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11 fiery sparring sessions between boxers and MMA fighters. The best boxer against the best fighter without rules. The world of boxing is frozen in anticipation (2 videos) Who has it easier in MMA boxer or sambo wrestler?

Hello, dear boxing fans.

I have always been interested in listening to conversations between boxers and representatives of other types of martial arts. These were constant disputes, it almost came to fights. As a result, everyone remained of their own opinion with full confidence that the sport they represented was much better, more technical and more spectacular. I often have to attend sporting events, mainly actors which includes not only boxers, but also representatives of other types of martial arts. I personally organized major tournaments several times, where in addition to boxers, karatekas, taekwondokas, sambo wrestlers, and kickboxers entered the ring. It was the case that I even participated in several kickboxing tournaments a couple of times. I won both times, and what’s most surprising is that I didn’t strain myself too much. I can’t say that I knew this cuisine inside and out, but I definitely made my conclusion. It lies in the fact that no matter how you look at it, boxing remains one of the most spectacular and traditional martial arts in the world. In addition, he is one of the oldest. Official fights for championship titles different countries and more than one century is fought for world champion belts. Besides, I consider him the most honest.

If we talk about ratings, boxing is again ahead of any other type of martial arts. IN in this case, this is MMA, the only sport today that can somehow compete with boxing. Still, the technical components of martial arts and boxing are very different. Boxers punch much stronger and more accurately. This means that in choosing the distance (which is the main weapon of any fighter), they have no equal among MMA fighters, who in most cases rely on taking the fight to the ground.

The sense of distance is well developed, also among Thai boxers and kickboxers. But individually, I consider these sports not correct and not spectacular. Most of their promotion came from films starring Hollywood stars. At one time, we observed a certain surge of interest in them, but over time, interest in them began to fade away. That is why many representatives of Thai boxing and kickboxing decided to conquer the heights of MMA. Those who have good foot control have a much better chance of winning in the cage. Judge for yourself: the legs help them hold the opponent at a long distance, and in the clinch the same legs (knees) become a powerful weapon that hits the opponent’s kidneys and hips.

Let's compare boxing and MMA using light and medium weights as an example, and, as they say, feel the difference. Boxers competing in these categories conduct their fights very actively. Let's not forget that a professional boxing fight follows the formula of 12 rounds of 3 minutes each. The number of thrown and accurate strikes is amazing. Fighters do a huge amount of work on their feet. They simply don’t have time to stand still and wait, they are constantly moving: attack-defense, attack-defense. As for MMA, fighters often stand idle, waiting for the moment to attack, or, even worse, lie on the floor for several minutes, often clumsily trying to injure their opponent. It's sad and uninteresting to watch. In boxing, in this case, you won’t be able to just pass the time. As soon as the boxers enter the clinch, the referee immediately separates them and the fight continues.

I’m not belittling the merits of MMA at all, it’s just that this sport is still quite young. Now in its ranks there are a lot of those who, as they say, came to earn extra money. From here we see a huge number of unspectacular fights. Fighters with clumsy technique, fat fighters who cannot punch, etc. I think that over time the level of fighters performing in MMA will increase, and we will see better fights.

I consider Russian Fedor Emelianenko one of the best in MMA. Fdor can truly be considered among the elite of this sport. He knows how to box, feels great on the ground and in general, he is very durable and smart. Emelianenko is the one who made the sport of MMA truly popular in our country.

Comparing a boxer and an MMA fighter, I can assume that it will be more difficult for a boxer to win in fights without rules of the same fighter. In the cage there is a completely different technique and style of fighting. The close distance, so familiar to boxers, can easily and simply work against them. For example, the fight will be transferred to the ground, and there, as you know, an experienced wrestler can catch you in a painful hold in no time. I will be interested to see how James Toney, an excellent boxer and a funny person, makes his MMA debut. Let's see what he can do against the same wrestler or kickboxer. It will be interesting.

