After what was viewed as a marketing gig in the ring between boxer Floyd Mayweather and MMA fighter Conor McGregor, we are set to witness more of the same. Fights between these two set of fighters are here to stay. The fight between the famous pair raked in a lot of money, amounting to hundreds of millions of dollars, prompting promoters to rethink their position on organizing similar events.

Mixed martial artists are not believed to be as lethal with the use of hands as their boxing counterparts, but the skills honed by these combatants have certainly come a long way. In modern MMA, the boxing aspect is emphasized. There is even more focus on acquiring essential boxing skills in training, meaning that the skill gap is slowly bridging.

Several fighters drawn from both sides of the divide are angling for match-ups, and a trend is likely to develop. It makes economic sense, and a lot of it. But the main question has been whether these MMA fighters can really make it in the boxing ring.

Boxing is a sport recommended to everyone irrespective of age, gender, or any other factor. It is a strenuous sport that involves a lot of intense physical activity.

Here are some of the benefits that come with boxing:

Building Confidence

Confidence is essential in everything that you do in life, and nothing imparts it than boxing. Boxers are known for all the hype and trash talk before matches from the confidence they have in themselves. The more you train, the more you will gain better body shape as well as strength of mind for self-confidence.

Constructive use of spare time

Most people find it hard to find a productive way to use their their spare time. They tend to engage in passive activities, like sitting around all day watching video games. Such a sedentary lifestyle can lead to numerous health issues. Boxing, on the other hand, is a healthy way to spend your free time.

Are you enthusiastic about boxing? Are you passionate about stepping into the ring, throwing jabs, and dodging punches? It would help if you got prepared for boxing as it’s not a magical activity. Here are a few tips that may be helpful if you are thinking about taking up boxing.

Wear proper gear

It would be best if you wore a sports outfit that’s fitting. It needs to be comfortable so that you don’t get stressed out while you are up and about on your feet. Loose or baggy clothes might get caught in something, pulled by another person, or block your vision.

It will ultimately affect your performance. Always have an attire that you will find it easy to hold on to when you’re not only moving around but also while sweating.

Fighters are known for living on the edge and for their eccentric personalities. Many of them are also known for being big gamblers. Maybe it’s the rush of adrenaline they crave whenever they’re out of the ring, or the millions and millions in disposable income, but some seem to always be in the headlines because of some outlandish bet they’ve made. Online betting has also democratized gambling, and made it more accessible and popular with the masses, not only boxers. Let’s take a look at some of the most well known boxers and fighters who are into gambling.

Tyson Fury

The flamboyant Fury is not only known for being flashy inside the ring, but outside of it as well. One would imagine that a fighter would want to go home after a tough fight like the one he had against the very game Otto Wallin, but not Fury. After getting 47 stitches, the boxer went straight to the casino in his hotel and ended the night with $500 USD extra in his pockets.

The heavyweight division in boxing is now stronger than it has been in the past two decades. Between Anthony Joshua, Deontay Wilder and Tyson Fury, boxing’s flagship division finally has a trio of heavyweights comparable to Lennox Lewis, Mike Tyson and Evander Holyfield, who reigned at the top of the division in the 1990s.

There’s one problem, though: these top heavyweights aren’t fighting each other.

When Joshua – the reigning WBA, WBO and IBF champion – defends his belts against Andy Ruiz Jr at Madison Square Garden on 1 June, much of the focus will be not on the title defence. What boxing fans really wish to see is a meeting with WBC champion Wilder. This would provide Joshua – who is favoured by boxing betting sites like Betway by as much as 33-1 to beat Ruiz – a chance to fight his equal and fulfill his goal of becoming the undisputed world champion.

There have been few fighters in recent boxing memory as captivating and awe-inspiring as Vasyl Lomachenko. Every time the Ukrainian maestro takes to the ring, it’s a huge event for the sport, one which fans around the world don’t want to miss a second of.  The next opportunity to witness modern day boxing greatness from the 31-year-old will fall on April 12th, when British hope Anthony Crolla will be the next challenger to contest Lomachenko’s WBA ‘Super’ and WBO lightweight titles.

A Safe Bet

It’s at the Staples Center in Los Angeles, California, where Lomachenko will aim to defend his 135-pound belts again. Vasyl is considered a strong favorite at odds of -5000. Notably, the Ukrainian ace also holds the prestigious and highly-regarded Ring Magazine strap, having won it when he brilliantly dethroned Jorge Linares back in May last year.

Incredibly, that victory for ‘Loma’ over the stylish and very popular Linares at the world famous Madison Square Garden in 2018 was his maiden ring outing at lightweight. His 10th-round stoppage success over the Venezuelan saw him become the fastest ever three-weight world champion, earning another slice of history in his already sublime career in the professional ranks.

Lomachenko shot to prominence in a short amount of time as a professional and dazzled anyone who’s had the opportunity to view his incredible credentials up close. Bantamweight champion TJ Dillashaw, regarded as the favorite in the UFC odds to overcome Henry Cejudo before his eventual upset, was previously involved in the Ukrainian’s camp while the MMA fighter prepared for an upcoming bout in the Octagon.

