(So if Vitor is Tyson and Anderson is Ali, who’s Don King?)
Yeah, we know "Iron" Mike and the boxing legend formerly known as Cassius Clay never fought, and we aren’t saying that Vitor and Anderson are anywhere near their level as boxers, but when you break down the pugilistic styles and look at some of the past fights of Belfort and Silva, it’s remarkable how similar they look to their boxing counterparts.
Whenever fans and pundits talk of the imminent match-up between Belfort and Silva, most give the boxing edge to Vitor based on the fact that he has professional boxing experience. The truth is, he really only fought once as a professional, but his win was so impressive it makes people forget that.
(Video courtesy YouTube NightcrawlerMMA)
Contrary to popular belief though, Belfort isn’t the only one of the two who has boxed professionally.
Silva, who like Andrei Arlovski and Georges St-Pierre, has spent some time with Freddie Roach honing his boxing chops, holds a 1-1 professional boxing record, meaning he actually has twice the experience of "The Phenom," yet he’s still rarely given the edge in the boxing department by analysts.