You know why people go to boxing matches, don't you? It's certainly not to admire the finesse and technique of the fighters. It's to see two guys beat the bejeezuz out've each other and watch the blood fly. The same is true of car races. Sure, some people are really there because they want to admire the fine pieces of machinery the racers drive, but the majority of spectators are there to watch some poor guy inadvertently smash his vehicle into the wall, flip it three times, and...well, you get the picture.
You know why people go to boxing matches, don't you? It's certainly not to admire the finesse and technique of the fighters. It's to see two guys beat the bejeezuz out've each other and watch the blood fly. The same is true of car races. Sure, some people are really there because they want to admire the fine pieces of machinery the racers drive, but the majority of spectators are there to watch some poor guy inadvertently smash his vehicle into the wall, flip it three times, and...well, you get the picture.
I guess people really haven't changed much from the days of the gladiators, after all.
The title of this article was once on a sign that I had posted in my training hall. A lot of students didn't even notice it and even fewer probably gave much thought to what it inferred.
Back in the 1970's the martial arts media, hungry as they always were for something to write about, started up a series of articles on "boxing vs. karate." The naturally led to a bout between a former pro boxer and a well-known karateist ("Monster Man" Everett Eddy out of Chicago). The karate-loving public thought that this would finally settle the dispute...but they should've looked at the rules:
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Both men had to wear regulation boxing gloves
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Eddy had to wear padded footgear, too.
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No kicking below the waist, and only so many kicks per round.
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No strikes using the elbows, knees, edge of the hand, or backfist.
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No throws.
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etcetera, ad nauseam.
It became immediately clear to me that Eddy had walked into a "lose-lose" situation. He wasn't allowed to use most of his karate techniques and was forced to fight by boxing rules. It didn't take the boxer long to knock him on his butt and win the match. And the crowd went wild...the boxer had won! So there was the proof~! Boxing was superior to karate!!!
In a pig's eye.
Karate and kung-fu were never intended to be sports. The traditional forms didn't train to fight by "rules." The objective was to dispatch your opponent as quickly as possible (which is a politcally correct way of saying that you killed him). Early attempts to "sportify" these martial arts were nearly disastrous. Contestants, even those who won, often went home with broken bones and in some cases, internal injuries.
You simply cannot strike another human being at full tilt boogie with a karate or kung-fu technique and expect him to get back to his feet because if he does, your technique needs work.
Let's face it. Fencing is hardly the same thing as actual combat with sabers (the fencing foil is a sporting version of the saber). And kendo is a mere shadow of its mother, kenjutsu. Kendo is for fun. Kenjutsu is for killing. This is why there are no kenjutsu matches.
These "Boxing vs. Karate" bouts are like having "Fencing vs. Kenjutsu" matches, but forcing the kenjutsu competitors to fight by European fencing rules. The outcome would pretty much be guaranteed...
Yet, the karateists of the 70's let themselves get suckered into fighting by rules. The "karate vs. boxing" bout ultimately led to "full contact karate" (which was neither full contact, nor was it karate). The rules for "full contact karate" and professional boxing were disturbingly similar. And it didn't take long for the karate competitors to realize that the padded gloves changed the impact surface of their punches...and they started throwing boxing punches.
Of course, backfist strikes, knife-hand strikes, and numerous other common karate and kung-fu techniques weren't allowed.
This eventually led the development of the UFC events which allow grappling as well as striking techniques.
But these are not martial arts. They are sports. They use rules. The true effectiveness of a martial art cannot be measured as long as its practitioners are forced to utilize rules. So, many teachers and practitioners of these arts simply refuse to enter into the "games." Wise choice.
Both karate and kung-fu were developed and practiced as bare-handed disciplines. There were never any groin cups, body armor, hand or foot pads...and consider the number of combat-effective techniques that were forbidden for use in the competition arena:
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No kicks below the belt. Rats. Ever see a sports fighter protect his knees?
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No striking with the elbows or knees (except in muay thai).
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No backfist strikes (which are wonderful for quick, unexpected strikes), spear-hands, or strikes with the edges of the hands!!!
Good grief. Eliminate all of that stuff and what you have certainly ISN'T a martial art! A sport maybe, but not a martial art.
In closing, I'd like to relate a true story involving a karate teacher with whom I'd worked several times named Hidy Ochiai. Hidy was from Japan; a sixth dan when I knew him and very, very good. He has a school in upstate New York and one of his senior students decided that he wanted to go into kickboxing.
He left Hidy's school and entered the world of "sport karate" and did exceedingly well. Eventually, he came to believe that he knew more than his teacher so he went back to Hidy's school and told him that his "traditional" karate was so much hogpoop. And he issued a challenge to his former teacher.
Hidy accepted.
The day of the big match came and the arena was filled to capacity. After all, this match would pit a REAL karate master against a ranking kickboxer. And Hidy had never worn padded gloves or footgear before. Not ever. He put them on and kind of stumbled around, trying to get the feel of them.
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The match started. His student was cautious at first but it soon became clear that Hidy wasn't in his element with the gloves and footgear in place. His student closed in for the knockout, but Hidy managed to deftly avoid him and wasn't hit at all. And the round ended.
When the bell sounded for the second round, Hidy's student gave it all he had. He chased his former teacher around the ring, but Hidy bobbed and weaved and managed to avoid being hit. He didn't fire a punch or kick, however. And the bell sounded, ending the second round.
When the third round began, Hidy jumped to his feet and the two fighters met in the center of the ring. Suddenly, Hidy drove in with a classical reverse punch to the body of his student. The kid went down hard and didn't get up. He was unconscious. >From the sounding of the bell to the knockout, it had taken Hidy less than five seconds to drop his opponent.
When the newscaster asked why Hidy had waited until the third round to take out his younger foe (Hidy was in his late 40's at the time), he said that he wanted the spectators to get their money's worth. He was afraid they'd be upset if he ended the fight in the first few seconds of the first round!
Needless to say, his student gave up "full contact karate" and came home.
Philosophy and Opinion 
You know why people go to boxing matches, don't you? It's certainly not to admire the finesse and technique of the fighters. It's to see two guys beat the bejeezuz out've each other and watch the blood fly. The same is true of car races. Sure, some people are really there because they want to admire the fine pieces of machinery the racers drive, but the majority of spectators are there to watch some poor guy inadvertently smash his vehicle into the wall, flip it three times, and...well, you get the picture. 
series of articles on "boxing vs. 
Let's face it. Fencing is hardly the same thing as actual combat with sabers (the fencing foil is a sporting version of the saber). And kendo is a mere shadow of its mother, kenjutsu. Kendo is for fun. Kenjutsu is for killing. This is why there are no kenjutsu matches.
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