Floyd Mayweather has so thoroughly dominated boxing that he has indicated he's considering giving the sport up and trying a new challenge: mixed martial arts. I think Mayweather could be great at MMA, but most people disagree with me. And one such person is heavyweight boxing champ Wladimir Klitschko, who said in an interview on ESPN today that he sincerely hopes Mayweather stays out of MMA."Please, Floyd, don't do it," Klitschko said. "I think he'd get hurt."
"There are so many difficulties from changing one sport you've been doing for a long time and swithcing to something else. ... I wish he'd stick with boxing."
I think Klitschko and others who don't think Mayweather could succeed in MMA are right that MMA is an incredibly difficult sport to take up, but wrong in underestimating how phenomenal an athlete Mayweather is. If you told me Klitschko were taking up MMA, I'd tell you Klitschko was about to get the severest beating of his life. But Klitschko is nowhere near the athlete Mayweather is, and I firmly believe that if Mayweather wants it badly enough that he trains for it with all his energy, Mayweather could make the transition.
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Reader Comments (Page 1 of 1)
1-02-2008 @ 5:10PM
nickstoli said...
Unless Cuban signs Mayweather to a $50 million contract, there is NO WAY IN HELL Mayweather enters MMA.
He'd forsake money for the challenge?
Um, I don't think so.
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1-02-2008 @ 5:31PM
scott said...
Klitschko's brother Vitali switched sports from kick boxing to boxing and he did pretty well-- so what is Wladimir saying?
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1-02-2008 @ 9:15PM
bigflyer said...
Granted Floyd Mayweather is a unique, powerful, fast athlete-boxer. However, the top level MMA fighters have trained for many years in their multiple disciplines: judo, karate, kick boxing, Muay Thai boxing, collegiate wrestling,Brazilian ju-jitsu and submissions and sometimes street fighting.
Some of these tough guys could break off Mayweather's arm and hand it to him without breaking much of a sweat.
Floyd:Stay away from MMA; enjoy your money; and retire with all your body parts in tact.
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1-02-2008 @ 9:53PM
Jimbo said...
Who says Floyd is so great. In 2007 he fought a washed up old guy in Golden Boy Oscar and lots of guys in Las Vegas will tell you the fight was a set up and then Floyd fought a smaller guy who can not box and cannot punch. He has also refused to fight the best fighters in each division he fought in. Like phony Roy Jones , Floyd is mostly a media creation. The state boxing is sad these days and it makes a guy like Floyd look good. He is NOT an all time great and would have gotten his tail kicked buy any number of welterweights in the 50's , 60's 70's qnd 80's. Hearns and Leonard would have pounded him and forget about guys like Basilio and Robinson. They would have chased Floyd out of the ring.
The word "great" is used far to often these days. Like Ali , if you continue to tell people you are great they finally believe.
I will make no comment on what he would do in MMA.
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1-02-2008 @ 10:17PM
ramon fermin said...
as i said before, a year or two of intense training with great stand up fighters like rampage, spider silva, and or iceman chuck, prettyboy floyd will be ready to take on any IFL fighters.
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1-02-2008 @ 11:09PM
sylent type said...
one of the greatest pound for pound boxers, enough said floyd can stick n move punch hard butt i would have to say from watchn boxin and mma id say he will finally get his beating not to put him down but yes he has no shot unless he hits his apponent with a dominating blow which there are fighters in mma that can take a harder shot than him and most mma fighters can throw alot harder than mayweather and quicker, i say retire undefeated....
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1-03-2008 @ 1:30AM
jon said...
Its not gonna happen its a pub stunt..cuban and maywheather have both all but admitted it..so why waste time
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1-03-2008 @ 6:32AM
OBARR said...
Some people will do anything,to keep themselves in the public eye. This MMA idea is a sham. Floyd will next try playing golf,or mayble basketball u watch lol
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1-03-2008 @ 9:15AM
pearljammer4040 said...
If this guy thinks Kitchko would take a beating he is crazy. One punch from this guy would flatten anyone in MMA coming at him.
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1-04-2008 @ 2:37AM
Joe T said...
yeah, one punch from many of the top boxers would finish an MMA fight, but the trouble is, once any MMA fighter got past that one punch and takes down a boxer, the fight would be over.
http://www.FROMTHECAGE.com
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1-04-2008 @ 9:04AM
Jokatech said...