How many people, so many opinions. Some, those who prefer boxing, do not understand those who like MMA fights, and vice versa. Everyone has their own truth. Boxers claim that mixed martial arts is not a sport at all, but an ordinary fight that can be observed on the street or, say, in beer bar. Representatives of MMA, in turn, are convinced that a fighter’s full potential can only be revealed in a mixed style, where in addition to punches, elbows, knees, kicks, as well as painful and choking techniques are used. A permanent expert of “Championat.ru”, a former professional boxer, and now a TV commentator and promoter Andrey Shkalikov your opinion on this matter.

It was the case that I even participated in several kickboxing tournaments a couple of times. I won both times and, what’s most surprising, I didn’t strain myself too much.

I have always been interested in listening to conversations between boxers and representatives of other types of martial arts. These were constant disputes, it almost came to fights. As a result, everyone remained of their own opinion with full confidence that the sport they represented was much better, more technical and more spectacular. I often attend sporting events, the main characters of which are not only boxers, but also representatives of other types of martial arts. I personally organized major tournaments several times, where in addition to boxers, karatekas, taekwondokas, sambo wrestlers, and kickboxers entered the ring. It was the case that I even participated in several kickboxing tournaments a couple of times. I won both times and, what’s most surprising, I didn’t strain myself too much. I can’t say that I knew this cuisine inside and out, but I definitely made my conclusion. It lies in the fact that no matter how you look at it, boxing remains one of the most spectacular and traditional martial arts in the world. In addition, he is one of the oldest. Official fights for championship titles in different countries and for world champion belts have been held for centuries. Besides, I consider him the most honest.

If we talk about ratings, boxing is again ahead of any other type of martial arts. In this case, it is MMA, the only sport today that can somehow compete with boxing. Still, the technical components of martial arts and boxing are very different. Boxers punch much stronger and more accurately. This means that in choosing the distance (which is the main weapon of any fighter), they have no equal among MMA fighters, who in most cases rely on taking the fight to the ground.

The sense of distance is also well developed among Thai boxers and kickboxers. But individually, I consider these sports to be wrong and unspectacular. Most of their promotion came from films starring Hollywood stars. At one time, we observed a certain surge of interest in them, but over time, interest in them began to fade away. That is why many representatives of Thai boxing and kickboxing decided to conquer the heights of MMA. Those who have good foot control have a much better chance of winning in the cage. Judge for yourself: the legs help them hold the opponent at a long distance, and in the clinch the same legs (knees) become a powerful weapon that hits the opponent’s kidneys and hips.

Let's compare boxing and MMA using light and medium weights as an example and, as they say, feel the difference. Boxers competing in these categories conduct their fights very actively. Let's not forget that a professional boxing fight follows the formula of 12 rounds of 3 minutes each. The number of thrown and accurate strikes is amazing. Fighters do a huge amount of work on their feet. They simply don’t have time to stand still and wait; they are constantly moving: attack-defense, attack-defense. As for MMA, fighters often stand idle, waiting for the moment to attack, or, even worse, lie on the floor for several minutes, often clumsily trying to injure their opponent. It's sad and uninteresting to watch. In boxing, in this case, you won’t be able to just pass the time. As soon as the boxers enter the clinch, the referee immediately separates them and the fight continues.

I’m not belittling the merits of MMA at all, it’s just that this sport is still quite young. Now in its ranks there are a lot of those who, as they say, came to earn extra money.

I consider Russian Fedor Emelianenko one of the best in MMA. Fedor can truly be considered among the elite of this sport. He knows how to box, feels great on the ground, and in general he is very tough and smart. Emelianenko is the one who made the sport of MMA truly popular in our country.

Comparing a boxer and an MMA fighter, I can assume that it will be more difficult for a boxer to win in fights without rules of the same fighter. In the cage there is a completely different technique and style of fighting. The close distance, so familiar to boxers, can easily and simply work against them. For example, the fight will be transferred to the ground, and there, as you know, an experienced wrestler can catch him in a painful hold in two counts. I will be interested to see how James Toney, an excellent boxer and a funny person, makes his MMA debut. Let's see what he can do against the same wrestler or kickboxer. It will be interesting.