TJ Dillashaw by K.O. Artist Sports (CC BY 3.0)

Through the ages, long before the term ‘Mixed Martial Arts’ has ever been uttered or even conceived, the practitioners and spectators of various martial arts and combat sports have asked the question: which art is the most effective of them all? And the beginnings of modern MMA were intended to precisely answer that question (and the answer, at least around the time of early UFCs, was Brazilian Jiu Jitsu). Of course the days of “style vs style” are long behind us, and today to be a successful mixed martial artist, one needs to have a diverse skill set that borrows from a plethora of martial arts and styles. However we still experience an occasional cross-over matchup between practitioners of different arts. In this article, I will examine some of the most notable cross-overs between mixed martial arts and boxing.

Conventional wisdom dictates a significant “home court” advantage in a style-vs-style matchup: if a boxer faces a mixed martial artist in a ring under boxing rules, the boxer is a lot more likely to win than if the bout took place under MMA rule set – and vice versa. Betting odds reflect this, and so do most of the past fight outcomes. So if you’re a gambler, you could place a large, relatively safe bet for a comparatively small payoff on the odds favorite. Or you could take a big risk with a small bet on the underdog, in hopes of a big payoff if your prediction comes true.  Either way, next time your favorite MMA star steps into the boxing ring, you can get some help from the UK’s betting sites.

Art Jimmerson vs Royce Gracie

While this can’t be exactly be called a “boxing vs MMA” matchup – since MMA did not exist yet, and Royce Gracie represented BJJ in the first UFC – we have to start at the beginning. The very beginning might technically be Muhammad Ali vs Antonio Inoki, but UFC 1 is usually a good starting point for anything MMA-related. Of course the first UFC was organized and promoted by the Gracie family as a means of letting the world know about Gracie Jiu-Jitsu, and to show that GJJ/BJJ was the supreme martial art. To this end, rumor has it that UFC 1 competitors were not truly the best of the best at their individual sports, to assure an easier path to victory for Royce. Art Jimmerson is a good example of this – while he had a respectable boxing record of 29-5 prior to his fight with Gracie, Jimmerson did not earn many accolades in the boxing world. He also went 4-13 upon returning to the right after his brief UFC stint, indicating that he may have already been past his prime when he faced Gracie. Regardless, Art clearly had no clue of what he was getting himself into – of course, neither did most other UFC 1 contestants. Inexplicably, Jimmerson showed up to his one and only match in the Octagon wearing a single boxing glove, and was quickly taken down and mounted by Gracie. Trapped on his back with no idea how to escape the position, Jimmerson panicked and tapped out rather than absorb needless punishment. And thus began the legend of Royce Gracie.

Whether you are a boxing fan or not, you probably dream of having a body like a professional boxer. Boxers usually have a well-chiseled chest and ab muscles as a clear indication of the hard work they put into their sport. Besides that, they are well conditioned, capable of even going toe to toe for 12 rounds of intense boxing. Many boxers, especially the most successful ones, don’t dwell on power alone; they also rely on speedy handwork and footwork to bamboozle their opponents.
So, the question becomes: how can you get yourself a body like one? Here is an in-depth guide that’ll take you through how to train like a pro boxer.
Most exercises in this list will be bodyweight exercises, meaning you won’t need a gym to practice – only yourself and some space.

Burpees
Burpees are an excellent option for strength and conditioning training. With burpees, you work all the major muscle groups in your body.

How To Do a Burpee
Stand upright with your feet some distance apart for better stability. Quickly switch to a squatting position. Once in a squatting position, throw your feet back and get into a plank. Return to the squat and jump as high as you possibly can. You can add a few twists such as do two squats instead of one or do a sideways lateral jump rather than jumping straight up.

Photo credit: Twitter.com/WorldBoxingNews

Classic heavyweight boxing matches are few and far between these days. Sure, there have been some fights that have been hyped to death, like Anthony Joshua vs Joseph Parker, but they ultimately fell flat in the ring. Even Joshua vs Klitschko, the fight the Ring Magazine called “arguably the best heavyweight championship fight in 20 years”, said more about the travails of the heavyweight division over the last two decades than the bout itself. It was good. Perhaps, very good. But was it great?

On December 1st at the Staples Center, Las Vegas, Deontay Wilder (40-0, 39 KOs) will put his WBC Heavyweight title on the line against Tyson Fury (27-0, 19 KOs). The build-up has been uncharacteristically muted, especially when you consider Fury’s uncanny ability to steal the headlines. However, with just a few weeks to the fight, don’t put it past the Brit to do something in the vein of Conor McGregor to make sure the limelight is firmly on himself and Wilder before the bell rings.

The 118-110 scorecard by Adelaide Byrd on behalf of Canelo Alvarez has circulated throughout the Internet and the media as an egregious disaster, but does she deserve as much controversy as she has received?

Perhaps, but another scorecard issue was overlooked….