Column: Bo Knows

As the popularity of Ultimate Fighting Championship continues to rise, some say the sport of boxing is ready to die.

I disagree.

The biggest criticism of boxing I hear from UFC fans is it's not as exciting as mixed martial arts.

If sheer brutality excites you, then that's fine, watch the UFC. Personally, I don't find it very exciting to see an unconscious man's head bouncing off the canvas from repeated blows until the referee steps in.

"In the UFC, you get caught with one good shot and it's over," local amateur boxer Danny Calhoun said. "Most of their fights don't last very long."

In boxing, you can't hit a man while he's down. That simple fact adds a whole other level of excitement that mixed martial arts can't match.

I have seen many mixed martial arts fights and probably six or seven UFC Pay-Per-Views, and I have yet to see a fight as exciting as the Jermaine Taylor vs. Kelly Pavlik boxing match which took place on Sept. 29.

The fight was for the World Boxing Organization and World Boxing Council middleweight title belts. It pitted an unbeaten, yet unproven, 25-year-old Kelly Pavlik (31-0, 27 knock outs) against the undefeated middleweight champion of the world, Jermaine Taylor (27-0-1, 17 KOs).

The two boxers began the fight trading haymakers. In the second round Taylor caught Pavlik with a sharp right and then a flurry of punches sent the challenger to the canvas.

Pavlik got back up but another flurry of punches sent him staggering.

At that point, I thought Taylor was going to retain his titles, yet slowly but surely, Pavlik started to get his feet back under him and land some punches. By the time the bell signaled the end of the round, Pavlik was back in the fight.

Pavlik looked like he was getting stronger as the fight went on and his punches started to take a toll on Taylor. Then, in the seventh round, Pavlik caught Taylor with a straight right hand that sent the champ reeling into the corner.

Pavlik came alive when Taylor got hurt and threw punches non-stop until Taylor slumped back onto the ropes and the Referee stepped in to stop the fight.

In UFC, fights like that don't happen. Under the mixed martial arts rules when Pavlik went down in the second round, Taylor would have jumped on him and rained down punches until he stopped moving.

If that fight had been in the UFC it wouldn't have been nearly as exciting. First of all, we would have never had the chance to see Kelly Pavlik's incredible heart and will to survive.

Having a fight between two boxers who have never been beaten before adds to the excitement and build-up to the fight. The UFC has no undefeated champions. Boxing has many.

In fact, there will be two more intriguing match-ups between undefeated fighters by the end of the year. On Saturday, HBO will televise a fight between Mikkel Kessler (39-0, 29 KOs) and Joe Calzaghe (43-0, 32 KOs) for the World Boxing Association and WBC super middleweight titles. Then on Dec. 8, the WBC welterweight title is on the line when Floyd Mayweather Jr. (38-0, 24 KOs) takes on Ricky Hatton (43-0, 31 KOs).

Boxing will never die. It will always be around because it is a global sport. Boxers like Manny Pacquiao from the Philippines and Ricky Hatton from England don't just fight for money, they fight for the honor of their country.

Just think how exciting it is in fights when entire countries are pulling for their fighter. The UFC just can't match that kind of significance.

Think Bo don't know? E-mail Bo at jesseeba@email.uc.edu.