The eternal debate of which combat sport is better, boxing or MMA, could be answered with the UFC’s recent addition of former boxing champion James Toney.
Toney, who hasn’t stepped inside the ring since September of last year, is making the move to mixed martial arts after a very vocal and public campaign to win over UFC boss Dana White. The 41-year-old fighter isn’t sure when he will make his debut in the cage, but MMA fans can be sure they’ll be shelling out a pretty penny to see it.
Toney is a tremendous boxer and has shown an uncanny ability to adapt to different weight classes and challenges. Even though his career is winding down, his punching power alone makes him a real threat in the UFC. There are strikers and then there are boxers. Even mixed martial arts' sturdiest chins would crumble like new-born deer under the power of one of Toney’s shots.
That point has been the biggest weapon for fight fans that say an MMA athlete wouldn’t stand a chance against a boxer. Yeah, the MMA fighters will shoot and control the ground grappling, but if a boxer was to land one punch – just one – Mr. MMA would follow that knuckle sandwich with a bowl of smelling salt soup.
I’m sure Dana White will hand pick Toney’s first opponent, looking to get a nice return on his investment. Toney will KO the poor schmuck and with some training and hard work (hopefully without the use of steroids this time), could really make some noise in the UFC.
I, for one, am excited to put this annoying debate to bed once and for all.