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MMA Vs Boxing: A Brief History Of Crossover Clashes - Pundit Arena

The only instance in which an elite boxer was tempted into a mixed rules bout happened in 1976. Muhammad Ali could not at this time be considered to be in his prime, but he was still the heavyweight champion of the world, and would be for almost another two years. Ali, was reportedly offered $6 million dollars by backers of Japanese professional wrestler Antonio Inoki to compete in a bout, to be held in Tokyo.

In a fight that was an enormous event at the time, Inoki and Ali fought to a farcical draw. Inoki, who had a legitimate background in submission wrestling and martial arts, spent almost the entire fight on his back kicking at the legs of “the Greatest”. Ali threw very few punches throughout the frustrating 15 rounds of non-action due the the unorthodox spoiling tactics of his opponent. The whole episode tainted Ali’s legacy in the eyes of many fight historians, though it has been widely forgotten in the mainstream.

https://hypebeast.com/2017/3/mma-versus-boxing-comparisons-history-mcgregor-mayweather

MMA and boxing are often compared, and for good reason. Boxing is obviously a key part of mixed martial arts, and while few professional boxers make the switch to MMA, a great deal of MMA fighters have boxed at the lower levels of the sport. However, while comparisons make sense, the idea that two practitioners of separate disciplines should fight is, well, absurd when you look at it plainly. An MMA fighter trains boxing as part of their regime but they also train various other disciplines as well, meaning their boxing skill is always going to be rudimentary compared to a full-time boxer. In the other corner, boxers don’t do any of the grappling arts, or even practice kicks, so few of them show any willingness to get in the octagon.