The public is rapidly losing interest in boxing and is increasingly drawn to MMA. Proof? The numbers speak for themselves. For example, the fight between Sergei Kovalev and Andre Ward, which took place in November last year and was supposed to become decisive for modern boxing. Two athletes at the peak of their form, prestigious WBA/IBF/WBO titles at stake and a battle practically for the title of the best boxer, regardless of weight. As a result, a complete failure in terms of interest - only 160,000 viewers bought paid broadcasts of the event. Slightly more viewers (up to 200,000) bought broadcasts of the fight between the most famous knockout artist in modern boxing, Gennady Golovkin, and Daniel Jacobs this year. Best PPV sales in boxing for last year – 600,000 purchases Canelo Alvarez vs Amir Khan fight.

For comparison, in August last year it was sold 1,650,000 paid broadcasts rematch between Nate Diaz and Conor McGregor. This is not an isolated case; over the past 10 years there has been a growing interest in MMA fights. Broadcasts of the Chuck Liddell-Tito Ortiz rematch (2006) were bought by 1,050,000 viewers, the first fight of Brock Lesnar versus Frank Mir (2009) - 1,600,000, the Jose Aldo - Conor McGregor fight (2015) - 1,200,000 people. Competition is becoming increasingly intense: over the past 10 years, there have been 10 fights in boxing (6 involving Floyd Mayweather), whose paid broadcasts exceeded a million purchases, in the UFC - 9 (3 involving Conor McGregor). Considering the growth trends, in the next 10 years the advantage will most likely be on the side of MMA. And if boxing were to produce a box office hit, it would be Floyd Mayweather versus UFC champion Conor McGregor.

Below are the reasons why boxing has fallen into such deep trouble and continues to lose popularity.

1. Top boxers rarely fight each other

Promoters keep the biggest stars for years, almost decades, and rarely put them against each other. And when this happens, the champions receive money for the very fact of the fight, regardless of the level of performance. As a result, there are few big fights, and those that do exist are disappointing. They started talking about the fight between Floyd Mayweather and Manny Pacquiao in 2009, and it took place 6 years later - in 2015! Floyd received about 230 million dollars, Pacquiao - 150. The most expensive fight of all time with the participation of the greatest boxers of our time turned into a universal disappointment - extremely cautious and tactical combat, which ended on points.

Now promoter Oscar De La Hoya is delaying the Canelo Alvarez vs. Gennady Golovkin fight, inflating the price of Alvarez and waiting for him to mature properly and gain time. This no longer works to increase anticipation, but rather provokes a loss of interest.

MMA answer: Fights of the best - on a regular basis

The best fighters of the same weight inevitably meet each other, and for this the audience does not need to languish for 5 years. We saw fights like Aldo-McGregor, Jones-Cormier, Werdum-Velasquez. In the world of MMA, defeat is not as traumatic for a career as in boxing, and the payment system forces fighters to fight more decisively and riskily: fees in MMA are much lower, but there is a prize system. UFC fighters receive bonuses for the best performance and fight of the night. The last prize is received by both the winner and the loser of the spectacular battle.

2. Crisis of stars and bright characters

Older stars like Roy Jones, James Toney, Erik Morales, Marco Antonio Barrera and Arturo Gatti have aged, retired or died. Those who came to their place are not so bright, uncompromising, desperate and large-scale in positive and negative qualities. Modern champions like Andre Ward and Saul Alvarez, with their cautious approach to their careers, seem to be more interested in making money than fighting and making history. Most a big star boxing is still 40-year-old Floyd Mayweather, who fought his last fight in 2015 - a big dinosaur and a relic of the sport's much more glorious past.

MMA Answer: Fighters outshine boxers with drive, charisma and range

If the development of boxing is determined by effective boxers and boring bores like Klitschko and Ward, then at the top of MMA there are real rock stars - Conor McGregor, Ronda Rousey and Khabib, Nurmagomedov. They are ambitious, they set high goals and are of interest to audiences who do not typically follow sports. Top-level UFC fighters are not shy about being showmen and brawlers, and the results are not long in coming.

