MMA or Boxing? The Debate Rages on…
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Just found a conversation on ESPN.com’s MMA page that should spark some interest.
It’s a little talk between Quentin “Rampage” Jackson from the world of MMA and former champ Zab Judah from Boxing that very well may surprise you. You can watch the video here at ESPN.com.
ESPN: In this corner, we have Quinton “Rampage” Jackson. He stands 6-foot-1, 205 pounds, and has a mixed-martial arts record of 27-6 with 10 knockouts.
Rampage: I’m 220 right now.
ESPN: And in this corner, we have the Brooklyn legend, Zab “Super” Judah, who is 34-5 with 24 knockouts. He stands 5-foot-7 and is 147 pounds. At one point, Judah held the WBC, WBA and IBF championship belts. And he gave Floyd Mayweather a hell of a hard time a few years ago.
ESPN: OK, so let’s talk about the two sports. Which sport is better?
Rampage: Well, I’m not here to say what’s better. I’m here to say what’s different. MMA is different. [There's] a lot more things to look out for. I think we should be called fighters, and boxers should be called fighters. Because they are boxing and we’re fighting. We’ve got knees, elbows, kicks, slams, submissions and wrestling.
ESPN: So tell us about boxing why boxing is a better sport.
Judah: I wouldn’t say it’s better. It’s no better or worse. Boxing is boxing and what they do is what they do.
ESPN: What’s more fun to watch?
Judah: I would say MMA. There is a lot of blood and excitement.
ESPN: So you love to watch MMA fights?
Judah: Yeah. I go to a lot of fights.
Rampage: I’m going to have to agree with him on that. De La Hoya and Mayweather was the last big fight, and I think I’m the only one who got knocked out in that fight. I fell asleep twice. I woke up and the fight was still going on.
Judah: I was asleep, too.
Rampage: I love boxing, though. I now train boxing and that’s why I’m knocking folks out. I got that fancy footwork like a boxer trying to work on ducking and weaving. I watch it but sometimes I end up taking a nap.
Judah: I’ll be the bad guy. The Mayweather-De La Hoya fight was garbage.
ESPN: Zab, your fight a few months ago with Miguel Cotto was a fan favorite and one of the best fights of the year. What made fans enjoy that so much?
Judah: It was a bloodbath for 11 rounds. It was just all-out war. I mean, both fighters came in there just prepared to do whatever. And that was great. We didn’t come in there to run all night. We came in there to get down.
ESPN: Are there boxing matches you watch where you wish the fighters would push the action?
Judah: Yeah, a lot of fights. Mayweather-De LA Hoya was one of them. Every fight that Floyd fights is like that.
ESPN: What can boxing do to make more bouts like the one you had with Miguel Cotto?
Judah: Just keep paying me more. That’s it.
ESPN: How can boxing get more fighters to push the action?
Judah: It depends on the fighter. Some people just fight for the money and some people fight just for the passion of it.
ESPN: What would make MMA bouts better?
Judah: I don’t like when they be on the ground too much. And they’re down there for a long time. I could see them standing up a little bit more.
Rampage: I agree with him on that, too. I don’t like that. If I was a referee, as soon as they go to the ground, if they ain’t doing nothing, I would break it up.
ESPN: What would you change about boxing?
Rampage: I don’t like when one boxer grabs too much. Why you want to hug up on him? That’s two men in there sweating. If I was a boxer I’d be like, “Man, don’t hug me.”
ESPN: But you’ve done some grounding and pounding in the octagon.
Rampage: Yeah, I’m on the ground and pounding, but it’s action. It’s not just laying on him and wrestling on him on the ground. When I take somebody down to the ground, I’m still trying to knock them the hell out even though we on the ground.
There’s more of the discussion at ESPN.com. Click below to read the rest and see the video.
ESPN.com MMA vs Boxing.