When I watch some of the classic fights that are hosted here on Totalvid, I want to be there. Those fights from the 60s and 70s seem like such social events. Boxing is traditionally considered a sport for those with an abundance of testosterone, but if you look at the crowds in those black and white films, you’ll see plenty of women there all gussied-up for a night out. It was like the opera. But now, what was once a nationally televised and watched sport, ingrained in the fabric of our national culture, boxing is on the decline in a big way.

There are a lot of reasons why the boxing of today is no longer the boxing of yore. The sport saw it’s heyday in the 60s/70s with superstars like Muhammad Ali, Sonny Liston, Sugar Ray Leonard and then again in the late 80s/early 90s with figures like George Foreman, Evander Holyfield and yes – Mike Tyson. (Even though Iron Mike has had a troubled past, he is still widely considered one of the most aggressive and successful fighters of all time.) Coupled with those explosive personalities was an ample amount of press. These fights got massive broadcasts on national television stations. NBC, CBS, ABC all played host to boxing over the years, most notably ABC’s Wide World of Sports Boxing Broadcasts.

These days, you’re lucky to even see a title fight on ESPN. America’s top three sports (football, basketball, baseball) have procured a monopoly on television and have pushed boxing to the back of the room. With no air time readily available to the national public who don’t purchase pay-per-view, boxing prowess (and its stars) are fighting a losing bout with anonymity. What was once a national past time is now only available on Showtime.

In lieu of this unfortunate collapse, one sport has made the best of it. Mixed Martial Arts fighting is currently on a whirlwind of hype with major fan followings in Asia, the UK, South America, and America. Although folks more accustomed to boxing’s majesty (it was called the “gentleman’s sport”) – its lilt, its tenuous ebb and flow – are a bit put off by the brutality of MMA fighting, there is a new generation of bloodthristy MMA junkies that have come seemingly out of the blue. This younger generation never had boxing as a prominent sport. Even I, in my mid-20s, can still remember all of the hoopla surrounded the Tyson vs. Holyfield fight when Tyson bit off a piece of Holyfield’s ear. That was in 1997 and a long time before I was a potential consumer, or fan, of boxing. The generation that could enjoy, appreciate and support boxing in its second golden era has moved on. Since the late-90s, American champions have fizzled out of the running for major boxing titles too. The current heavyweight champion is British and the internationally-recognized best boxer in the world is Filipino-born and bred Manny Pacquiao. These days, there’ s not much in the way of American icons in the world of boxing.

MMA on the other hand is chock full of Amercian bad boys. Tito Ortiz, Chuck Lidell, Randy Couture, Bob Sapp, and Kimbo Slice just to name a few have become household names in the cage, on national TV, on Youtube and on the big screen. Most recently, you can see Quinton “Rampage” Jackson alongside superstars like Bradley Cooper and Liam Neeson in 2010s “The A-Team”. MMA has not only become a sport, but its own brand. The same way Everlast has become a boxing icon, MMA gear like Affliction, Tapout, Strikeforce, and No Fear have become legitimate enterprises that have moved beyond the boundaries of the sport and into the wide world of fashion.

Forst Griffin, pictured blocking a kick to the head.

But what really accounts for the rise in MMA popularity? Certainly it’s not because of the clothes associated with it or how many movie stars the sport spawns. Personally, I think it has to do with the sport’s inherent violence. People like the subversive and when MMA came out to the public, there was some serious backlash as to whether these cage fights should even be broadcast on television. People watched those fights for the same reason that folks slow down at the scene of an accident on the roadways. As the risk of greater injury increases, the more people want to see it (though some may argue that MMA fight regulations and rules actually makes it a “safer” sport than boxing, I’m still open to the debate).

That’s why MMA is on the rise: It gives people something new, something fresh to watch for in the combat world. Where boxing can only allow punches to the head and body and repetitive tie-ups, MMA has all kinds to possibilities with kicks and grappling. There’s a whole new database of tactics, strategies and disciplines that go into MMA fighting. It seems that people simply find it more intriguing to watch. As the younger generation needs more and more stimulation to keep them interested, MMA rises to fill that spot. The focus, mechanics, and endurance of boxers has been replaced by the rather powerful spectacle of MMA. Whether you are down with the trends or not, this is the way things are going.

And in the same way that MMA has taken over, so the Totalvid.com library reflects the current trends of the world of combat sports. There’s a HUGE selection of MMA how-to, combative videos, fights and instruction from some of the biggest names in the world. As for boxing – we offer you the classic fights: Ali, Quarry, and Liston. I’m no boxer, but I’m going to do my part to preserve the sport of boxing, simply by watching and remembering that the golden age of boxing is forever a part of American culture, no matter how big MMA gets.

You can find all that Totalvid has to offer in the way of MMA below!

And check out our classic fights!