3. Too many champions and titles

Four major versions (WBC, WBA, IBF, WBO) and dozens of smaller organizations establishing their own titles that are worth absolutely nothing. The members of the Big Four love to introduce many sub-versions and intermediate titles - the title of interim champion, honorary, silver and diamond versions of the belts. The record holder for the number of “daughter” belts and the organization that confuses everything is the WBA. Until recently, in the middleweight division there were three WBA champion at the same time - Gennady Golovkin, Daniel Jacobs and Dmitry Chudinov.

Well, how can a person who doesn’t spend an hour and a half a day on boxing sites figure this out?

Fights for the title of absolute world champion are not held very often. To unite all 4 belts, you need to spend a lot of time, simultaneously being distracted by the mandatory contenders from each federation.

MMA's answer: It's simple. ChampionUFC– the strongest fighter in his weight class

Unlike boxing, in MMA belts are given not by sanctioning organizations, but by the promotions themselves. Everything is simple here: the champion of the strongest UFC promotion is the strongest champion in his weight class. Sometimes temporary belts are introduced in the UFC, but fights between holders of temporary and full titles take place regularly. And two champions are not five. Lately Close on the heels of the UFC is a growing competitor in the form of Bellator, but this is even more interesting. Firstly, so far there is not a single champion in Bellator who looks clearly stronger than the UFC champion. Secondly, many Bellator fighters with big ambitions end up moving to the UFC. Just remember Hector Lombard, Eddie Alvarez and Will Brooks.

4. The rules are too complicated

12 rounds is a lot and a very long time. In modern fights, unlike confrontations 15 years ago, battle tactics rarely change and therefore the rounds are similar to each other. It's boring to watch, and without a notepad and pencil, it's almost impossible to form an opinion on who won in a close fight.

MMA answer: Fights are shorter, more dynamic and clearer

In MMA, a regular fight lasts three 5-minute segments, while a championship fight lasts five. Due to the smaller number of rounds, it is more convenient to keep track of who won. To figure out the winner of a 3- or 5-round fight, the fingers of one hand are enough, and 29-minute championship fights MMA is more in line with the rhythm modern life than 47 minutes in boxing. Alternation percussion technology and wrestling make fights according to MMA rules more diverse and interesting to perceive. Naturally, there are boring fights in MMA, but they also happen much faster than in boxing.

5. Boxing's image is outdated

Boxing is too slow to adapt to such phenomena of modern life as social networks, reality TV, video blogs and much more. The image of the sport is determined by retarded old men like 85-year-old Bob Arum, who says that MMA is a sport for shaven-headed white men, or by characters who have not changed for decades, like Michael Buffer, whose “Let’s get ready to rumble!” no longer sparks, but looks like an obligatory and therefore terribly boring formality.

MMA Answer: Mixed Martial Arts is very fashionable right now

MMA has reached its level of popularity so quickly largely due to modern technologies promotion. The fact that every UFC fighter is required to maintain a Twitter account at one time became a fundamental step for the company. To encourage fighters, UFC management even paid bonuses for increasing the number of subscribers and interesting posts. The first reality show about fighters was about boxers, but while The Contender lasted only three seasons, The Ultimate Fighter, whose 25th season just began airing, has been running for 12 years, introducing viewers to several champions and many talented fighters. UCF President Dana White wrote an excellent video blog about the behind-the-scenes of the world of MMA fighting. Something that neither Bob Arum nor Andrei Ryabinsky decided to do. And try to name at least one boxer under 30 more in demand by the media than the main stars of the UFC.

Conor McGregor - Paul Malignaggi

Paul Malignaggi stopped being a serious force around 2015 when he was knocked out in succession by Shawn Porter and Dany Garcia. The talkative American was not upset and simply went down a notch - the boxer finally had a fight in Milan (the surname obliged) and beat two guys of a fairly average level. And then he was knocked out by Sam Eggington, a man who shouldn't have lost like that.

In the summer, unexpectedly for himself, Paul, who by that time had focused on commentating for the Showtime television channel, received an invitation from Conor McGregor’s camp, and well, you know the rest.

