Monday, November 15, 2010

Pacqiaou wins easy UD


I watched the Manny Pacquiao, Antonio Margarito fight Sunday at the Burswood casino.
I realised something about the difference between boxing and mixed martial arts (MMA) and how the evolution of MMA is not yet complete. Pacquiao is a Class AAA+ fighter, he will later be considered to be one of the greatest of all time, Margarito is simply NOT in his class. However due to his size and game attitude he managed to even trouble the great Pac man. Boxing with its refinements and protective gear ad limited targets has refined fighting to its basic elements. It is a sport of endurance, determination and toughness, where one mans will can still overcome another mans skill.
The game competitors in Mixed Martial Arts however are not at this level YET. There are so many elements and so much dedication is needed to become complete in MMA that it is still quite easy for even at elite levels one mans skill to horribly overwhelm another's determination and will power. I believe this has relevance to both sports and this is why there is still a place for the legends of boxing. The drama and contests of boxing over the last 100 years will forever be remembered, and we should look to this to understand what is needed to make it in MMA, boxing is still relevant.
However we will see as those who compete in MMA become complete skill wise and battle tested, that no one that hasn't proven them selves with 40 fights and overcome every style in MMA will be considered a champion or even great. Thus there is still infinite room for MMA to grow and mature, and personally I can not wait to see how the interest and popularity and increasing paydays will form this new sport and create the legends and stories that we have seen in boxing.

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