Arlovski to Start Professional Boxing

Training
1

Apparently, Arlovski has a fight in a couple weeks, followed by a debut in professional boxing in September. He is being trained by Freddie Roach.

Interesting move. But can having started this late, will he be able to ascend to the really top ranks of the division? Sure, it’s a weak division, but it does have a couple very good fighters (the Klitschko brothers come to mind, as does Alexander Povetkin in a couple years).

What does everyone think? Will he be able to hang in there with the Klitschkos?

2

[quote]kligor wrote:
What does everyone think? Will he be able to hang in there with the Klitschkos?[/quote]

You’re joking, right?

3

I highly doubt he’ll make it to the upper echeolons of boxing, however what is so interesting about this move is we’ll finally get to see an mma fighter focus solely on striking with nothing else to worry about, such as take downs, submission defense, and such. I think we’ll see him more confident in his striking, but I still see a big gap between he and the higher- ups.

I say they feed him a can, whom he’ll beat, and then he’ll get some journeyman figher which he’ll struggle against.

4

[quote]mj_gk wrote:
however what is so interesting about this move is we’ll finally get to see an mma fighter focus solely on striking with nothing else to worry about, such as take downs, submission defense, and such. [/quote]

We are not finally seeing it, it has happened dozens and dozens of times. Joachim Hansen competes in boxing, Vitor Belfort has, Jens Pulver has, etc.

They are two different sports. The likelihood of any MMA fighter going and winning a belt in boxing is the same as a boxer coming into MMA and beating the best. Not likely at all.

5

[quote]Donut62 wrote:
mj_gk wrote:
however what is so interesting about this move is we’ll finally get to see an mma fighter focus solely on striking with nothing else to worry about, such as take downs, submission defense, and such.

We are not finally seeing it, it has happened dozens and dozens of times. Joachim Hansen competes in boxing, Vitor Belfort has, Jens Pulver has, etc.

They are two different sports. The likelihood of any MMA fighter going and winning a belt in boxing is the same as a boxer coming into MMA and beating the best. Not likely at all.[/quote]

thank you… christ are we really discussing this?

6

[quote]Donut62 wrote:
mj_gk wrote:
however what is so interesting about this move is we’ll finally get to see an mma fighter focus solely on striking with nothing else to worry about, such as take downs, submission defense, and such.

We are not finally seeing it, it has happened dozens and dozens of times. Joachim Hansen competes in boxing, Vitor Belfort has, Jens Pulver has, etc.

They are two different sports. The likelihood of any MMA fighter going and winning a belt in boxing is the same as a boxer coming into MMA and beating the best. Not likely at all.[/quote]

I gotta disagree with that. No one in mma has the power in their hands or the foot speed to compete at the elite level in boxing. However, if you were to take a good [not great] boxer and put him in mma I think he’d dominate.

As soon as someone shot on him he’d backpeddle and light them up. You also gotta take into account the 4oz gloves compared to the 12-16oz gloves boxers wear. I know not everyone is gonna agree with me, and that’s cool. I just strongly feel my opinion is right.

7

I definetly didn’t state that I thought he’d be good, if that’s what is being implied here. Sometimes it’s difficult to get a grasp at what people are trying to comminicate over forums, so pardon my ignorance.

Also, I must say I wasn’t aware of the three mentioned as having professional boxing matches. I’m sure it’s be done many times, such as is stated before, but has it been with the attention that Andrei is likely to attract?

Secondly, I think the arguement is crazy with MMA vs. boxing. The two are seperate sports and both have different qualities of athletes involved.

While many are quick to point out that they feel boxers are superior, I once remember seeing a Japanese boxer in a PRIDE ring get taken down, while attempting to backpeddal. I think it is a gross underestimation of the MMA athletes to say they couldn’t take down a boxer.

EDIT: It sounds like I’m saying UFC athletes would take down a boxer everytime. That’s not what I mean. Rather I think they would get take downs often, and not get stuffed or look foolish by falling on their faces chasing a ghost boxer, like is being portrayed in the statements above.

8

[quote]mj_gk wrote:
I definetly didn’t state that I thought he’d be good, if that’s what is being implied here. Sometimes it’s difficult to get a grasp at what people are trying to comminicate over forums, so pardon my ignorance.

Also, I must say I wasn’t aware of the three mentioned as having professional boxing matches. I’m sure it’s be done many times, such as is stated before, but has it been with the attention that Andrei is likely to attract?

Secondly, I think the arguement is crazy with MMA vs. boxing. The two are seperate sports and both have different qualities of athletes involved. While many are quick to point out that they feel boxers are superior, I once remember seeing a Japanese boxer in a PRIDE ring get taken down, while attempting to backpeddal. I think it is a gross underestimation of the MMA athletes to say they couldn’t take down a boxer.