Several sparring sessions, Malignaggi's fall, various explanations of what happened from the fighters and a minute-long video from Dana White, after which it is still difficult to understand why the American ended up in a prone position. A few weeks before the fight, another video will appear on the Internet, in which Floyd Mayweather stands in an embrace with Paul and hints in every possible way that the Cossack was sent.

Right now Conor McGregor's record in boxing is 0-1, and there is a feeling that the Irishman will try to even the score. Malignaggi is the perfect candidate for the second appearance of the UFC's main star in the ring. Conflict, meetings on the streets and mutual insults - the promotion of the battle has already begun. If you enter the surname Malingiagi into Google, the surname McGregor will appear in the second line. And we can only be happy for Paulie, who can hit the jackpot at the end of his career.

TJ Dillashaw - Vasily Lomachenko

In March, Vasiliy Lomachenko was preparing to fight Jason Sosa when former UFC champion TJ Dillashaw suddenly dropped by his training camp. A few minutes later, the Ukrainian showed the American how the two-time Olympic champion differs from any sparring partner of TJ.

The fighters worked out 4 rounds of 4 minutes each, and the UFC fighter.

“He's a beast. Just a cardio machine. He doesn't let you rest. Huge respect. Just sharing the ring with such a fighter was amazing. I couldn't miss this opportunity. It's a shame I wasn't in the best shape, but it was amazing. Making you miss is something he is a master at. It creates angles where you can't hit it. When you see him and want to strike, he already hits you. It was amazing. I try to use angles and be active on my feet, so I can learn a lot from him. I hope I have the opportunity to continue working with him."

The fighters did not limit themselves to training - after sparring, Vasily invited TJ to a barbecue. And a few weeks later he made weight and declassed Jason Sosa, so that after a while he offered Conor McGregor his services as a sparring partner. The Irishman prudently refused.

Tyron Woodley - Shane Mosley Jr.

It's no secret that immediately after his first fight with Stephen Thompson, Tyron Woodley started talking about money fights. On November 12, exactly a year will pass from that day, and during this time the American has not come closer to his cherished goal.

But hope dies last. In an interview with MMA Fighting, Woodley said that before the fight with Demian Maia he had already begun to prepare for a confrontation with Jorge Masvidal, Nick Diaz or Georges St-Pierre. Deciding to brush up on his boxing, Tyrone headed to Freddie Roach's famous Wildcard Boxing gym, where on his best days you can find Miguel Cotto or Manny Pacquiao.

But Woodley met Shane Mosley there and sparred with the son of the legendary boxer. Unfortunately, neither photos nor videos from that meeting could be found on the Internet.

Jimi Manuwa – Dillian Whyte

Dillian Whyte tweeted in 2015 a photo appeared with Jimi Manuwa. A month later, White lost to Anthony Joshua with a terribly beautiful knockout. In about 15 months, Manuwa will take inspiration from Conor McGregor and begin promoting his potential fight with David Haye, while remembering that he has already shared the ring with world-class fighters like Whyte.

In July 2017, Manuva will become a victim of the sensational Volkan Oezdemir and will temporarily stop mentioning his star compatriot so often. As for White, don’t be surprised if in the next 1.5-2 years the Briton has a rematch with Joshua or meets Deontay Wilder.

Luke Rockhold – Andrew Tabiti

We managed to talk about Andrew Tabiti when we introduced the main boxers from the Floyd Mayweather promotion. In a nutshell, the American is the only heavyweight in TMT, has a good amateur record and a very positive character. Tabiti doesn't swear, loves ice cream, and is good at hitting people.

The American performed on the undercard of Floyd Mayweather and Conor McGregor, where he won the biggest victory of his career so far, outboxing Steve Cunningham.

In 2013, Tabiti (2-0), who was just starting his career, sparred with Luke Rockhold, who had just made his UFC debut. All this happened in Mayweather's gym, and, fortunately, the video was preserved. 11 minutes of persistent sparring, where towards the middle both fighters noticeably increase the degree of tension - blows to the back of the head and a lot of testosterone.

