Boxing, MMA Feud Heats Up
April 21, 2007
MANCHESTER, England (CP) — Never a shrinking violet, UFC president Dana White took a swipe at boxing in the leadup to the mixed martial arts organization’s UFC 70 card.
“The bottom line is boxing needs to face the facts. They’re looking at me and us, like we’re the bad guys,” he told a news conference. “I’m not trying to destroy boxing. Boxing has destroyed itself. The people who have controlled boxing over the last 40 years have stuck their hands in, ripped the life out of it and stuck it in their pocket. That’s what wrong with boxing, it has nothing to do with me or any of these fighters.
“Floyd Mayweather is shooting his mouth off, making all these challenges and writing cheques that his ass can’t cash.”
Mayweather made disparaging comments about the UFC in a recent conference call to promote his May fight against Oscar De Lay Hoya.
“It ain’t but a fad. Anyone can put a tattoo on their head and get in a street fight,” he said, alluding to UFC light-heavyweight champion Chuck Liddell.
“These are guys who couldn’t make it in boxing,” he added. “So they do (MMA). Boxing is the best sport in the world and it’s here to stay.”
Mayweather also challenged the UFC.
“We should put Liddell against a good heavyweight, under Mayweather Promotions,” Mayweather said. “If Chuck wins, then I’ll give him a million dollars out of my own pocket.”
White responded by offering to pit Mayweather against UFC lightweight (155-pound) champion Sean Sherk.
“He’ll get smashed, and so will any other boxer,” White said. “It is what it is. It’s apples and oranges, Boxing is one little component of this sport. No professional boxer could come into this sport and beat any of these guys. I don’t know what boxing’s problem is.”
White went on to say that boxing is his “road map of what not to do,” saying boxing was only interested in making a buck while his organization is investing to spread the sport of MMA around the world.
“You’ve never see anybody in boxing do that. Until you do, boxing’s in big trouble.”
OFFICIAL INFLUX: Because the British Boxing Board of Control does not regulate MMA, the UFC looked after the official side of Saturday’s UFC 70 card at the MEN Arena.
That includes pre-fight medicals, judging, officiating and drug tests.
“We’re doing it exactly the way I would do it in Nevada,” said UFC vice-president Marc Ratner, a former head of the Nevada state athletic commission.
Ratner says MMA fighters in Britain currently don’t have to undergo MRIs or blood tests.
“I don’t know how referees are trained,” he added. “And we want to make it what it is, a very professional sport that needs to be regulated.”
Ratner brought in two inspectors from the U.S. and three locally, to check fighters’ gear. He has also engaged three American judges, three referees and one doctor who will consult with four local physicians.
“I just want to show more than anything (to) the British boxing board that it can be regulated and that we’d be happy to work with them to form an MMA regulatory group,” said Ratner, who says some of the British boxing officials seem reluctant to take over MMA.
Doing that would make financial sense for the British boxing board. Ratner says the UFC pays the Nevada commission four per cent of the live gate at their events — five per cent in Texas. The Manchester show gate was listed at 1.3 million pounds (C$2.93 million) as of Thursday.
“So there’s money to be made,” Ratner said.
NOTES: It appears Canadian Jason MacDonald’s next UFC opponent will be Rory Singer, an alumnus of The Ultimate Fighter reality TV show. The middleweight from Red Deer, Alta., has confirmed he will fight at UFC 72: Victory on June 16 in Belfast. Singer says in an Internet posting that he will be the Canadian’s opponent. ….. The UFC says its Ultimate Iceman DVD, about light-heavyweight champion Chuck Liddell, was the best-selling sports DVD in the U.S. for the second week in a row. ….. Hawaiian heavyweight Scott Junk stopped Vancouver’s Dominic Richard in the second round Friday night at the MFC card in Edmonton.