EDIT: It sounds like I’m saying UFC athletes would take down a boxer everytime. That’s not what I mean. Rather I think they would get take downs often, and not get stuffed or look foolish by falling on their faces chasing a ghost boxer, like is being portrayed in the statements above. [/quote]

The people mentioned before started as boxers, couldn’t hack it and switched to mma. Arlovski is doing the opposite, and as far as I know is the first to attempt it.

9

[quote]WhiteFlash wrote:
mj_gk wrote:
I definetly didn’t state that I thought he’d be good, if that’s what is being implied here. Sometimes it’s difficult to get a grasp at what people are trying to comminicate over forums, so pardon my ignorance.

Also, I must say I wasn’t aware of the three mentioned as having professional boxing matches. I’m sure it’s be done many times, such as is stated before, but has it been with the attention that Andrei is likely to attract?

Secondly, I think the arguement is crazy with MMA vs. boxing. The two are seperate sports and both have different qualities of athletes involved.

While many are quick to point out that they feel boxers are superior, I once remember seeing a Japanese boxer in a PRIDE ring get taken down, while attempting to backpeddal. I think it is a gross underestimation of the MMA athletes to say they couldn’t take down a boxer.

EDIT: It sounds like I’m saying UFC athletes would take down a boxer everytime. That’s not what I mean. Rather I think they would get take downs often, and not get stuffed or look foolish by falling on their faces chasing a ghost boxer, like is being portrayed in the statements above.

The people mentioned before started as boxers, couldn’t hack it and switched to mma. Arlovski is doing the opposite, and as far as I know is the first to attempt it.[/quote]

There have already been many boxers and kickboxers, who ran the gamut from mediocre to very good, who have tried their hands at MMA and not fared too well.

Matt Skelton, Nishijima, Stefan Leko, Francois Botha, Ray Mercer, Jerome LeBanner, Peter Aerts. We’ll see how Jeremy Williams does once he steps up in competition. Now the apologists will say that insert name here was past there prime or not very good in the first place but on the other hand they say that any club level boxer could come in and dominate in MMA.

I don’t believe either is better but from a historical perspective MMA has done more to prove it’s point then boxing. Guys like Gene Lebell were choking out boxers 40 years ago.

I agree that a good boxer will always have a punchers chance but there are subtle differences in the application of technique between striking in MMA and boxing or kickboxing.

Sitting on punches, standing to upright, excessive bobbing and weaving, clinching, even not squaring their stance. All these are habits which get many boxers in trouble in MMA. Most guys at a high level aren’t going to bum rush in for a double leg takedown. They are going to set it up with strikes and feints or go for a takedown from the clinch.

Anyways I don’t see Andrei doing much in the world of boxing. He hasn’t shown the chin to hang with MMA guys so I can’t imagine him being able to take too many shots to the chin from a heavyweight boxer with true heavyweight power.

That’s the great thing about fighting though. It’s all just conjecture until two dudes (or chicks) actually get in there and mix it up. As the cliche goes it all comes down to the individual.

10

Well said, Tallguy.

I also took a couple minutes to try and find a little information on Jens Pulver, and Vitor Belfort’s boxing career.

I didn’t find much, but from what I gathered on Wikipedia(trust it as you’d like) Pulver was actually an undefeated boxer. 4 wins, 3 by ko.

Wikipedia also states that Belfort didn’t make his boxing debut until 2006… I’m not sure about that one as it didn’t have a source cited. If you were wondering he won via KO against Josemario Neves.

I only used wikipedia, as I’m trying to multitask at the moment, but if anyone has something more reliable please chime in.

11

[quote]WhiteFlash wrote:

The people mentioned before started as boxers, couldn’t hack it and switched to mma. Arlovski is doing the opposite, and as far as I know is the first to attempt it.[/quote]

If you were not lazy and trying to act like you know stuff, you would have a least did a cursory search to see everyone I mentioned fought in MMA before doing boxing. You can add many more to the list. Noguiera is a BJJ specialist and won the Pan-Am games in boxing.

As for your other comments, about a boxer just back peddling a shot, it just goes to show how inexperienced and uneducated you are about wrestling and grappling.

12

[quote]Donut62 wrote:
WhiteFlash wrote:

The people mentioned before started as boxers, couldn’t hack it and switched to mma. Arlovski is doing the opposite, and as far as I know is the first to attempt it.

If you were not lazy and trying to act like you know stuff, you would have a least did a cursory search to see everyone I mentioned fought in MMA before doing boxing. You can add many more to the list. Noguiera is a BJJ specialist and won the Pan-Am games in boxing.