Jose Aldo - Mikey Garcia

The Brazilian has never hidden his desire to try himself in professional boxing, and after losing to Max Holloway he decided that the time had come. Aldo went to Robert Garcia's training room, where he managed to work with very serious guys, including P4P top ten boxer Mikey Garcia.

Unexpectedly, the sparring turned out to be very competitive. Garcia looked noticeably heavier, and Aldo looked more motivated than in official fights. Nevertheless, everything looks quite correct and without unnecessary tension.

Around the same time, the Brazilian’s coach Andre Pederneiras: “If everything depended on Jose, he would have had all the fights stipulated by the contract in the UFC in three months and switched to boxing. He wants to box professionally."

Rematch with McGregor according to boxing rules? Anything is better than seeing Aldo walk into the cage with his eyes glazed over.

Walt Harris - Deontay Wilder

It's hard to believe, but the man who was knocked out by Nikita Krylov is actually sparring with one of the best heavyweights in the world.

Harris was called into Wilder's training camp ahead of the boxer's proposed fight with Luis Ortiz, but the Cuban became Deontay's third opponent in three years to test positive for doping.

Harris himself learned a few hours before the fight at UFC 216 that he would share the cage not with Mark Godbeer, but with Fabricio Werdum. Of course, the American was doomed, which he proved in the fight when he was caught in a painful hold 65 seconds after the start of the fight.

Unfortunately, the video of the sparring between Harris and Wilder could not be found online, but there is a direct speech from the UFC fighter in an interview with Bloody Elbow.

“Deontay has a big fight in November and every time he fights a southpaw he calls me. I go to him and make him work. After sparring with him in an MMA fight, my confidence goes through the roof. This guy is a world class boxer with punching power. I think he could knock out a horse. If I was able to go there and fight a few rounds, I feel like everything that awaits me in the UFC is nothing.
How hard does he hit? Oooh, man. Harder than anyone who has ever hit me. He's the hardest hitting guy. The ways he finds to strike, the distance, the technical ability... He's a fast and very athletic fighter. I feel like training with him elevates my game. He makes me more aware of what I do and what I need to become even better. Plus, like I said, it gives me extra confidence when I go into the cage.”

Fedor Emelianenko – Denis Lebedev

Emelianenko sparred with Lebedev several times. The first meeting took place in 2009. Fedor does not use a protective helmet, moves well and traditionally holds his hands low. However, the video does not give the impression that we are seeing a sparring between a future world boxing champion and a man who has never fought with large gloves.

That day Denis would also work with Alexander Emelianenko, but apparently it was so cool that those present simply did not want to be distracted and film what was happening.

The second meeting between Lebedev and Fedor, which remained on video, took place in 2011.

Fedor is not so mobile and active on his feet. Lebedev, on the contrary, is in excellent shape - in a few weeks there will be a fight with Roy Jones, which ended with a scandalous knockout of the legendary boxer.

A few years later, in an interview with Match TV, Denis recalled that experience.

“When you box with Fedor, you feel like you are a master of sports in boxing. I realized that he hits hard from the very first sparrings, when he hit me several times with his right hand. This immediately forced me to get ready, and I tuned in as much as possible so as not to miss more, because there was a chance to go on a spree there. He senses distance very well. An excellent eye, to put it simply.
He jerks and jerks his legs, and then throws out a blow just in time. What is called timing. Well, everyone knows his crown, when he throws a right punch half from above and half from the side. He doesn’t even have to look at the target at this moment; he just needs to look at his opponent once, and he can accurately throw this blow, which sent several opponents to the floor. Hands down? My opinion is that you should still hold your hands higher, but we all different people

. If he does this, it means it’s convenient for him.”

It is interesting that in the near future Denis Lebedev may fight with MMA fighter Fabio Maldonado, in a fight with whom Fedor Emelianenko relied too recklessly on his boxing skills.

Michael Page – Chris Eubank Jr.

