MMA and Boxing crossover fight talks have significantly increased in recent times. One of the reasons why are the highly popularized Jake Paul boxing fights where he has faced MMA legends Anderson Silva, Tyron Woodley, and most recently, Nate Diaz. The upcoming Tyson Fury vs Francis Ngannou has also generated lots of buzz and there’s no doubt it will be one of the biggest fights of the year.
And as we wait for it, we have decided to look at some of the most notable MMA and boxing crossover fights. The article is based on our interview with boxing and online casino rank expert, Bernard Maumo from https://onlinecasinorank.org/.
Muhammad Ali vs. Antonio Inoki (1976)
Let’s start with the fight that started it all, but which is also one of the most bizarre crossover fights ever. The two legends need no introduction in their respective fields, but Ali is arguably the greatest boxer ever and a pop culture icon. Before this fight, he was coming off a big win over the then WBC and WBA heavyweight champion, Richard Dunn. Inoki, on the other hand, was the one of the most influential fighters in Japanese pro wrestling.
Mohammad Ali vs Antonio Inoki was meant to be a boxing vs MMA spectacle, featuring a blend of rules from both words. But two days before the fight, Ali’s camp restricted Inoki to only throwing kicks when one knee was on the ground in a bid to keep him upright. Ali could only adhere to strict boxing rules. But at the end of the day, these turned out to be the worst of rules, giving birth to 15 agonizingly slow rounds. Inoki spent most of the time baseball sliding on the canvas, landing 102 kicks. Ali could only land six punches, and the fight was ruled a draw. Fans have never accepted the result, so you can also judge it yourself.
Floyd Mayweather Jr. vs. Conor McGregor (2017)
In the world of crossover fights, it doesn’t get any bigger than this. The fight managed to capture the attention of the entire world and was dubbed “The Money Fight” and “The Biggest Fight in Combat Sports History.” Mayweather Jr. had retired for the second time two years before at 49-0 and returned with a plan to make it a perfect 50-0. McGregor, on the other hand, was a young but very skilled MMA fighter. He was the biggest start in the UFC, and had won titles at two divisions.
Mayweather Jr. vs McGregor was a pure boxing match, which gave the former a huge advantage. However, McGregor was determined, and he started well and even won some early rounds with his aggression and awkward style. But as the fight continued, Mayweather took control with his superior skills and experience. He then stopped McGregor in the 10th round by TKO. The fight became the second most bought PPV event, coming in second to only Mayweather vs. Pacquiao.
Randy Couture vs. James Toney (2010)
It has not always been MMA fighters venturing into boxing. James Toney was a former boxing world champion who had no MMA experience, but he wanted to prove himself in the sport. He therefore took on Randy Couture, a former UFC heavyweight and lightweight world champion.
Toney of course wasn’t very skilled in grappling, so he tried to make it a standing contest. However, Couture wasn’t having it and he made good use of his wrestling skills. He wasted no time and secured a takedown in the first round. He then made it easy for himself as he controlled the fight on the ground, and eventually won via submission.
Anderson Silva vs. Julio Cesar Chavez Jr. (2021)
This is another of the most intriguing crossover fights. Anderson Silva had won the UFC Middleweight title and was already an MMA legend when he decided to try his hand (literally) in boxing. He went head to head with Julio Cesar Chavez Jr., a former world champion. The fight itself was signed under boxing rules, giving an edge to Chavez Jr., who also has had an advantage when it came to age.
However, as Maumo from Online Casino Rank puts it, it turned out to be quite memorable for MMA and UFC fans, as “The Spider” managed to blend his legendary MMA instincts with some impressive boxing techniques and beat Chavez Jr. via points.