I'm not trying to defend Floyd, but there are good boxers succeeding in UFC. Marcus Davis, Din Thomas, etc. Being a boxer isn't why he will lose. He will get his ass kicked because he is not a square fighter. that means he runs. If Hatton were not being antagonized by a ref and allowed to grab and kick floyd, with all respect, Floyd would still be unconscious right now. And he damn well knows that. I would love to see him fight Din Thomas, who has called him out already. Then all of you can watch as his dominance fades into nothing. I'm not saying he can't be effective at all, but he will not have a ruleset and corrupt regulation to hide behind to win fights. This is also another reason why there are deaths in boxing and not in MMA(which they call savage). In boxing a fighter is forced to take shots to the head with no clinching if he happens to have poor defense or is out of energy. Whereas the fighter can adapt for survival in MMA. It's funny, alot of deaths and KO's in boxing would have swung the complete other way if they took place in the octagon. So don't go thinking Floyd is this ultra athlete. He is a talented boxer. Come on, picture Floyd and De La Hoya in an octagon, it'd be a straight beat down.
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1-04-2008 @ 6:04PM
Matt said...
MMA is for girls!
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1-06-2008 @ 4:41AM
DallasFighter said...
He could compete he would just need a ground game. Most pro boxers have trouble crossing over to the smaller MMA gloves to.
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1-06-2008 @ 12:11PM
jonny said...
I will make this very clear. Boxing at its elite level demonstrates clearly over MMA the depth of its 116 + year old history. The competition is deeper,Way deeper than MMA.The skill level is more refined and finely tuned.MMA is based on an anything goes train wreck attraction.There are skilled and talented MMA guys no doubt but their bread and butter talents are mostly on the ground game.Stand up MMA fighter look sloppy compared to BOXERS.Take a boxer and train him for one year in MMA and then take an MMA guy and train him for one year in Boxing..The boxer would have better results in the other sport.Liddell which is the best MMA puncher cant beat the top amateur boxers at boxing.GUARANTEED
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1-06-2008 @ 5:21PM
Corey said...
Hey, Bigflyer
You have never been in the ring and fought. I can tell that by the comment you made about his brother switching from kick-boxing to boxing. If your dumb ass knew anything about the fight game then you would have known that american rules kick-boxing is almost like boxing with kicks added. It's a very easy switch. Bitches like you need to say off these boards and shut the hell up! People if you don't know anything about the fight game don't talk. You only show how stupid you all are. As for the Money May thing. Cuban has the people behind him to get someone like Money May ready for this stuff. Also, the thing that will kill him is the ground game. I just can't wait to see someone like B J Penn pin his ass down and work him over and then when he turns his back choke the shit out of him.
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1-08-2008 @ 12:21PM
guru said...
Floydd will do just fine. Hes still got big fish to fry in boxing and this might be an easier way out from that. MMA is still fresh and green. The guys are jack of all trades but master of none. They are very sloppy and Floyd will expose that. I just think he shouldn't downgrade going into that kind of sport. He should hold boxing high where it belongs and not embarrase the sport. Anytime an x white kickboxer with a mohawk and beer gut is your champion all you can do is take it for what it is. Its trailer fighting with some cool moves here and there. Nothing special.
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1-08-2008 @ 9:07PM
Vito said...
Corey....real tough guy aren't you calling somebody a bitch. Bet the ranch YOU ARE A REAL WIMP
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1-10-2008 @ 5:11PM
Budo said...
I have done both many times and can assure you that if Mayweather is gotten hold of he will be in a world of trouble. Punching is one thing, grappling and ground fighting is another. He should stick with what he knows.
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1-17-2008 @ 2:26PM
Herb said...
HE WOULD GET HURT FIGHTING COTTO, NOT FIGHTING IN THE MMA! I say hurt {psychologically & emotionally}not physically, because it's obvious he's in top condition all of the time, but, ego wise. He was always sure he could beat all of his opponants, but "HE KNOWS" he cannot win a fight against Mr. Cotto.
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3-08-2008 @ 12:13AM
Brandan said...
Thats funny that you say Klitscko would get beat up. Obviously the author didn't do any research. In MMA and boxing, the lighter divisions are where you have more of the talent. Not saying the heavier guys arn't good or great, but theres just alot more of great athletes in the lighter divisions in both boxing and MMA. So, as far as competition Klitschko would have less than Mayweather.
Also as far as I know Mayweather hasn't had any experience doing anything other than boxing as far as what he could use in the MMA. Klitschko on the other hand was at least used to using his legs. He used to do a little kickboxing before he got serious about boxing. His brother Vitali on the other hand did kickboxing and boxing but did professional kickboxing before professinal boxing.
Mayweather should stick at what hes great at-- boxing.
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