If the name “Bob Arum” sounds only vaguely familiar, that’s okay. That’s because boxing is only vaguely familiar to many younger sports fans, a demographic that has trended largely toward MMA over the last few years. But Arum’s a fight promoter, one who’s been in the business for decades, and is in charge of the Pacquiao-Cotto fight coming up this November.
(Granted, Melvin Costa’s tattoos really aren’t doing MMA any favors on this one.)
As you can imagine, Arum doesn’t hold MMA in very high regard. He’s also a very senior citizen who “grew up in a different era,” as polite people often say, and when pressed to elucidate his disdain for MMA, unleashed some ridiculously offensive comments, the likes of which you’d never hear from high-ranking people in any sport but boxing. Or, um, MMA. Video is below.
If you don’t feel like wasting almost nine minutes on some old guy, don’t worry. Here’s the pertinent stuff, courtesy of FANHOUSE:
[H]is harshest words were saved for MMA, as Arum said the sport looks like “guys rolling around like homosexuals on the ground” and called MMA fans “a bunch of skinhead white guys.
Oh, old people’s sensibilities. Is there anything you don’t make worse?
But that’s really what it comes down to. Arum is old. The things he’s saying are the way people used to insult other people. Now, for many people, “gay” is just a non-sequitur.
Because really, Arum’s comments would ring true if they were based in anything but senile fear. The UFC and everything else aren’t so weird people can get boners, and it’s not “white guys vs. black guys and this is for all the marbles, black people win and Obama gets another four years” or any of that nonsense. It’s about beating the hell out of your opponent with your bare hands. It’s about the fight, and that’s that.
Now, people are going to clamor for Dana White to issue a response, and they’ll want it to be spiteful and aggressive, because that’s what people want from Dana White. Like he’s a testosterone machine and he’d better produce. If White’s really savvy, though, he’ll let Arum swing from his own rope and just plain dismiss him. He doesn’t need F-bombs and high volume or anything. He knows Arum’s on the losing end; all that’s left is to point it out calmly, then move on.
12:37 pm on September 11th, 2009
Gay wrestling is a big hit with the nazis.
1:42 pm on September 11th, 2009
Some fights are very good. Most are what Bob Arum says they are: two guys pretending to fight but are just trying to smell each other’s crotch. Blah!
2:56 pm on September 11th, 2009
He is right…..sort of,
What people dont see that dont follow ALL types of MMA events is
at the lower level MMA shows the ballroom events and the county fair events and smaller promotions it has turned into gang members and skin heads, alot of skin heads.
have you noticed the sudden endorsements and connections to MMA guys and Metal Mulisha..know racist skin leader Brian Deegan now hangs out with a lot of MMA guys.
There have been smaller events closed down due to the violence brought on by the skinheads in the audience lately, we dont hear about it much due to they are smaller events.
There are 5 well known skins contracted to the UFC, WEC and strikeforce. right now,
Dana white has told them to separate themselves from that crap in the arena because its not good for the brand,
Just look at a few of these guys corner men, full of racist tat sleeves.
Skins come to these fights in large groups, they love the sport and theyll do anything to get close to a top name fighter.
Bob Arum maybe old but this is an issue people have danced around for years in MMA and now its come to light over the past year and a half, youll see more and more racist tats showing up on fighters, the skins desperately want there own displayed as strong and powerful.
dont look for it within UFC, look at the smaller shows.
11:25 pm on September 11th, 2009
Old guy doesn’t like the product……..I’m not an old guy and I feel the same way
2:36 pm on September 12th, 2009
Gotta agree with Arum on this one. I’ve been saying MMA is gay for years now.
I’ll take the sweet science over men rolling around on each other any day…….
5:47 pm on September 12th, 2009
Breatheze, I’d love to see any top level boxer throw a right cross after someone out of shape (me) and training 2 years of BJJ (me) destroys his ACL and MCL in a heel hook. That’s about how useful this sweet science is.
9:15 pm on September 12th, 2009
wow boxing fans are sad, i can respect if someone doesnt like the sport, too violent or whatever, but for someone to say boxers are better and mma fighters have no skill is just ignorant. At least some mma fighters could mesh in a boxing match or kickboxing match and do very well. Any boxer would be destroyed in an mma fight with someone of comparable skill. there is so much more types of skills involved in mma, its the best of all martial arts and fighting techniques, boxing, wrestling, jui-jitsu, muay thai, etc. that it takes way more overall skill and athleticism to become good, much less great at so many disciplines. And that fighters have no chins what a joke, i would love to see ANY boxer stand and trade punches with Anderson Silva with 5 ounce gloves on. Plus the long term health effects of boxing are way worse than mma taking so many sucssesive concussions is way worse for your brain, look at old boxers and old mma fighters, randy couture anyone. I got no problem with people that think the sport isnt for them or just dont like or understand it but the rest of you haters that cant even comprehend the sport and run your mouths because you grew up loving boxers and now you see there are way more badass, talented fighters in the world that compete in real, raw fights, you can go **** your selves.
