He added “Floyd (Mayweather) isn’t a puncher so what would he do if he hit the guy and didn’t move him? Floyd can’t run around the ring trying to box the guy because he’s not going to be able to keep him off for long. It’s a different ball game completely and he’ll take Floyd down, twist his arm, twist his leg and that would be it, fight over.”

McCullough, 37, became a spokesman for Dana White’s UFC outfit last year and feels that the constant battle between the two fighting codes is unnecessary. He feels that, like him, you can love both and that the comparisons between the two are foolish.

“To me they are two different sports. It’s like comparing Rugby with American Football, they have similarities but you can support both.”

The UFC has been perceived by some as a long term threat to boxing and, while Wayne does not see things this way, he believes he knows why, until last years resurgence, boxing was flagging.

“There are too many promoters in boxing, too many titles and it was becoming a circus act. It’s all politics and the enjoyment was being taken away. The top guys fought each other last year because they had to.

“The promotion in the UFC is unbelievable. They treat the fighters incredibly, whether they’re champions or up and comers. When I go to UFC fights in Vegas or anywhere, they always have the fighters sitting ringside. When you go to a boxing event you might see one or two of the top guys but the ordinary boxers living in the city will stay at home and watch the fights.”

Mixed martial arts (MMA) has its roots in the ancient Greek sport of pankration, which combined elements of boxing and wrestling to form perhaps the most popular Olympic sport of its time. As sensibilities changed and people tired of the violence, it gave way to wrestling, and remained dormant until the 20th century.

The modern version of the sport stems from Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu, largely developed by the Gracie family in Rio de Janeiro in the 1920s.

Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu (BJJ) focuses largely on ground fighting, emphasizing striking, grappling and leverage.

The family spawned the sport’s first modern star: Royce Gracie won three of the first four UFC tournaments in the early 1990s, defeating much larger opponents in the days before weight classes were established.

Modern MMA, originally devised as a way to settle the perpetual argument between boxers, wrestlers and martial artists over which discipline was superior, instead became a mix of the best of every combat sport.

Now, champions of wrestling, boxing, karate, kick-boxing and other sports litter most major MMA cards. WBC welterweight champ Floyd Mayweather Jr. reportedly is considering an offer to fight for Mark Cuban’s fledgling organization.

There was a push to ban the sport in the mid-1990s, led by Sen. John McCain, who famously described it as “human cockfighting.” It ultimately backfired, as it forced the UFC to adopt basic rules, revitalizing and legitimizing the sport for a mainstream audience.

UFC, the most recognizable form of MMA, was started in 1993 with a goal of determining which fighting style was the best. The format pitted the top fighters in different styles against each other.

Over the 14 years of its existence, the sport has evolved to fighters being capable in a number of fighting styles and using a combination of them during their fights. Popular styles include boxing, Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu, wrestling and Muay Thai, a Thai version of kickboxing. Fighters must be able to fight standing up, have ground control for grappling and be able to defend from takedowns.

Like boxers, MMA fighers are categorized into weight classes: lightweight (145-155 pounds), welterweight (155-170 pounds), middleweight (170-185 pounds), light heavyweight (185-205 pounds) and heavyweight (205-265 pounds).

The way to determine winners may also be similar to boxing, such as knockouts, technical knockouts and scorecard decisions made by judges. Unlike boxing, MMA fighters can also be defeated by “submission.” Fighters can admit defeat by tapping three times on the mat or their opponent, or announce that they are done.

Fighters can also be disqualified for committing fouls or illegally hurting their opponent.

WWE is so fake and the same every night I just cant watch. I think it is a shame the great and professional champs go into this cheap entertainment.. Why? Do they need the money or just expand their fan base?

Big Macc is targeting IBF cruiserweight champ Steve Cunningham and would love to take on the 31-year-old giant as chief support if Calzaghe’s highly-anticipated super-fight with Bernard Hopkins is done.

WBO champ Maccarinelli said: “Me against Cunningham would be a perfect support for Calzaghe v Hopkins.