As for your other comments, about a boxer just back peddling a shot, it just goes to show how inexperienced and uneducated you are about wrestling and grappling.[/quote]

I apologize for my haste, but I still firmly believe what I said. If you think a wrestler/grappler can just shoot on a fleet footed boxer and take him down, it just shows how inexperienced and uneducated you are about boxing.

13

[quote]WhiteFlash wrote:
Donut62 wrote:
WhiteFlash wrote:

The people mentioned before started as boxers, couldn’t hack it and switched to mma. Arlovski is doing the opposite, and as far as I know is the first to attempt it.

If you were not lazy and trying to act like you know stuff, you would have a least did a cursory search to see everyone I mentioned fought in MMA before doing boxing. You can add many more to the list. Noguiera is a BJJ specialist and won the Pan-Am games in boxing.

As for your other comments, about a boxer just back peddling a shot, it just goes to show how inexperienced and uneducated you are about wrestling and grappling.

I apologize for my haste, but I still firmly believe what I said. If you think a wrestler/grappler can just shoot on a fleet footed boxer and take him down, it just shows how inexperienced and uneducated you are about boxing.[/quote]
But that’s not the point you are trying to make. You said any good boxer would be hard to take down AND dominate MMA as well. You didn’t mention whether one would need any serious training in other martial arts to dominate either. Apparently all you think a boxer needs to do to destroy everyone is know how to punch while moving backwards. You’re the one clearly underestimating MMA fighters or more likely overestimating boxing. I’ve seen plenty of fights where people are eating tons of hard head/body/whatever shots and manage to fight through nearly the entire match if not a full 10 or however many rounds to a decision.

What makes you think all of a sudden a boxer’s punch is like 100 times more likely to knock people out when in competing in MMA than in boxing? That’s basically your whole argument. “Oh if anything bad happens the boxer will just throw some of his magic guaranteed knock out punches as someone dives for his legs or tries to do anything like whether he covers up or not to get close for a clinch.” Why can’t boxers knock people out on command in boxing like this then? You’re just grossly exaggerating things. The fact that 90% of boxing fights don’t end in 1 round shows this. If knock outs were so certain all either person would have to do is touch the other once pretty much or every fight would end in a sudden death exchange.

Here’s another great question, why do some of the top boxers occasionally spend half a fight just clinching with each other? If they are so good either one should just totally destroy the other as soon as he tries to clinch. Clinching should be an instant death sentence for anyone who tries it in boxing going by your logic yet instead I see sweaty men hugging each other constantly.:confused:

14

[quote]nothingclever wrote:
WhiteFlash wrote:
Donut62 wrote:
WhiteFlash wrote:

The people mentioned before started as boxers, couldn’t hack it and switched to mma. Arlovski is doing the opposite, and as far as I know is the first to attempt it.

If you were not lazy and trying to act like you know stuff, you would have a least did a cursory search to see everyone I mentioned fought in MMA before doing boxing. You can add many more to the list. Noguiera is a BJJ specialist and won the Pan-Am games in boxing.

As for your other comments, about a boxer just back peddling a shot, it just goes to show how inexperienced and uneducated you are about wrestling and grappling.

I apologize for my haste, but I still firmly believe what I said. If you think a wrestler/grappler can just shoot on a fleet footed boxer and take him down, it just shows how inexperienced and uneducated you are about boxing.
But that’s not the point you are trying to make. You said any good boxer would be hard to take down AND dominate MMA as well. You didn’t mention whether one would need any serious training in other martial arts to dominate either. Apparently all you think a boxer needs to do to destroy everyone is know how to punch while moving backwards. You’re the one clearly underestimating MMA fighters or more likely overestimating boxing. I’ve seen plenty of fights where people are eating tons of hard head/body/whatever shots and manage to fight through nearly the entire match if not a full 10 or however many rounds to a decision.

What makes you think all of a sudden a boxer’s punch is like 100 times more likely to knock people out when in competing in MMA than in boxing? That’s basically your whole argument. “Oh if anything bad happens the boxer will just throw some of his magic guaranteed knock out punches as someone dives for his legs or tries to do anything like whether he covers up or not to get close for a clinch.” Why can’t boxers knock people out on command in boxing like this then? You’re just grossly exaggerating things. The fact that 90% of boxing fights don’t end in 1 round shows this. If knock outs were so certain all either person would have to do is touch the other once pretty much or every fight would end in a sudden death exchange.

Here’s another great question, why do some of the top boxers occasionally spend half a fight just clinching with each other? If they are so good either one should just totally destroy the other as soon as he tries to clinch. Clinching should be an instant death sentence for anyone who tries it in boxing going by your logic yet instead I see sweaty men hugging each other constantly.:/[/quote]

First, you’re a moron. Second, when you take a fighter and reduce his glove weight by 2/3 to 3/4 [depending on the weight class] you have a more dangerous puncher. Of course a boxer would need to train other qualities. But, when you take these mma guys who sometimes seem as if they couldn’t crack an egg and put them against someone who is used to KO’ing people with much haevier padding on his fists, you’re gonna have an mma fighter in a whole new world of hurt.

