has this REALLY damaged boxing?

[funso banjo baby]

Precedent was set with Mayweather and that pub guy.

[Controversial]

Even after last nights outcome it seriously irritates me how the BBBofC sanctioned a fight between The Heavyweight Champion Of The World and a
Person who has never boxed professionally before.

Pete Rademacher challenged for the world HW title in 1957 in his debut fight against Floyd Patterson. He knocked Patterson down too before being stopped in 6.

[ALI]

Precedent was set with Mayweather and that pub guy.

In hindsight, Mayweather and Fury were the wrong boxers to represent our sport in crossover fights. We all know what would have happened had McGregor been in there with Canelo or Golovkin, he would have been lucky to go 2 rounds. If Ngannou had fought Usyk or Wilder, i also suspect an early KO.

But who really knows? We can only go on the crossover evidence we have, and IMO MMA is well up so far.

[Frostieballs]

Precedent was set with Mayweather and that pub guy.

In hindsight, Mayweather and Fury were the wrong boxers to represent our sport in crossover fights. We all know what would have happened had McGregor been in there with Canelo or Golovkin, he would have been lucky to go 2 rounds. If Ngannou had fought Usyk or Wilder, i also suspect an early KO.

But who really knows? We can only go on the crossover evidence we have, and IMO MMA is well up so far.

It didn’t need hindsight to know that! Despite their achievements, they are hardly stand up ambassadors.

[Frostieballs]

it has damaged boxing because the so-called number one in the sport was pushed so close by an absolute novice. Ngannou would probably beat Joshua and Wilder. Not sure about Usyk but it's a possibility.

Come on mate. You can’t mean that?

They would deal with him easily.

Yesterday I would have thought it impossible but now I'm not so sure. We have to deal with what we actually saw. If Fury is the best of the lot then a case can be made for Ngannou beating the men Fury would beat too.

We're talking about a gunshy AJ and a Wilder who doesn't have the best boxing skill too.

This version of Fury wouldn’t come close to beating AJ.

Fury has been on a long decline - and only got away with it because Wilder is awful and for some reason Whyte didn’t turn up.

He wasn’t dedicated when he was young. He’s even less so now and is too old to get away with it.

I don’t see him suddenly turning it round either, even with Usyk in the other corner.

Too much damage has been done and it becomes harder to climb back up to the top of the hill each time.

[polecateddy]

You’ll never get Fury running up sand hills in France again. Plodding up and down Morecambe prom seems to be his limit now.

[veriton]

Come on mate. You can’t mean that?

They would deal with him easily.

Yesterday I would have thought it impossible but now I'm not so sure. We have to deal with what we actually saw. If Fury is the best of the lot then a case can be made for Ngannou beating the men Fury would beat too.

We're talking about a gunshy AJ and a Wilder who doesn't have the best boxing skill too.

This version of Fury wouldn’t come close to beating AJ.

Fury has been on a long decline - and only got away with it because Wilder is awful and for some reason Whyte didn’t turn up.

He wasn’t dedicated when he was young. He’s even less so now and is too old to get away with it.

I don’t see him suddenly turning it round either, even with Usyk in the other corner.

Too much damage has been done and it becomes harder to climb back up to the top of the hill each time.

But AJ has also turned to mush. They've all been circling each other for so long they've gone into simultaneous decline, leaving us with shells of former live wires who are ready to cash out. Only Usyk is taking the sport seriously. Boxing has turned into a farce with 60-54 vanity bouts at the bottom and this embarrassing bilge at the top.

[martinmrts]

Boxing fans, and the general public, are looking for ENTERTAINMENT.

Boxing, with the predictability of the vast majority of bouts, isn't delivering.

[SeanBrennan]

Boxing will plod on as it always does, despite PEDs, perceptions on dodginess of decisions, expensive PPVs, promoters sniping at each other and so on. We'll all still be watching it.

[The Gratest]

Sugar Ray Leonard, Evander Holyfield, Manny Pac, Larry Holmes etc boxing ATGs, all flown in to witness the boxing HW champ represent and put this MMA upstart in his place. Oh. Oh dear.

If the fat bag of milk sausage couldn't even be bothered to train after all the promoting and coverage this received then he really is King of the Dossers and deserves the resultant embarrassment.

