The ongoing war of words between MMA and boxing continues, this time with UFC middleweight and light heavyweight contender Chael Sonnen taking a shot at the upcoming bout between pound-for-pound best in the world Floyd Mayweather, Jr. and his fight with WBC welterweight champion Saul “Canelo” Alvarez.
Of late, Sonnen has been a regular contributor to Fox Sports Live, Fox Sports 1’s answer to ESPN’s SportsCenter, and has been a regular voice when discussing MMA, as well as boxing. When the topic of boxing’s next big PPV fight came up, Sonnen had some interesting words, saying “Floyd Mayweather may be the best the best fighter on the planet, but he’s also the cure for insomnia.”
Ouch.
In fairness, Sonnen himself has been labeled “boring” by many fans for his wrestling-based, distance-focused style. Also in fairness, those claims are somewhat outdated; Sonnen has won two of his three most recent fights via exciting submissions.
Mayweather has something of a history when it comes to beefs with MMA personalities. He famously told CBS Sports that “there’s (sic) no white fighters in boxing that’s dominating, so they had to go to something else and start something new.” The “something new,” of course, was MMA.
Mayweather has also been called out by personalities from the world of MMA in the past. UFC commentator and TV personality Joe Rogan once said to Inked magazine that Mayweather “would get killed by an average college wrestler” in a street fight. Former UFC middleweight champion Anderson Silva once stated he has “no respect” for “Papa Smurf.” Yesterday, boxing champ Adrien Broner said he “doesn’t look at MMA as a real sport” because “you can learn it.”
Indeed, the rivalry between mixed martial artists and boxers is one of the ugliest in sports, and the constant internet battling between either sports’ fans is no prettier. This is almost certainly not going to be the last swipe between aficionados of either sport.
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