In July of this year, one of Bellator's brightest drummers, Michael Page, unexpectedly signed a contract with David Haye's promotion company Hayemaker Ringstar. Quite a strange decision, considering that the Briton never got close to really serious opposition in MMA. Additionally, Page did not fight in 2017. Perhaps he was actively preparing for his professional debut in boxing.

However, as of October 15th, the opponent and possible date for Venom's first boxing match is still undetermined. There are many questions, but something is still known.

In an interview with Boxing News, Page said that he managed to try his hand against two serious compatriots - Chris Eubank Jr. and James DeGale.

According to Michael, both sparring sessions were intense. DeGale hit Page in the face during a greeting, and Chris Eubank Jr. got a little heated at one point in the sparring session and tried to just fight the MMA fighter. However, we cannot confirm or deny the words of “Venom” due to the lack of any videos.

Mamed Khalidov – Mateus Masternak

As for sparring with Khalidov, in an interview with lowking.pl Masternak assessed Khalidov’s boxing skills.

“Mamed has excellent skills and is very mobile. It can often seem that Mamed is in a position where he can do nothing, and then suddenly he strikes. Khalidov is a very smart athlete, in each subsequent sparring he never made mistakes from previous sparrings.”

Flattery or not - judge for yourself. By the way, there is another video on the Internet where, after the end of the sparring, Mamed cannot resist and gives the Pole a painful hold on the arm.

Text: Bogdan Domansky

One of the most anticipated sporting events of 2017 will take place this night.

At 7 a.m. Moscow time, the best boxer Floyd Mayweather and one of the most successful MMA fighters, Conor McGregor, will fight in the ring in Las Vegas. Experts say: “Fights of the century” in boxing happen about once every five years, but the Mayweather-McGregor fight is a special case even among them.

Why is there such a buzz around this fight? Some interesting facts

This fight could become the most profitable in the history of professional fights.

40-year-old Floyd Mayweather (born 1977) is the best boxer of the last 25 years and one of the greatest champions in the history of this sport. 49 victories (26 by knockout), no one has ever managed to defeat him. Victories over more than twenty active and former champions peace.
He topped the ranking of the highest paid athletes in the world three times according to Forbes. He likes to spend his money on a grand scale, so he is accompanied everywhere by a support group of strippers, assistants and ex-girlfriends.

This video is for getting to know Floyd Mayweather (music accompaniment is on point)

Conor McGregor is an Irish mixed martial artist born in 1988. He was the first UFC fighter to make Forbes' list of top-grossing athletes, ranking 24th last year with $34 million in earnings. McGregor has a fighting style that is very unusual for the world of MMA. Strong boxing technique is his strong point in the world of no-holds-barred fighting. Possesses a knockout blow from both the left and right hands.

He lost several fights - but exclusively by painful and choking techniques. So far no one has been able to defeat him in a standing position. You will go through the upcoming fight in a standing position and according to boxing rules.

He is also popular for his antics and behavior outside the octagon. McGregor will never miss a moment to insult, humiliate and enrage his counterpart. Before a fight with any opponent, he pours all the “dirt” on him at every meeting. His loud statements make all the media in the world of mixed martial arts pay attention to him. McGregor knows how to “sell” his fight, attracting a large audience thanks to competent promotion of the fight.

And these are small excerpts from Conor McGregor’s fights:

The fees for the participants in the fight are not disclosed, but, according to rough estimates, Mayweather should receive about 100 million dollars, his opponent - about 75. Their total profits from sponsorship payments and percentages from ticket sales and paid broadcasts will be much higher: Mayweather's income could be about 400 million dollars, McGregor - about 125 million.

The cheapest tickets for the fight cost $1,500. A subscription to a paid TV broadcast of the fight costs from 25 to 90 dollars.

Russian viewers do not have to pay to watch. On August 27 at 7 am the fight will be shown live on Channel One. In addition, the fight will be broadcast on the Internet, including through social network"In contact with". Here one of the commentators will be McGregor's potential UFC opponent - Russian fighter Khabib Nurmagomedov...

I wonder if Europeans don’t know how to watch free VKontakte broadcasts?