The Crossover History of Boxing & Wrestling

Wrestling and boxing are two extremely distinct sports. Some professional boxers have, however, entered the squared circle. There has been a lot of crossover action in the shaky connection between boxing and wrestling throughout the years.

Many wrestlers had prior boxing experience. Wrestling was more advantageous to the careers of big personalities like Marc Mero and Baron Corbin. Many pros have agreed to perform as part of WWE and other wrestling organizations to attract more spectators. Most of us watch the wrestling event to see how our heroes would do.

Additionally, we also watch wrestling events to get information on how we can place our wagers. Betting sites usually offer us boxing trends and statistics that are essential in betting. You can check the best betting sites for boxing in full details here.

How crossovers started

Both sides frequently discuss fights between boxing and mixed martial arts. According to UFC president Dana White, under MMA rules, any MMA fighter would defeat Mayweather. Junior dos Santos, a former heavyweight champion of the UFC once stated to the press that he could defeat either Klitschko sibling in a straight boxing battle at one time in his career. On the boxing side, Tyson Fury has often criticized Cain Velasquez in front of the public. In a cage, the Englishman asserted that he would be able and willing to overcome the Mexican.

Anderson Silva vs. Roy Jones Jr. is another intriguing cross-over fight that has recently been discussed. The ex-pound-for-pound top two competitors had a common ambition to face off against one another using the marquess of Queensbury’s rules. But the fight hasn’t happened yet.

There is a lot to lose in crossover fights involving one or more big-name athletes. This is the greatest obstacle to a matchup between McGregor and Mayweather taking place. In combat sports, reputation, ego, and name value are hugely valuable, but nobody wants to jeopardize their possible future financial success.

Fighters could be interested in seeing how they would do against opponents from a different discipline or in a different setting. But they typically understand that the risk is too large. Dana Whites, managers, and promoters frequently have a significant impact on this process.

But occasionally, these crossover fights do occur. An athlete from one discipline will occasionally cross over into uncharted territory. Unfortunately, this is typically after the removal of the aforementioned huge barrier. There are several examples of guys who no longer have anything to lose in the history of boxing and mixed martial arts.

Popular boxing figures that have spent time in the arena of wrestling include:

Floyd Mayweather

Floyd Mayweather is well-known as “Money” in the boxing world. As a world champion boxer, he has a lengthy history of achievement both inside and beyond the ring. His impressive winning streak at the tables included a $45,000 bet on Colorado State. His entire performance was therefore remarkable in both boxing and gambling.

For a bout between Big Show and the unbeaten boxer Floyd Mayweather at WrestleMania 24, WWE landed a major deal. Mayweather’s inherent villain demeanor was always evident in boxing, and with this program, he finally carried it to the WWE universe.

Given that Mayweather is a natural wrestler, their match went better than expected. Floyd prevailed in the contest to maintain his perfect record across all sports. The exhibition match was a major factor in WrestleMania 24’s success.

Mike Tyson

Mike Tyson’s entrance into WWE was a major factor in the company’s victory against WCW in the Monday Night Wars. Tyson and Steve Austin engaged in pushing matches that were covered by the media. Tyson was still incredibly well-liked despite being the most contentious figure in boxing.

For a few weeks, Tyson was a member of D-Generation X and served as the special enforcer for the Austin vs. Shawn Michaels WrestleMania 14 main event.

The standout moment was when Tyson stunned everyone by winning the fight for Austin and eliminating Michaels. Through a knockout blow to Chris Jericho, WWE brought Tyson back years later to join DX in the face faction.

Muhammad Ali

The most well-known boxer of all time, Muhammad Ali, displayed his charisma and personality by employing numerous strategies from professional wrestling. When Ali made the transition to professional wrestling, he only made a few, but crucial, appearances.

The majority of fans will recall Ali as the special enforcer/backup referee for the Hulk Hogan and Mr. T vs. Roddy Piper and Paul Orndorff’s inaugural WrestleMania main match. A celebrity like Ali aided WWE in effectively communicating the show’s theme. Ali also had a highly publicized match in Japan versus Antonio Inoki that ended in a tie.

Ricky Hatton

A boxer made an unintentional but forgettable appearance in WWE as Ricky Hatton was backstage. In the guest host period, WWE attempted to get several celebrity guests so that the program would receive more widespread media attention.

Alongside the Bella Twins and Chavo Guerrero, Hatton made an appearance in the clip. Guerrero and Hatton got into a darts match, with Hatton handily winning. This sparked a humorous bout between the two, which Hatton also prevailed in.

Evander Holyfield

Evander Holyfield’s illustrious career elevated him to the status of a boxing legend as well as a well-known figure in the wider world of sports. Holyfield made an appearance for WWE on a Saturday Night’s Main Event program as part of the Matt Hardy vs. MVP plotline.

MVP chose Holyfield to take the place of the two wrestlers’ scheduled boxing battle. MVP berated Holyfield for not eliminating Hardy quickly enough. It resulted in the entertaining and evident moment of Holyfield eliminating MVP to a loud cheer.

Tyson Fury

Tyson Fury’s current involvement with WWE is another notable case of a well-known boxer participating in wrestling. On the debut of Smackdown on FOX, Fury made an appearance at ringside during a team match with Braun Strowman.

Before Fury hopped the guardrail to face the large man, he and Strowman exchanged words. WWE scheduled a contest between the two at Crown Jewel in Saudi Arabia. Fury is allegedly receiving an absurd $15 million in compensation for his professional wrestling debut.

Conclusion

One thing is certain based on the history of boxing and wrestling crossover. MMA competitors will keep moving from the octagon to professional wrestling. There have been plenty of fighters who have successfully switched between the two disciplines.