“Both Cunningham and Hopkins were born and raised on the streets of Philadelphia and Joe and I are proud Welsh boys who want to take on the best they’ve got to offer.

“We’ll double-team them. Cunningham will fight where the money is and I’ll fight anyone, anywhere, anytime. My dream is to have a title-fight in America – I’m more than ready. It’s one of the fights out there that really excite me. Cunningham’s good but I don’t fear him.”

Haye seems to be running scared again; he likes the idea of taking on Macca but not that much.

Haye’s defeat of Jean-Marc Mormeck last week for the WBA and WBC crown was his last at cruiserweight as he admits himself he ‘struggles to make weight.’

In fact, Warren revealed: “I offered him (Haye) a no-strings attached deal to fight the Welshman on the undercard to Calzaghe v Kessler.

“It was more money than he got for Mormeck but he said he wanted the bigger fight. What could have been bigger than a Battle of Britain with Maccarinelli…in front of 50,000 people and screened live on HBO in the United States?

Macca remains coy on a potential match with Haye but he did admit: “Me against Haye is the biggest, most exciting and potentially attractive fight in Britain today bar none.”

Former world heavyweight champion Mike Tyson has arguably become one of the most pitiful personalities in sport.

It was apparent when Tyson travelled to Britain for speaking engagements last year. He made few friends and upset many admirers when he turned against the sport that had made him rich and famous.

“I hate boxing,” Tyson told the Brits. “It has been the cause of all my troubles.”

A week later, he was guest of honour at an amateur box-and-dine show outside London. Looking relaxed and happy, he couldn’t hide his excitement while watching the bouts .

I just cant imagine having such opportunities as Mike did and completlely blowing it. Hot wife, big bucks and a social status of king of the ring. Now he is broke, a rapist and famous ear biter.

Although Tyson now blames boxing for all his troubles, much of the pain has been self- inflicted. No sooner had he returned to the US than he was arrested for driving under the influence in Arizona.

He later admitted to possessing cocaine when he was stopped for driving erratically in Scottsdale on December 29. He faces up to four years in prison when he is sentenced on Monday next week .

Tyson still denies raping beauty queen Desiree Washington and passes off many of his other indiscretions with a shrug.

Asked to comment on Fransie Botha’s claim that he attempted to break his arm in their Las Vegas fight, Tyson merely said with a smile: “That’s correct.”

Nor has anyone forgotten his threat to tear out the heart of Lennox Lewis and to eat his children. The British Boxing Board of Control were so horrified they decided not to allow Tyson to box in Britain again. After all, this was the same man who was banned from boxing after he bit off a piece of Evander Holyfield’s ear.

Mike has just got to be crazy. Or its the punch drunk result of a life of being hit. Then again mix it in with alcohol, drugs and who knows what. The result is  - Mike Tyson.

Another sad story is that of “Prince” Naseem Hamed:

The former world boxing champion “Prince” Naseem Hamed has been stripped of his MBE following his 15-month prison sentence for dangerous driving.The London Gazette, which records honours and is an official newspaper of the Crown, said: “The Queen has directed that the appointment of Naseem Hamed to be a Member of the Civil Division of the Most Excellent Order of the British Empire, dated 31 December 1998, shall be cancelled and annulled and that his name shall be erased from the Register of the said Order

I remember seeing Mike in the early days and also the hype around his fights. Big hits, weaving and bobbing and his constant knock-outs within the first round. He was incredible and worthy of fear and respect. Now it is just shame and regret. So sad.

Thanks largely to three books — Fire and Fear, Bad Intentions and Blood Season — Tyson’s inner thoughts and sexual prowess first became public knowledge in 1989.

But while all three books revealed Tyson’s appetite for sex, the most damning was written by his former friend Jose Torres.

Tyson, I suspect, has always needed a father figure to give him guidance (D’Amato legally adopted him when he became his trainer) and when Jacobs and D’Amato died, Tyson turned to others, including Torres and promoter Don King, but with disastrous results.

Nowadays, Tyson feels so unwanted in the US he often expresses a desire to “go back to his roots”.

