Francis wanted to do boxing inc he arrived to France. If I am right Lopez convinced him to do MMA. He obviously is one of the all time greats, but if he started with boxing he could earn more and who knows how far he could go? Just loose thought. I don't know what to think about his fight with Fury, very confusing to me
Did Lopez screw up convincing Francis to do MMA instead of boxing?
- Thread starter michi972
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Francis got popular through the UFC. Not sure that would have happened had he started off in boxing
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Francis became a world champion in MMA so I'm gonna say no.
Who knows where Francis could've been in boxing if he started 10 years ago. Good chance he would've been derailed on the rise up before he came anywhere close to getting an opportunity to face someone of Tyson Fury's level in the sport.
Who knows where Francis could've been in boxing if he started 10 years ago. Good chance he would've been derailed on the rise up before he came anywhere close to getting an opportunity to face someone of Tyson Fury's level in the sport.
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I would say no.
Had he gone straight to boxing he'd have had to go thru amateur fights, low level crap, worse pay than he got in MMA, and mightve made it, might not have.
He got to instead go to MMA, and jump straight into the big boxing leagues where he'll get at least two major money fights, and potentially a lot more if he performs well each time.
His UFC/MMA background allowed him to jump a huge line.
Had he gone straight to boxing he'd have had to go thru amateur fights, low level crap, worse pay than he got in MMA, and mightve made it, might not have.
He got to instead go to MMA, and jump straight into the big boxing leagues where he'll get at least two major money fights, and potentially a lot more if he performs well each time.
His UFC/MMA background allowed him to jump a huge line.
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Francis looked great, but Fury most likely crapped the bed, he was shameful. 
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Someone like Lewis, who hits hard and makes scary faces, would have been a serious setback in boxing.
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Francis would have been a nobody if he stayed with boxing. And that’s the one part I really hate about this shit. If these people were actual boxers. We wouldn’t know their names. And yet they are cashing in on the names they made in the UFC.
They don’t deserve these fights. Boxing thinks mma fighters are a joke. And for the most part they are, in BOXING. Especially with shit like the Pauls. They never put in what real boxers had to. Yes, training seriously for a few years is no joke. But they are a joke in boxing.
UFC names.. Internet personalities.. You Tubers.
But when the lowest rung of boxing pays worse than the UFC does. I bet people that have spent years upon years trying to be real boxers. And they see people put in one TC of boxing getting paid more than they will make in their entire lifetimes. That must seem very unfair.
Ngannou would be a nobody if he did not get into mma. If you don’t understand that. I don’t know what to say.
Lopez is the reason Ngannou is what he is.
They don’t deserve these fights. Boxing thinks mma fighters are a joke. And for the most part they are, in BOXING. Especially with shit like the Pauls. They never put in what real boxers had to. Yes, training seriously for a few years is no joke. But they are a joke in boxing.
UFC names.. Internet personalities.. You Tubers.
But when the lowest rung of boxing pays worse than the UFC does. I bet people that have spent years upon years trying to be real boxers. And they see people put in one TC of boxing getting paid more than they will make in their entire lifetimes. That must seem very unfair.
Ngannou would be a nobody if he did not get into mma. If you don’t understand that. I don’t know what to say.
Lopez is the reason Ngannou is what he is.
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Ngannou was running out of time, waiting queue in boxing is big and it takes longer to reach a point where big money fights are, so having success in mma helped him to reach that point like he used black hole to jump through space and time
Also losses in mma are not so career damaging like in boxing, seems Lopez advised him well
Also losses in mma are not so career damaging like in boxing, seems Lopez advised him well
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If not his MMA career, he would never have got a title fight. A boxing career is usually too slow and fighters tend to avoid themselves way too much.
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I think he made the best decision with MMA.
We have the benefit of hindsight of course to make that determination.
He is a UFC world champ and is respected for his boxing skills after being tested with arguably the best boxer of the generation and even dropping him in the 3rd all while making bank!
If that was me, and I was on my deathbed reflecting on my life. I would die with a smile on my face saying fuck yes, I made the right choices.
We have the benefit of hindsight of course to make that determination.
He is a UFC world champ and is respected for his boxing skills after being tested with arguably the best boxer of the generation and even dropping him in the 3rd all while making bank!
If that was me, and I was on my deathbed reflecting on my life. I would die with a smile on my face saying fuck yes, I made the right choices.
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Ya so he could join the long line of French HW boxing champions like...
Like ...
Like um...
Cuz the french have such a great path the HW titles LOL
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What Lopez said to convince him to go into MMA was that in the boxing world, especially in France, you needed the right connections to get anywhere...but in MMA things were a lot more wide open. And didn't Francis prove him right? You really think an illegal immigrant sleeping on the streets in Paris would end up boxing the heavyweight champion of the world any other way?
No he was right.
If he had been to boxing in France he would have had the same career as this guy:
https://boxrec.com/en/box-pro/521513
HW pro since 2009, undefeated, and yet a complete nobody. He recently went to kickboxing because his boxing career was stuck.
If he had been to boxing in France he would have had the same career as this guy:
https://boxrec.com/en/box-pro/521513
HW pro since 2009, undefeated, and yet a complete nobody. He recently went to kickboxing because his boxing career was stuck.
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How many superstar French boxers do you know of past or present?
He would have been languishing in obscurity fighting nobodies in France forever probably.
He would have been languishing in obscurity fighting nobodies in France forever probably.
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I think MMA molded Francis to what he is today. It's probably a good thing he went to MMA first. It's all meant to be.
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It was the easiest path to a Fury fight. His coach was right.
