We have a new bubble in boxing - the boxer versus MMA fighter era. Floyd Mayweather and Conor McGregor started it, Jake Paul and Nate Diaz somewhat kept it alive in a way, and now Tyson Fury versus Francis Ngannou will continue the tradition of bouts we seemingly know the outcome of, but pay MMA fighters well.
Many of the modern MMA fighters grew up with a form of the UFC/MMA existing. The MMA legend, Ken Shamrock did not, he helped start it from the ground up. Now Shamrock is promoting Bare Knuckle shows in Florida as his second show of Valor Bare Knuckle, and the first since the COVID-19 pandemic hit - will occur on October 27th in Jacksonville, Florida. Shamrock is getting back to his roots of emerging talent fighting their way up to the grand stages, not unlike what he did some years ago.
Shamrock, who was on a media tour for his upcoming event which has a secretive heavyweight bout that he can’t tell us who it is, but is giddy about already, weighed in on why fighters like Sean O’Malley who recently called out Gervonta Davis or Francis Ngannou, who will face Tyson Fury will struggle against elite professional boxers.
“I think people have to truly understand, and it is really difficult because most people are not training in it, right, there watching from far away or amateurs trying to get there,” told Shamrock to ProBox TV News. “They see a guy go in MMA and say ‘that guy has great hands and can box.’ It is such a different world.”
As of recent, the newly crowned UFC champ, Sean O’Malley has called out one of the biggest draws in the sport of boxing, Gervonta Davis. It has elements of a younger generation of being Mayweather-McGregor, but also lacks the legacy component to be exactly that as both still need to fulfill their obligation to greatness to be crowned as of now. Shamrock reflected on O’Malley’s call out of Davis by referencing and looking back at history when Mayweather defeated McGregor.
“To go into a [boxing] ring and compete with the elite level of boxers when you are an MMA fighter,” said Shamrock. “Even though your hands might be tremendous. You [saw] what happened to Conor McGregor, and in my opinion, [Floyd] Mayweather carried him for a while, because Mayweather normally doesn’t sit in the pocket and allow guys to hit him, but he did in that fight.”
For Shamrock, who fought in MMA in the time of the specialist, one disciple against another, it seems Shamrock holds a very high regard for boxers and their world-class talent, and though he is not willing to write off an MMA fighter, he also doesn’t seem to be optimistic about their chances. In closing, Shamrock explained it well, as it simply seems he feels that any MMA fighter facing an elite boxer is a fish out of water.
“These guys are great MMA fighters, but when you go into an arena, and you got into someone else’s world, and they are at that one percent level, it is very difficult for you to have a shot,” said Shamrock. “Again, the puncher’s chance, but man, you got to get very lucky."
