Mayweather and Story: Two Worlds

I used to love boxing and I didn’t stop loving it because of the rise of MMA. I just grew tired of it and MMA was something different and real without all the junk that was dragging boxing down.

Boxing is trying to change, but there are some stark differences between the two sports. Floyd Mayweather is ridiculously talented, he out-boxed Juan Marquez as expected, but he’s also coddled. He hand-picked Marquez, showed up late to the Mandalay, and decided to fork over an amazing $600,000 of his purse to Marquez instead of trying to lose a measly two pounds. And to top it off he didn’t really try to finish the fight.

A few States to the east in Dallas, Texas, a young guy by the name of Rick Story was fighting for about one-one hundredth of what Mayweather gave up, and experiencing a life-changing 6:09.

His bout with Brian Foster was on the prelims, but because it was so exciting it ended up being shown on the free Spike TV telecast as well as on the pay per view. Foster and Story exchanged furiously and Story’s nose was shattered in round one. He bled all over but took control of the fight, and then in round two finished Foster with an impressive arm triangle while still in Foster’s guard.

After a brief interview with Joe Rogan, Story, who seems pretty serious, smiled from ear to ear as he called his corner men over to pose for the camera and this was before he learned of his bonuses.

Story and Foster each received $65,000 for Fight of the Night and Story cashed in another $65,000 for Submission of the Night. In all he made $130,000 in bonuses, still a far cry from what Mayweather gave up instead of sweating a little, but a life-changing amount.

It isn’t just the money that makes boxing seem so much shallower, it’s the thick line drawn between the stars and the other boxers. Story found the limelight on Saturday night, a feat that usually does not happen in a boxing event. The stars were Mayweather and Marquez and they were the ones to receive the attention. Maybe this is because of the monster paydays in boxing or the fragmented nature of the sport, I’m not sure and I don’t follow it closely enough to have an opinion as to why.

But in MMA, any guy can fight his way into the fans hearts. Each man is fighting to climb the ladder or struggling desperately to hold on to a rung. They don’t pick and choose, they fight to win, they appreciate the opportunity, and in 6:09 seconds, or less, they can have a life-changing fight.

All this makes MMA just seem more real and honest than boxing, which is probably why so many people gravitate to the UFC, MMA’s premiere organization, and away from the sweet science.

I don’t wish boxing to go away. It is a different sport than MMA and there is room for both. I just wish it would learn from guys like Rick Story and make changes for the better. I’d love to be excited for big boxing matches like I used to be, or like I’m excited for UFC 104 when Lyoto Machida and Mauricio Rua square off and a whole bunch of other fighters will have a chance to shine.