South African promoter Lionel Kubheka picked up the vibes four years ago and offered Tyson the opportunity to be inducted into the Zulu tribe. Kubheka got permission from the Zulu royal household to make the offer but while Tyson expressed a keen interest , nothing came of it.

Instead, Mike continues to put down himself and his sport and faces yet another term in prison.

“It’s the Stanley Cup of boxing in B.C.,” Bayne said of the award, meant to recognize lasting and significant contributions to the sport. “It’s really something to win it.”

Bayne, 65, is the second Prince George person to win the Mann award. The other, fittingly, was Mann’s own father and coach, Irving, who passed away in 1978.

Bayne and Mann are close friends, so Mann was thrilled to find out Bayne was this year’s winner.

“They say it’s one of the most sought-after awards in B.C. for (people who) donate their time to boxing, and I feel so good about Boyd getting it,” said the 69-year-old Mann.

Bayne’s involvement in local boxing began shortly after the Lions Athletic Club closed its doors in 1958. With Lions Club dollars, a new gym was built in the basement of Prince George’s original Civic Centre. Bayne’s father, Reg, was a key figure in the construction of the new facility, and Bayne himself was also on hand to help with the project.

“I was just a youngster at that time, and I don’t know how much help I was,” Bayne said with a laugh. “But I did participate and help build it, along with the other Lions members.”

The gym became the home of the Spruce Capital Boxing Club.

Bayne’s father had a love for boxing, so Bayne was a regular around the gym. In 1967, Mann brought a Canadian championship tournament to Prince George and asked Bayne to help out as a timekeeper. Bayne willingly stepped forward to volunteer.

By the late 1970s, Mann told Bayne he needed some help running the Spruce Capital club. Bayne again filled Mann’s request for assistance. Bayne brought along his eight-year-old son, Allan, who began his own boxing career at that time and went on to become a nine-time B.C. champion.

Bayne — even though he never had a single amateur fight himself — became head coach at Spruce Capital and held the job for two decades. With Spruce Capital teams, he traveled from one end of Canada to the other, and even into the United States.

“In all, I produced a lot of good fighters in Prince George,” Bayne said. “When the Spruce Capital Boxing Club went to fight, they knew we were there. They always asked, ‘How do you produce such good athletes?’”

Finally tiring out, Bayne stepped away from the club about seven years ago but has stayed close to the sport as a ringside official.

“I’m very, very happy where I am right now,” he said. “I still see all the athletes and I’m meeting the coaches all of the time. We just came back from (a fight card) in Revelstoke a couple weekends ago. So we still get to go around quite a bit.”

Armando Garcia, the California State Athletic Commission’s executive officer, said Toney and Danny Batchelder, his opponent in a heavyweight bout May 24 in San Jose, tested positive for two types of steroids. They were suspended indefinitely.

“They have a right to appeal,” Garcia said Wednesday. “My recommendation is suspension until the end of the licensing year and a $2,500 fine for both. We will give them the 30 days to appeal. If they don’t, that’s what the suspension will be.”

Toney tested positive for boldenone and stanazolol, and Batchelder tested positive for stanazolol and oxandolone, Garcia said. If they don’t appeal, the boxers would be suspended one year from the date of their fight.

Toney won a split decision over Batchelder, an outcome that won’t be changed, Garcia said. Toney has a 70-6-3 record with 43 knockouts and Batchelder is 25-5-1 with 12 knockouts.

The 38-year-old Toney is a former IBF middleweight, super-middleweight and cruiserweight champion. He tested positive for nandrolone two years ago, and it cost him a victory over WBC heavyweight champion John Ruiz. That bout was ruled a no-contest.

Siriporn Thaweesuk was released on parole from the women’s prison in Pathum Thani province, 35 kilometres north of Bangkok, three years before the end of her seven-year sentence for selling amphetamines.

Siriporn - or Samson Sor Siriporn as she is known in the ring - defeated Japan’s Ayaka Miyano for the title in a prison yard bout in April amid cheers from other inmates and prison guards.

