Clark Kent
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01-05-2010 04:10 PM:
He called it the minor leagues and said he'd like to pick up a part-time job but the reality is that more than a few boxers are noticing what's happening with the growth of MMA and want in. James Toney has been stalking UFC president Dana White and busted in on the UFC 108 postfight press conference. White says he knows why, the money situation for many boxers is getting awful:
"There's no money over there. There's money for two or three guys."
But boxers need to be careful in thinking they would walk in and school a well-rounded mixed martial artist. Zab Judah spoke to White at UFC 108:
"Zab was like 'you need to teach these guys how to box," said White. "These [boxers]need to understand, you don't balance your weight the same way you balance your weight in boxing. You'll get that front leg kicked off into the eighth row if you distribute your weight the way they do in boxing."
The only way boxers will learn is to go train against a real MMA fighter:
White, an amateur boxer, said, "I was that guy who used to say 'you know what a boxer would do to that guy?' Then I went and trained, I was like 'holy [expletive]!'"
It's clear all Toney sees are dollar signs. He has no idea was he's getting into with the ground game in MMA:
"I said do you know how to wrestle? He says, 'I know how to do all that [expletive],'" said White.
The whole notion is ridiculous. Toney, 41, is a not draw and hasn't been in boxing for years. I covered his fight against James Toney at the Seminole Hard Rock in 2007. It wasn't a sellout, the crowd was lackluster and it had to be one of the worst fights in South Florida history. Both guys were gassed halfway through the fight.
Toney's not even a scary knockout artist, he's a volume puncher and defensive by nature. What MMA light heavyweight or heavyweight is going to stand there and let Toney peck him to death? Boxer Ricardo Mayorga is putting his money where his mouth is and will probably pay for it dearly when he faces former UFC fighter Din Thomas sometime in March. Thomas, a pretty solid boxer himself, would be stupid to trade with Mayorga. There should be zero issue with getting it to the ground and submitting Mayorga. In the end, what's accomplished by allowing loudmouths like Mayorga and Toney into an MMA fight? The postfight is completely predictiable. Both will lose and then complain the ground game is for wimps.
You tell me boxers like Chad Dawson or Kermit Cintron, who claims to have a JUCO wrestling background want in, I'll listen. Bringing in over-the-hill guys who've taken no pride in conditioning for the last five year is a huge mistake and embarrassing to the sport. You feel bad for these boxers who now realize they can't make any money but MMA's not the place to "give it a try." White doesn't need to be in the business of being nice.
More...
Yahoo! Sports.
Cagewriter is an MMA blog edited by Steve Cofield.
"There's no money over there. There's money for two or three guys."
But boxers need to be careful in thinking they would walk in and school a well-rounded mixed martial artist. Zab Judah spoke to White at UFC 108:
"Zab was like 'you need to teach these guys how to box," said White. "These [boxers]need to understand, you don't balance your weight the same way you balance your weight in boxing. You'll get that front leg kicked off into the eighth row if you distribute your weight the way they do in boxing."
The only way boxers will learn is to go train against a real MMA fighter:
White, an amateur boxer, said, "I was that guy who used to say 'you know what a boxer would do to that guy?' Then I went and trained, I was like 'holy [expletive]!'"
It's clear all Toney sees are dollar signs. He has no idea was he's getting into with the ground game in MMA:
"I said do you know how to wrestle? He says, 'I know how to do all that [expletive],'" said White.
The whole notion is ridiculous. Toney, 41, is a not draw and hasn't been in boxing for years. I covered his fight against James Toney at the Seminole Hard Rock in 2007. It wasn't a sellout, the crowd was lackluster and it had to be one of the worst fights in South Florida history. Both guys were gassed halfway through the fight.
Toney's not even a scary knockout artist, he's a volume puncher and defensive by nature. What MMA light heavyweight or heavyweight is going to stand there and let Toney peck him to death? Boxer Ricardo Mayorga is putting his money where his mouth is and will probably pay for it dearly when he faces former UFC fighter Din Thomas sometime in March. Thomas, a pretty solid boxer himself, would be stupid to trade with Mayorga. There should be zero issue with getting it to the ground and submitting Mayorga. In the end, what's accomplished by allowing loudmouths like Mayorga and Toney into an MMA fight? The postfight is completely predictiable. Both will lose and then complain the ground game is for wimps.
You tell me boxers like Chad Dawson or Kermit Cintron, who claims to have a JUCO wrestling background want in, I'll listen. Bringing in over-the-hill guys who've taken no pride in conditioning for the last five year is a huge mistake and embarrassing to the sport. You feel bad for these boxers who now realize they can't make any money but MMA's not the place to "give it a try." White doesn't need to be in the business of being nice.
More...
Yahoo! Sports.
Cagewriter is an MMA blog edited by Steve Cofield.
