MMA champ Noons loses boxing bout in Cincinnati

by Scott Christ on Mar 23, 2009 1:24 AM EDT in Boxing News Analysis

I said a few days ago when official word was out that K.J. Noons (the former EliteXC 155-pound champion) would be boxing James Countryman and Matt Vanda that it would hardly surprise if Noons lost both fights. Countryman, while no super prospect or anything, is a legit fighter and Vanda, while no star, is a rugged banger that has been in with some damn good fighters.

Well, Noons lost a unanimous, six-round decision to Countryman in Cincinnati:

Noons (8-2) suffered a unanimous-decision loss to fellow middleweight Countryman (14-1) in a six-round undercard bout.

The well-matched fight proved one of the top bouts from the six-fight card, though Noons suffered losing scores of losing scores of 59-55, 58-56 and 58-56 while snapping a four-fight win streak.

...

Noons said he's not ruling out a return to MMA.

"I would love to be back in MMA and give the fans some good fights," Noons said. "I've already set my goals on the boxing. I'm taking these fights (with Countryman and Vanda), and then eventually down the road – as long as I can get my boxing up to par with my MMA – I would love to come back."

Noons seems unsure of what exactly he wants to do, but I will confidently say that he will not get his boxing up to par with his MMA if he continues to train for MMA, and if he continues to train and trains exclusively boxing, his MMA skills will slide some. To be great or even really good at one of the sports, I think you have to choose unless you're some sort of otherworldly talent, which Noons is not, which is not a slam on K.J.; top of my head I can't think of anyone we've yet seen that has "easy" crossover ability. He's really good at MMA; he's got real boxing skill, too. But trying to do both, back-and-forth, is a bad idea.

I wouldn't expect him to beat Vanda, if he winds up going through with the fight. It's currently scheduled for April 18 in Minneapolis, Vanda's backyard.

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The only MMA fighter I think that has a chance to crossover into boxing is Andrei Arlovski. He is one of the better strikers in MMA and in his bout with Fedor although he lost by KO, I think he showed his boxing is fairly good. Using his jab and good head movement to keep Fedor off balance up until the end. Arlovski made a mistake and threw a flying knee he had no right throwing and got caught flush. With four ounce gloves in MMA there is lesser room for mistake.

I don’t see Arlovski being a world champ in six months much like Freddie Roach does, but I could see him potentially being the most likely to crossover… Maybe Roy wants to bank in on March Badness and fight Arlovski in a super showdown..

by MatteoFC on Mar 23, 2009 4:58 AM EDT reply actions

rjj is too small for arlovski..

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by Anton Tabuena on Mar 23, 2009 10:28 AM EDT up reply actions

Those were the same comments I said on another thread

about Arlovski. I thought he was winning his last fight with his boxing until he threw the flying knee. I wonder how good his chin is though since it was a one punch knock out. Still the talent is there is he ever actually fights and quits having it postponed and moved back.

Still he would be better suited to stick with one or the other bc as SC said if he trains just for one the skill set of the other is bound to slide a little. A sliding a little at the top level and you have no hope to compete with the big boys.

by TXroyal on Mar 23, 2009 1:47 PM EDT up reply actions

His chin is not good. Tim Sylvia and Fedor have both knocked him out COLD. I know that there is less room for error in MMA but you have to think 12 rounds with a legit heavy would leave him face down again.

Great athlete, explosive, technical, and a great guy, too, by all accounts. Just not much you can do about a suspect chin that’s already been touched more than once.

by kp the ghost on Mar 23, 2009 4:59 PM EDT up reply actions

I wouldn’t go as far to say Sylvia knocked him out cold it was definitely a flash knockdown but he wasnt out.. Fedor on the other hand had him out cold.

Also on the flip side of this MMA/Boxing crossover fighter.. Im still holding out hope that David Haye takes a crack at MMA once he takes out the Klitschkos

by MatteoFC on Mar 23, 2009 6:40 PM EDT up reply actions

anderson silva would be a great boxer. He’s been knocking pple out in MMA for a while. He challenged RJJ a couple times, but due to contractial agreeements he couldn’t make it happen. pc!

by cylee1180 on Mar 24, 2009 3:40 PM EDT up reply actions

anderson silva would be a great boxer.

If he trained exclusively in boxing for about four years, maybe.

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by Scott Christ on Mar 25, 2009 3:20 AM EDT up reply actions

Freddie Roach already commented on this

He lays on the ropes way o much, (a habit from Muay Thai when you have the clinch), and basically got his ass handed to him by the journeymen and noobs at Wild Card. Denis Kang would be one of the better picks as his standup is almost purely boxing and he consistantly beats guys standing that should be better than him… Sadly he then brainfarts and follows them to the ground where he is supposed to be better and gets submitted off idiotic mistakes. I am still a big fan though.. Robbie Lawler is another guy who perhaps might have enough power in his hands to make a dent in the boxing scene at 175. Lastly at 185 would be MMA and K-1’s most devastating puncher. (And as a lifelong boxing fan I honestly believe the hardest puncher PfP in the world.) His last fight he knocked Mark Hunt, who outweighed him by at least 60 or 70 lbs and who was generally recognized as having one of the best chins in MMA and the world, COLD with a combo as he came in. Hunt has taken flush headkicks and shrugged them off and tapped his chin and let equally large K-1 kickboxer Ray Sefo tee off on him… But Manhoef caught him cold and on the button and put him to sleep. He has no sub defense so in MMA he has 5 losses but of his 23 wins 22 are from KO/TKO and some are straight scary brutal KO’s. Marvelous Melvin Manhoef also has been called Baby Tyson and if you youtube some of his K-1 KO’s with 10 oz gloves on you’ll see why. In one case a guy sleeping on the mat for several minutes after he connects – just scary power. That being said he is extremely reckless because he has so much power and tends to wing punches. God help you if you get hit but a good boxer could probably pick him apart from the outside and wait for him to tire. Still I’d love to see Manhoef in a boxing ring.

Rampage is another guy who’s style is purely boxing and could be a solid journeyman cruiserweight as he has power to spare, is a pretty decent counterpuncher, keeps solid defense pretty much always throughout his fights… And has a RIDICULOUS chin. Another MMA 205lber that would would have a chance to develop into a good boxer would be young Gegard Mousasi. He just stepped up from 185 where his last fight was against the aforementioned Manhoef whom he smartly took down and submitted instead of trading power with. Mousasi’s biggest upside is that he’s still SO young. He is only 22 and already has an impressive kickboxing background and has over 20 MMA wins, (most coming via his kickboxing).

At heavyweight, prospect Cain Velasquez has very good hands and throws in combination very well without gassing. He’s huge, 250 +, and not in the Jeff Monson 5 foot tall brick shithouse way. More in the 6’3 in height 240 in weight way. If he turned solely to boxing he could develop there.

OK – just felt I’d let you folks know, (as a boxing fan since the age of 7 or so and somebody who finds MMA equally interesting), who to watch if you wanna see guys that could actually be boxing prospects if they shifted their focus.

Gimme 1 round!

by ItBurnzWhenIP on Mar 27, 2009 3:06 AM EDT up reply actions