By: Miguel Serrano

Over the last year with the rapid growth of Mixed Martial Arts in this country and the controversial comments made by Jim Lampey and Floyd Mayweather, the Boxing vs. MMA debate has been hotter than ever. Of course you will have MMA fanatics say that MMA will bury boxing. Then you have your boxing fans saying that MMA won’t last and that their fighters cannot beat a good boxer. The majority of these comments made from both sides are overshadowed by biased judgments and ignorance.

Something like Jim Lampley’s bashing of MMA can make boxing enthusiasts appear to be desperate and scared while Floyd Mayweather’s attack on the sport was based more on a publicity stunt to garner attention toward his fight against De La Hoya. But in all truth, MMA and the Ultimate Fighting Championship in particular has gained a lot of popularity in a really short period of time which would make any boxing enthusiast ponder and even worry.

However, there is nothing to worry about. The rich history behind the sport of boxing has created a foundation so strong that not even a magnitude 10 earthquake can knock it down. When you look at your American history books and you look at boxing, it was as if boxing was explaining the history in the ring. Especially with boxers who reflected the current events surrounding them at their time like Jack Johnson and Muhammad Ali or legendary battles between greats like Joe Lewis and Max Schmeling. That is why the sport of Boxing has become an American tradition. No other sport has created athletes that snatch so much of the spot light that even Hollywood would tell their story in the movies. Add to all of this the dominating reign held by power houses like Mike Tyson and Rocky Marciano and you would see why Boxing has left a permanent mark which would never be eroded from the stone in which boxing engraved its legacy in.

UFC is still a baby growing. Yet its marketing approach has been a successful one so far. Also MMA has broken attendance records and UFC has generated high ratings in its television programs. But Boxing still has a strong foot hold within the sports world while drawing a large audience that breaks both attendance and pay per view records. Just look at the stats from the Mayweather vs. De la Hoya fight. Also, the fan base differs between the two sports. Boxing draws a larger African American and Hispanic fan base. UFC draws a larger following of Caucasians. Boxing has left such a strong influence in Latin American countries and the Philippines that they hold boxers as heroes. In addition you have Western European audiences to add to the mix.

The race demographic issue in itself is a topic that has been bought up by boxing promoter Bob Arum. What cannot be ignored here is that the UFC needs to open up a market that would attract more of the urban fan base if they want to really give boxing a run for their money. So by giving Quinton “Rampage” Jackson the opportunity to knock out Chuck Liddell and win the Lightweight Championship is a good start. Now they need to make Jackson their poster boy like they have done with Liddell, Rich Franklin and Matt Hughes. UFC might already be taking this path with Robert Huerta. The UFC is planning to further expand their market in Mexico with the undefeated Robert Huerta to be used as their source of fan attraction. With Kelly Pavlik