[SeanBrennan]

you forgot Frampton in the front row.

[Bercli]

Even after last nights outcome it seriously irritates me how the BBBofC sanctioned a fight between The Heavyweight Champion Of The World and a
Person who has never boxed professionally before.

Pete Rademacher challenged for the world HW title in 1957 in his debut fight against Floyd Patterson. He knocked Patterson down too before being stopped in 6.

Yes but Rademacher was Olympic champion in an era when winning Gold actually meant something.

[The Gratest]

you forgot Frampton in the front row.

[Coco]

The things folk do for money

I'd have gone if they paid me too

[SeanBrennan]

The things folk do for money

I'd have gone if they paid me too

me too I'd be straight there.

[The Gratest]

The things folk do for money

I'd have gone if they paid me too

No offence mate, but not sure if the embarrassment level for Fury would've been the same if he knew you were there as well.

[ALI]

Sugar Ray Leonard, Evander Holyfield, Manny Pac, Larry Holmes etc boxing ATGs, all flown in to witness the boxing HW champ represent and put this MMA upstart in his place. Oh. Oh dear.

If the fat bag of milk sausage couldn't even be bothered to train after all the promoting and coverage this received then he really is King of the Dossers and deserves the resultant embarrassment.

During the build up last night i was scratching my head as to why so many of boxings past greats flew there for this fight. A mismatch was expected. Did the Saudi's pay them all a wad of cash to be there? Did the Saudi"s cover their expenses, promise them 5* treatment? I was genuinely puzzled as to why so many greats and celebs all turned out for this???

[nobleart1978]

I was under the impression this was an Exhibition bout.

Obviously not due to a decision being announced, a ref with a 'WBC' badge on and it being listed as a bona-fide fight on Fury's record on BoxRec.

Fury has DEFINITELY tainted his reputation.

[maverick23]

Sugar Ray Leonard, Evander Holyfield, Manny Pac, Larry Holmes etc boxing ATGs, all flown in to witness the boxing HW champ represent and put this MMA upstart in his place. Oh. Oh dear.

If the fat bag of milk sausage couldn't even be bothered to train after all the promoting and coverage this received then he really is King of the Dossers and deserves the resultant embarrassment.

During the build up last night i was scratching my head as to why so many of boxings past greats flew there for this fight. A mismatch was expected. Did the Saudi's pay them all a wad of cash to be there? Did the Saudi"s cover their expenses, promise them 5* treatment? I was genuinely puzzled as to why so many greats and celebs all turned out for this???

They’d have been flown over first class, everything provided for them and they’d have probably been paid too.

[margaret thatcher]

is it any mystery with the saudis how they'd get ppl over there

they be wining and dining, filling bank accounts, and dismembering journalists

[DrDuke]

Wasn't a robbery. Ngannou landed the biggest shots, but generally he was outpointed.

[margaret thatcher]

Wasn't a robbery. Ngannou landed the biggest shots, but generally he was outpointed.

a split decision for the ages wasnt it

[TheLeprechaun]

The UFC heavyweight is better than the so called number 1 boxer going off the consensus of boxing people. I see it as a massive hit to boxing. Boxing was considered a higher skill sport where an MMA fighter would get destroyed against a good boxer, nevermind the number 1 boxer. Boxings reputation takes an irreparable hit for me. Sean O'Malley will genuinely be seen as the best fighter at 135 now by many and can the boxing fans make much of an argument against it without seeing the fights now. Previously the topic would get a good condescending laugh from boxing fans - the same kind of laugh that they were giving the Ngannou Fury fight. That won't be happening anymore.

[polecateddy]

It’s kind of opening the door for other mma fighters to try the heavyweight division. Is it a sign the present era has dropped in standard? I just can’t ever see Ngganou being able to do this in any other time.

It does feel a bit like you have Canelo and Crawford in The States, some good light-heavies, and then below that a lot of these circus fights getting the headlines.

[DrDuke]

It’s kind of opening the door for other mma fighters to try the heavyweight division. Is it a sign the present era has dropped in standard? I just can’t ever see Ngganou being able to do this in any other time.

It does feel a bit like you have Canelo and Crawford in The States, some good light-heavies, and then below that a lot of these circus fights getting the headlines.

Well, would Wlad get up, if he was caught that way?