Appreciating our era

Fight fans of boxing and now Mixed Martial Arts are nostalgic, opinionated and biased. And this is because we are passionate about our sport. I want to take a moment to truly appreciate the times that we live in and the immense talent that we are witnessing. As a life long enthusiast and practitioner it is hard to emphasise the extreme praise and admiration as a fan I have of the fighters and place we have in history right now.
In the world of mixed Martial Arts we have a new breed of martial artist, the Ultimate Fighter,  now beyond dispute there is simply no other style that will even challenge MMA. In the last decade we have seen the pioneers of MMA emerge and then fall. But we have also witnessed the birth of the first legends as well, Fedor, perhaps on the downward cycle of his career achieved what myself and many others believed to be near impossible in MMA, to hold onto a perfect record for over a decade.

However despite Mixed Martial Arts, Boxing is still the greatest and wealthiest combat sport on the planet; it attracts the most gifted athletes and requires the most refined abilities to be competitive. I foresee this as the case until the money offered in MMA proves a lucrative option for Olympic Gold medallists from boxing to decide to go into MMA rather than peruse a world title in Boxing. This will in turn
murge amateur systems and create a complete understanding of the art as opposed to the backyard stylists that still lurk in the lower and middle ranks of the MMA world at present.
I would like to leave this year on a note of appreciation for three of great talents the world of prize fighting has ever seen, they are in select company with possible peers of only a handful of men such as Duran, Lennoard, Louis, Robinson, Marciano, and Ali.

Manny Pacqiaou 52-3-2, those who are Pacman fan have witnessed a marvel of a fighter, winning titles over 8 division’s, still knocking taller heavier opponents out with either hand and out boxing men 6 inches taller and 18 pounds heavier than him. Unheard of since the great Henry Armstrong from the 30's, this is something we may not see for a very long time if ever again.

Bernard Hopkins 51-5-2, Despite being denied with a draw in his last attempt at the title at almost 46 thus protecting George Forman’s one punch Ko win at 45, Bernard has been in title contention or held a title for over 20 years and some people argue has been 9-0 since turning 40 against opponents with tittles the 3 disputed losses against undefeated Joe Calzage and Jermaine Taylor. This is unheard of in boxing or any combat sport; we are witnessing a legend of the sport.

Floyd Mayweather 41-0, Not without his critics, there are almost no boxers when interviewed that pick Manny Pacquiao or anyone else as even having a chance at beating Floyd. Along with Floyd I believe him to be the greatest technical fighter that has ever fought and despite not overcoming high profile opposition of Lennoard or Robinson, along with Harold Lederman of HBO I believe him to be the greatest technician, more so than even Willie Pep. If you want to see the closest thing to a perfect fighter this is it.