It’s an age old question that needs to be addressed.

It’s an argument that has been raging ever since the UFC first introduced the masses to mixed martial arts in 1993. The event saw fighters from different disciplines travel from all over the world to prove which martial arts was the best. The concept was straight out of a Jean-Claude Van Damm movie. It was insane to think that such a wild scenario would eventually transform into one of the fasting growing sports of the 21st century. In terms of combat sports, boxing was once the only option we had as fans of pugilism. With the introduction of MMA it gave fans of other styles something to appreciate. For boxing purist it gave them a new sport to scrutinize. Now you may have read that title and expect to see a technical breakdown on the difference between the two martial arts disciplines and philosophies. Maybe it’s something I’ll touch on at some point, but for now this is more of a response to a recent boxing match announcement than anything else. In April, IBF and WBA Middleweight champion Gennady “GGG” Golovkin will be battling a man not named Canelo Alvarez. Yeah, dumb, I know. For those of you who don’t know Golovkin is pretty much the modern day version of Mike Tyson, knocking out ninety percent of the men who choose to face him in the ring. He has crushed his competition and proved himself to be a real threat to any middleweight boxer out there. Canelo Alvarez has also proven himself to be a talented boxer with some considerable punching power and slick skills. Both are middleweight champions at the height of their powers. For this reason alone it’s a great fight to put together for the fans. So obviously that means that the fight has to be delayed. For one reason or another Alvarez and Golovkin will not be facing each other in their next matches. Rather than putting together the fights the fans want to see, big business is getting involved in order to milk a potential match up between the two world beaters. There’s money to be made in the interim and rather than put together the fight when both men are in their prime, the world at large will have to wait until boxing promoters deem the time is right for the middleweight champs to face each other. This is where boxing is losing to MMA. It’s all about supply and demand in this day and age. If you’re not willing to give the people what they want then fans will likely become disgruntled with the product. The major difference is in the philosophies of the business practices. Where boxing looks to build the absolute best match by building up fighter’s resumes with a plethora of opponents, both worthy and unworthy alike, MMA or the more accurately the UFC is looking to put on the fights that the fans are clamoring for. Boxing is more about showing off marquee names while UFC focuses more on a supply and demand frame work. People wanted to see Jose Aldo fight Conor McGregor and they got exactly what they asked for this past December. People want to see a Golovkin/Alvarez bout, but because “there’s not enough money in it” or “it’s too difficult to promote” fans are unlikely to see that match up for quite some time. It makes things more complicated as calling either man the middleweight champion is both correct and a fallacy all at once. A fighter should not only focus on how much many they’ll be making for their bout, but the legacy they leave behind. Alvarez’s camp has gone on record that Golovkin isn’t a money fight and though business is certainly an important role in combat sports, a fighter shouldn’t let go of the idea of being the best in the world and proving it with legitimate victories over high caliber opponents. So sure, boxing may have a rich history, it may be called the sweet science, but if they continue to use the method that ruined the hype of the Pacquiao vs Mayweather bout, then we’ll continue to see decline in the interest of boxing. Until then mixed martial arts will continue to grow in popularity as it provides the match ups that fans want to see. Is it possible to enjoy both MMA and boxing? Let us know in the comments and forums. Also, be sure to follow Generation Iron MMA on Facebook and Twitter. Jonathan Salmon is a writer, martial arts instructor and geek culture enthusiast. Follow him on Twitter and keep up with his latest exploits.