12:30 am on September 13th, 2009
hang with me on this one a bit, but his comments were racists. MMA for the most part is more of a science than boxing. If you dont understand it or try to, you then turn to fear and say discouraging things about it. Therefore racist. Bob does not understand ju-jitsu so he turned to fear and be-rated it by calling it 2 homosexuals rolling around. And almost in the same breath kisses Frank and Dana’s ass. How typical of this generation. (that was supposed to be a racist joke!?!?) And to say that MMA fighters dont have chins they need to watch the Clay Guida and Diego Sanchez fight and eat some crow. Or maybe Matt Hughs vs Frank Trigg 2 fight. MMA is much more technical than boxing (LOL sweet science). The long term brain damage boxers suffer is just sad, they need to use 4 ounce gloves. Maybe that would bring a little excitement to boxing.
3:18 am on September 13th, 2009
You ladies are so sensitive.
8:58 pm on September 13th, 2009
I can understand why Arum was so derogatory regarding mma, its racist, homosexual agenda is siphoning fans from boxing, and has essentially sounded the death knell for the sport. Goodbye boxing, say hello to the 20th Century for us….
11:18 pm on September 13th, 2009
Sweet science? Really, watching boxing is like watching Transformers II on blue ray on a 13″ black and white TV with mono sound…it SUCKS.
What does boxing offer but 13 rounds of dudes hitting each other with pillows on their hands and horrible exchanges. Boxing is dead; lets bury it in a nice plot on the hill, put flowers on its grave once a year, and remember it at Christmas.
Arum is an idiot, he proves it everytime he opens his mouth and comments on a sport he has no clue about. He would be best to shut up and let his sport fade away with some class; instead he resorts to 1st grade cut downs…good job.
12:24 am on September 14th, 2009
I’m 42 and white as hell. I’m a bit bothered by authors on this site routinely dissing old people and old white guys in particular. Ageism, racism, sexism, xenophobia. Whatever. Dissing people in these ways is wrong in every instance.
9:38 am on September 14th, 2009
That is pretty lame degrading probably the toughest sporting event out there next to good old fashioned wrestling/BJJ. I have tons of respect for boxers as well as any other athlete, but I feel that boxing is not what it used to be and never will be again.
12:19 am on September 15th, 2009
I have an idea, mayweather vs silva, 3rounds mma then 3 rounds boxing, what I think should happen is all of the best boxing coaches should coach the mma fighters so their punching and hand skills r amazing, instead of comparing boxing to mma they should join them, all the cage fights would be way better, don’t get me wrong they r kick ads as they r now but just saying
12:38 pm on September 17th, 2009
eh who cares what some old fart thinks? hes irrelevant
7:42 pm on September 17th, 2009
How much skill can be possibly found in dry humping someone on the ground. Just because all you wannabes put on tapout and affliction shirts you think you’re fucking hard. Go to Wild card gym and spar with some of those guys. And don’t say “oh well if i get them to the ground i’d pound their ass, and I’m sure would and you’d like it you fairies. Be a man stand and fight with do you go down only bitches go down if you know what i mean. Stand and throw punches That’s the main emphasis of fighting isn’t it and i mean throw punches with skill not like some jackass just throwing haymakes. I’ve haven’t heard one mma queer say so and so would knock him out if he got in the octagon instead you say they’ll take him down and submit him it’s not ultimate submission championship it’s ultimate fighting. The UFC is not the next big thing trust me they dont have a mike tyson, roberto duran, holyfield, lewis, hopkins, jones, delahoya. You have randy coutoure, lidell, and gracie they’re not internationally known. Except for gracie oh and you have brock lesnar and it’s because he was in wwe. Yeah jiu jitsu is great kick boxing is great as a discipline. But if a guy walks up to you in a bar and throws punches you mean to tell me your going to try to get him in an arm bar and make him tap no you’re going to smash his face in with your hands like a man.
Greg is Gay, Joel is Gay and Mark is Gay hey i see why you guys call it ground and pound.
7:46 pm on September 17th, 2009
Oh and spar is gay and shows he has now balls because he won’t stand and fight an he’s a bitch because he resorts to a heel hook what a coward and man who can’t stand and fight is a coward
1:23 pm on September 21st, 2009
Tony where did you learn how to write and spell? I would love to throw HAYMAKES at your sorry self!! By the way UFC doesnt have any of the boxers you named because they are all RETIRED you know nothing you TOUGH guy!! Sounds like someone got picked on thier whole life you LOSER!!!