lpinoy
08-27-2010, 11:32 PM
C/P
BY ARMANDO ALVAREZ
On Saturday night, boxing takes on mixed-martial arts -- sort of.
Former three-division boxing champion James Toney faces five-time UFC champion Randy Couture in an attractive fight between legends of their respective sports.
Since the birth of the UFC in 1993, fans of boxing and MMA have argued about which sport is better. The bottom line: The sports are more different than similar.
Both involve fighting, but one is strictly punching, and the other offers punching, kicks, chokes, slams and holds. Yet fans have always wondered how a great boxer would fare against a great mixed-martial arts fighter. We probably won't get a true answer Saturday night.
Toney, 42, is years removed from his last stint as champion. Couture is 47, and although he can out-brawl most younger fighters, he's not elite anymore. The only reason the bout should be competitive is because both men are past their prime.
That said, watching these two square off is a cool idea -- even though I'd rather see Manny Pacquiao take on Jose Aldo. But it's not a barometer of one sport's success over the other.
The outcome of the Toney-Couture fight is simple: If Toney lands a flush shot, the fight is over. Most MMA fighters aren't capable of throwing a punch like a boxer does, with the exception of a few, including Brad Pickett.
On the other hand, most boxers don't know how to choke someone out, hook in a triangle choke or wrestle an opponent to the ground. So if Couture takes Toney to the ground, he will have the advantage.
So who will win? The fighter who wins the fight, that's who. But it won't be a win for either sport.
BY ARMANDO ALVAREZ
On Saturday night, boxing takes on mixed-martial arts -- sort of.
Former three-division boxing champion James Toney faces five-time UFC champion Randy Couture in an attractive fight between legends of their respective sports.
Since the birth of the UFC in 1993, fans of boxing and MMA have argued about which sport is better. The bottom line: The sports are more different than similar.
Both involve fighting, but one is strictly punching, and the other offers punching, kicks, chokes, slams and holds. Yet fans have always wondered how a great boxer would fare against a great mixed-martial arts fighter. We probably won't get a true answer Saturday night.
Toney, 42, is years removed from his last stint as champion. Couture is 47, and although he can out-brawl most younger fighters, he's not elite anymore. The only reason the bout should be competitive is because both men are past their prime.
That said, watching these two square off is a cool idea -- even though I'd rather see Manny Pacquiao take on Jose Aldo. But it's not a barometer of one sport's success over the other.
The outcome of the Toney-Couture fight is simple: If Toney lands a flush shot, the fight is over. Most MMA fighters aren't capable of throwing a punch like a boxer does, with the exception of a few, including Brad Pickett.
On the other hand, most boxers don't know how to choke someone out, hook in a triangle choke or wrestle an opponent to the ground. So if Couture takes Toney to the ground, he will have the advantage.
So who will win? The fighter who wins the fight, that's who. But it won't be a win for either sport.