15

I know this is a bit of a low blow, but I"m posting it anyway.

The carry-over between MMA and Boxing is limited.

16

How do you guys think a boxers defense would be affected by his using smaller gloves?

17

[quote]Hodgie wrote:
I know this is a bit of a low blow, but I"m posting it anyway.

The carry-over between MMA and Boxing is limited.[/quote]

That looked thrown. Berbick didn’t even attempt to fight back. Super gay.

18

I’d like to see Arlovski vs David Tua.

19

[quote]WhiteFlash wrote:
nothingclever wrote:
WhiteFlash wrote:
Donut62 wrote:
WhiteFlash wrote:

The people mentioned before started as boxers, couldn’t hack it and switched to mma. Arlovski is doing the opposite, and as far as I know is the first to attempt it.

If you were not lazy and trying to act like you know stuff, you would have a least did a cursory search to see everyone I mentioned fought in MMA before doing boxing. You can add many more to the list. Noguiera is a BJJ specialist and won the Pan-Am games in boxing.

As for your other comments, about a boxer just back peddling a shot, it just goes to show how inexperienced and uneducated you are about wrestling and grappling.

I apologize for my haste, but I still firmly believe what I said. If you think a wrestler/grappler can just shoot on a fleet footed boxer and take him down, it just shows how inexperienced and uneducated you are about boxing.
But that’s not the point you are trying to make. You said any good boxer would be hard to take down AND dominate MMA as well. You didn’t mention whether one would need any serious training in other martial arts to dominate either. Apparently all you think a boxer needs to do to destroy everyone is know how to punch while moving backwards. You’re the one clearly underestimating MMA fighters or more likely overestimating boxing. I’ve seen plenty of fights where people are eating tons of hard head/body/whatever shots and manage to fight through nearly the entire match if not a full 10 or however many rounds to a decision.

What makes you think all of a sudden a boxer’s punch is like 100 times more likely to knock people out when in competing in MMA than in boxing? That’s basically your whole argument. “Oh if anything bad happens the boxer will just throw some of his magic guaranteed knock out punches as someone dives for his legs or tries to do anything like whether he covers up or not to get close for a clinch.” Why can’t boxers knock people out on command in boxing like this then? You’re just grossly exaggerating things. The fact that 90% of boxing fights don’t end in 1 round shows this. If knock outs were so certain all either person would have to do is touch the other once pretty much or every fight would end in a sudden death exchange.

Here’s another great question, why do some of the top boxers occasionally spend half a fight just clinching with each other? If they are so good either one should just totally destroy the other as soon as he tries to clinch. Clinching should be an instant death sentence for anyone who tries it in boxing going by your logic yet instead I see sweaty men hugging each other constantly.:confused:

First, you’re a moron. Second, when you take a fighter and reduce his glove weight by 2/3 to 3/4 [depending on the weight class] you have a more dangerous puncher. Of course a boxer would need to train other qualities. But, when you take these mma guys who sometimes seem as if they couldn’t crack an egg and put them against someone who is used to KO’ing people with much haevier padding on his fists, you’re gonna have an mma fighter in a whole new world of hurt.[/quote]

You’re clearly the moron buddy. Boxers can spend forever trying to knock each other out too. When I watch 12 rounds fights and there’s a nifty punch counter being shown each round and multiple replays of power shots and no one’s falling you just sound silly. The only reason knock outs are so frequent in boxing is that the only way to win is to either win by points which basically means punching the other person harder and more often than he can punch you which is a goal that inevitably increases the likelihood of a knock out or actually knocking the opponent out. The only other option is to win by points by evading everything your opponent throws and landing plenty of little shitty shots or hoping your opponent will give up or get a stupid cut above his eye. How would you get someone to give up or develop a cut worthy of a doctor/ref stoppage? By punching the other guy really hard in the head. Durrrrrrrr.

Lighter gloves doesn’t mean anything special when a boxer is most likely just going to lose as soon as he’s in any clinch. I see boxers eat plenty of punches and just walk up to their opponents and hug them to take a breather. That bs isn’t going to be so pleasant in MMA when the other person is allowed to throw you the ground and attempt to break your arm.

20

O boy not this subject, just let it go people, each sport has it strategies and so forth.

As for Arlovski, has it crossed anyones mind that maybe he is boxing to make ends meet since he is no longer with the UFC, and to my knowledge he has not signed with anyone else.

I can’t recall where I seen it but Pulver basically stated that he was boxing just to make some money as he was in between organizations.

As for Arlovski beating any top 25 pro boxer he chances are slim to none.