5 Iconic MMA/Boxing Crossover Fights
To narrow the most notable boxing and MMA crossover fights to just a few is an unenviable task. Opinions vary and also contrasting criteria can make this an extremely debatable area to cover. That said, we have done our best to narrow down a top-five and can make a strong argument for the inclusion of each fight.
The article explores the merit of each crossover contest and attempts to highlight each respectively – see below:
Ray Mercer vs Tim Silvia
We will keep this one as short as the fight was. Sylvia was a former two-time UFC heavyweight champion that got knocked out in one of the quickest MMA fights in history. The fight was called “Bragging Rights” and saw Sylvia battling a 48-year-old former boxing champion.
Originally to air on ABC, the boxing match was canceled due to age and fight history evidently. However, the rules quickly changed to MMA and it was rescheduled. However, the fight only lasted 12-seconds before he lay unconscious.
Floyd Mayweather vs Tenshin Nasukawa
While we are on the subject of total smackdowns then we must talk about Mayweather vs Tenshin. Mayweather, who was now 41, completely destroyed Tenshin, 20, in hardly more than two minutes.
Tenshin was a kickboxing champion and was flat on his back after one left hook, a right uppercut, and a right hand to the head. While Mayweather expressed how much fun he had, Tenshin looked like he was ready to cry. Probably because Mayweather was essentially untouched by the end of the fight.
James Toney vs Randy Couture
Nearly two decades ago in the TD Garden, James Toney was given a lesson in MMA. Randy Couture, a previous UFC heavyweight/lightweight world champion, put Toney, a professional boxer, on his back in less than a minute. There’s not much to say other than Toney’s inexperience led to him squirming which led Couture to apply an arm triangle. After 3 minutes and 19 seconds, 15,575 fans saw Toney submit and tap out.
Muhammad Ali vs Antonio Inoki
“A War of the Worlds” was the famous fight between American professional boxer Muhammad Ali and Japanese professional wrestler Antonio Inoki. June 26, 1976, in Tokyo, Japan had ended in a draw. Something that has long been argued over by fans. The fight itself had a special set of rules put in place just shortly before the start of the fight. It is the closest fight we have to today’s MMA.
However, this fight would have normally disqualified Inoki who spent most of the time on his back. Specifically sending 107 kicks to Ali on the ground. Due to these special rules implemented he was in fact not disqualified.
At the time, Ali was confident coming off a big win over the then WBC/WBA heavyweight champion, Richard Dunn. Inoki on the other hand was constantly fighting in MMA situations to demonstrate his wrestling tactics, in the end, was superior. Today, the fight is still debated.
Connor McGregor vs Floyd Mayweather
Dubbed “The Money Fight” and “The Biggest Fight In Combat Sports History” saw Mayweather winning the boxing match against Conor McGregor in the 10th round by TKO. Keep in mind that McGregor is predominantly known for his MMA fighting while Mayweather was skilled in boxing. This alone was the reason why the referee looked Macgregor in the eye pre-match and told him to stick to the rules.
The Las Vegas ring saw Floyd Mayweather Jr, an undefeated 11-time, five-division boxing world champion extend his career to 50 victories and 0 defeats, passing Hall of Famer Rocky Marciano. Mayweather, 40 at the time, was facing MMA star, Conor McGregor. McGregor, a UFC star, started rumors of wanting to fight Mayweather as UFC president Dana White quickly dismissed them. That fight would be the most lucrative year for all three men.
This fight really captured the fans’ imagination. It was two brash young trash talkers and mega stars from different combat sports coming to a head-on collision. It’s no wonder it’s the second-biggest fight in history, and best of all, it lived up to the hype. It was actually a great fight. A potential rematch would be sensational and bookies such as Fanduel’s UFC odds would make a fortune.
Final Thoughts
There are a lot of exciting fights to be made and tons of activity happening between both the MMA and boxing world and you can rest assured that more of these events will be made because every time fans gather together and let their curiosity take over.