OK David well he is some controversial thought for you:

All I see from this writer is sour grapes and agenda - written by a hard core, old school boxing fan. The descriptions miserable, 40 year old and 1997 are used to make a point interestingly this point isn't made when a younger hungry up and comer is fed a still top ten ranked Vince Phillips to add a safing but fading top name to his record.. it could read:

Barnstorming Young Champion destroys the only man ever to KO Kosta Tszu. XXXX KO'd the former World Champ Phillips in the second round with a devestating right hand. 39 year old Phillips is still dangerous and a potential handful for any fighter so this represent a big step up in XXXX's challenge for Tszu's crown .... etc "

Boxers for years and years have held some form of superority complex over Kickboxers. They are notoriously old school and not open to to change.

Even though guys like Vince, Botha and co are a bit past thier used by date it still have leverage for the non hard core boxing fan. The hard core fan is not our market anyway K-1 and Max is more mainstream than that.

The mainstream sports fans who watch quality sports and event like Boxing title bouts, NFL, Soccer World Cup, NBA etc, those are the market. Leave the boxing geriatrics sitting on ther bar stools, smoking, drinking and talking about the good old days of Jack Dempsey where they belong.

The other reason that boxing won't embrace K-1 is that it is a threat to their big business - which is why you won't see a current world boxing champ outside of Thailand fighting kickboxing , at this point he will have too much to lose.

But what is happening is that there are now fighters who train and excel in both sports coming through, in five years time it would not surprise me to see a K-1 champ also holding serious boxing title.

The other thing is that the media never impartial there is always some vested interest or control ie who pays my wage - dont believe what they have to say. As a journalist I can write about the same fight with the same facts and slant (read bias) my point of view in an entirely different way.

By securing the used by date fighters for the shows K-1 has started a bit of a groundswell and a silent challenge to boxing's superiorty which they have trumpeted for years, for the public this is an intriging match up. It has to begin some where, and although it is a bit cheap and nasty now it will develop and it will develop bbecasue eventually the paying public will demand it. It won't happen over night but it will happen - a main stream boxing star will come over and fight K-1 but not now while the financial risks are so great.