The decision by prison authorities to grant her parole for winning the title was not without controversy, but the boxing champion shrugged off the criticism as she left prison.

“Thanks for those who supported a convict like me,” Siriporn said at a news conference after her release. “Some may not agree but I don’t care. I am happy that there are people willing to support me. I like to thank all the officials as well.”

A first-time offender, Siriporn grew up in a poor family in the Thai capital of Bangkok, where her family made a living by selling clothes on the roadside.

After her release, Siriporn will continue to train on the prison grounds and live in a house provided by the prison authorities in a nearby compound. She will be required to report to the director of the women’s prison once a month.

The victory was her first since losing the WBC straw-weight title to Japan’s Nanako Kikuchi last year.

Siriporn’s first bout to defend her title is set for late July.

Vijender, the lone Indian to make it to the finals, lost 3-14 to Elshod in the 75kg category.

India, which sent an 11-member team to compete in the tournament, finished with one silver and six bronze medals.

The event, which saw participation from 140 pugilists from 20 countries, ended on sunday.

Overall, it was a decent show by the Indians as seven of them managed to reach the semifinals. Four of them — Diwakar Prasad (57kg), T T Singh (60kg), Dinesh (81kg) and Manpreet Singh (91kg)  were ousted at the quarter-final stage.

The bronze medallists included 2006 Melbourne Commonwealth Games gold medallist Akhil Kumar, who lost to local favourite Badar-Uugan Enkhbat on points in the 54kg category semis.

Amandeep Singh suffered a narrow defeat in the 48kg category to settle for the bronze medal.

Jitender Kumar and Manoj Kumar also managed to grab third place after making it to the 51kg and 64kg semifinals. Dilbag Singh (69kg) and Ajay Kumar (+91kg) were the other bronze medallists after being ousted at the last-four stage.

A message left on McKinn’s cell phone wasn’t immediately returned.

The 38-year-old Morrison has been attempting a comeback after an 11-year retirement following the discovery that he was HIV positive. Morrison says he has taken several HIV tests during his comeback bid and all have been negative.

“They’ve been telling me I’ve been dying for 11 years,” Morrison said Thursday.

Lang told the Republic that he witnessed tests in Phoenix in January that were reported to be negative. The tests, also witnessed by McKinn and John Montano of the Arizona State Boxing Commission, were supposed to have been the basis for a West Virginia license that allowed Morrison to fight John Castle. Morrison knocking out John Castle in the second round.

Lang told the newspaper Friday that either the documentation was fraudulent or that the blood samples were switched.

Morrison was scheduled to fight in Houston in late April, but was pulled from the bout because state boxing officials didn’t get the results of lab tests in time.

Morrison won the WBO heavyweight belt in 1993 by outpointing George Foreman, but lost the title later that year. Morrison was scheduled to fight Stormy Weathers when he tested HIV positive in February 1996

While ABAP does not seed fighters who have the best credentials in previous performances, Fortaleza said the association will now look at the boxers’ past achievements in international stints, including the Southeast Asian Games and the Asian Games.

Among those being eyed to make it to the “Magnificent Seven” of boxing’s Olympic training pool are Doha Asiad medalists Violito Payla, Joan Tipon, Genebert Basadre and Godfrey Castro.

Payla and Tipon went home with gold medals while Basadre and Castro each had a bronze medal.

The four boxers, however, have yet to be evaluated in terms of their willingness to undergo rigid training and conduct.

Four fighters — Harry Tañnamor, Romeo Brin, Chris Camat and Payla – competed in the 2004 Athens Olympics and ABAP aims to have as many boxers qualify for the Beijing Games.

“Gusto naming mas marami pa ang mga mag-qualify this time, kaya paghahandaan din talaga ang training program,” said Fortaleza.

The first Olympic qualifying, the World Amateur Boxing Championships, is scheduled on Oct. 27 to Nov. 1 in the USA.

It has been almost 11 years since the sport – and the country – snared an Olympic medal when Mansueto “Onyok” Velasco clinched silver in the 1996 Atlanta Games.