BOXING...vague, weak, non-existent. MMA...conflict themed, strong, known far&wide
PROMOTER: BOXING...weak skilled speculator,MMA...fan friendly smart businessman.
FIGHTERS:BOXING...too many NON-fan friendly "stylists", MMA...101% fan friendly, ferocious knockout driven fighters.
Some people here and some dim-witted "writers" like to knock Christy Martin or Lucia...but they WERE woman's boxing. They fought like lions and backed down from almost NO ONE...the only knock, they couldn't sign a contract to fight each other sooner. And this flaw, the avoidance of the strongest opponent really sets women apart from men. Imagine Sugar Ray Leonard dodging a fight with Tommy Hearns and then going into retirement?!?!?!?!?!?!?! Never going to happen in men's boxing.
Think about that, women's boxing two biggest fan friendly fighters NEVER-EVER meeting in the ring to determine who was the badder babe?
If that doesn't send a signal about female boxing's built in problems, what the heck does?? How do they walk into retirment NEVER knowing who was better, who was badder, who's talk actually walked when they talked about each other??? That would be totally incomprehensible in male boxing. In MMA, Cyborg and Carrano find out who was badder. Now they know. And so do MMA fans. And MMA fans loved what they saw, even if Gina didn't "fight" up to her reputation.
TD
