BJJ VS BOXING

There are distinctive differences between these two fan favourite Martial Arts. BJJ is purely a submission grappling art that spends 90% of their game on the ground, and Boxing is an art that is all about striking. Fighters that train in jiu jitsu mma techniques are better equipped to handle a Boxer, as the art of Boxing has produced some comprehensive champions. 

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Brazilian Jiu Jitsu is a high intensity Martial Art that relies on dynamic movements. In BJJ the fight always starts on the feet, so practitioners must use takedown techniques to take the fight to the ground. The core of BJJ is all about controlling an opponent and using transitions to gain dominant positions. A BJJ practitioner will then use their knowledge and ability to achieve submissions like choke holds and joint locks on their opponents. BJJ has a rivalry vs Boxing just like jiu jitsu vs karate, as the early UFC boasted fights between Royce Gracie and Boxer Art Jimmerson and Karate fighter Minoki Ichihara.

Boxing is another high intensity sport that involves an athlete to use their striking abilities. A Boxer will duck and slip punches, change levels and utilise good defense strategies. A Boxer will also use fast footwork in order to throw jabs, crosses, hooks, uppercuts and overhand punches. Boxers are usually extremely fit and possess an incredible balance of speed and power within their repouture. 

What This Article Covers:

• The Origin of Boxing
• The Origin of BJJ
• How Does Boxing Compare to BJJ
• How Does the Training Compare Between Boxing and BJJ?
• Are There Differences Between Boxing and BJJ?
• Who Would Win in a Fight Between Boxing and BJJ?

THE ORIGIN OF BOXING 

There have been a multitude of origin stories about how Boxing was first created. The earliest known depiction of any form of Boxing came from a Sumerian relief sculpture in Iraq from the 3rd millennium BC. The images show both Boxers and spectators, as they battled in contests. These early Middle Eastern and Egyptian depictions showed Boxers wearing bands around their wrist in support of their bare knuckled contest. The earliest evidence of Boxers using gloves can be found in Minoan Crete and dates back to 1400 BC. There are also different types of Boxing that existed in ancient India. The earliest remnants of Boxing was described throughout the Mahabharata, where two combatants went toe to toe Boxing with clenched fists and fighting with kicks, finger strikes, knee strikes and headbutts, this would often end with fights to the death.

In 688 BC Boxing was introduced into the 23rd Olympiad in Ancient Greece. The Greeks had developed a boxing style called pygmachia, where they would wind leather straps around their hands to protect themselves from injury. There were no rounds and Greek boxers would  fight until one of them gave up or could not continue. They did not have weight categories, meaning that heavier and stronger fighters were most often the winner. Their style of boxing was featured with an advanced left leg stance, with the left arm semi-extended as a guard and with the right arm drawn back ready to strike. The Boxers would often target the head of their opponent as there is no evidence that punches or kicks to the body were in fact utilised.

Boxing resurfaced in England during the early 16th century in the form of bare knuckle boxing, which has predominantly been called prizefighting. In 1681 in London bare knuckle fighting was a part of the culture, and by 1719 James Figg became the first ever champion. Early fighting bouts had no written rules, and there were no weight divisions, round limits or officiating referees. The early form of Boxing has been labelled as an extremely chaotic brand of Martial Arts. The first ever Boxing rules came into effect in 1743 by the champion Jack Broughton, and were used to protect fighters in the ring where deaths sometimes occurred. Under the new rules, if a fighter went down and could not continue after a count of 30 seconds, the fight was over. Striking an opponent below the waist or if the fighter was grounded, became strictly prohibited. Broughton also encouraged fighters to wear hand protection which would later become Boxing gloves.

THE ORIGIN OF BJJ

Brazilian Jiu Jitsu originated in Brazil in the early 1900’s, as Carlos Gracie became the student of a prominent Japanese Martial Artist. Mitsuyo Maeda travelled from Japan to Brazil after mastering Kokudan Judo and Japanese Jujutsu taught by the famous Jigoro Kano. Mitsuyo accepted Carlos Gracie as a student and passed on all of his knowledge and concepts of Martial Arts. Carlos then passed down the knowledge to his younger brother Helio, as Helio further developed the art into a more comprehensive ground fighting system. 

Helio passed all of his knowledge down to his sons, and as the likes of Rixon, Rorion and Royce Gracie began to shine, so did the art of Gracie Jiu Jitsu. Most people think Royce was the best Gracie fighter, due to his exceptional run through the early UFC. But in fact it was Rixon who was the top Gracie student, as he tore through the competitions in Japan, defeating many famous catch and pro wrestlers. Rixon's fame became unprecedented in the world of Martial Arts, as he began teaching many students across the United States of America.   

Gracie Jiu Jitsu had crossed the seas and made its way through America and later on, the rest of the world. Rixon became a pioneer of the sport, as his unbeaten run of matches was written into folklore. As for the term Brazilian Jiu Jitsu, it derived from a mistake made by Rorion Gracie. As Rixon grew tired of the control that Rorion had over the Gracie name, Rixon ventured out on his own and began teaching at his own academy. Many of Rixon's brothers and cousins did the same, they moved to the USA and opened academies. As a result of Rorion's rage he began threatening them with lawsuits for using the trademark of Gracie Jiu Jitsu, so many of them adopted the name Brazilian Jiu Jitsu.

HOW DOES BOXING COMPARE TO BJJ 

The comparison between Boxing and BJJ is similar to fights between kickboxing and jiu jitsu, as knockouts with the fist are near the top of the highlight reel. In Boxing a fighter uses significant power and technique to land blows to their opponents body or head. Boxing is known for its speed and resilience in the middle of the ring. BJJ is a non striking Martial Art, as it uses techniques from Judo and Wrestling to take their opponents down to the mat. BJJ then uses its significant skills in grappling and control to submit their opponents. It is extremely hard to compare the sports, as the two Martial Arts are complete opposites. 

HOW DOES THE TRAINING COMPARE BETWEEN BOXING AND BJJ

Brazilian Jiu Jitsu is a complex Martial Art that uses a series of fast paced and extremely advanced movements. Training in BJJ is character building as it often brings out the best in its students. A common training session in BJJ consists of rigorous warm up drills that include highly functional movement that directly relates to Jiu Jitsu techniques. An instructor will then teach a couple of techniques, where students will partner up and practise the movements. The class is often finished off with some drills or rolling, which is a simulation into a real life fight. In BJJ there are two factions, the traditional Gi class and the No Gi or Submission Grappling class, both are extremely reputable and have very similar functions. Students will often weigh up their grappling vs bjj skills, as a good student will try to improve evenly with both.

Boxing is extremely different to BJJ and utilises different training techniques. Traditionally in Boxing, students will be required to become extremely fit, this is done through extensive running drills, skipping drills and bag training. Boxers will use focus mitts to practise their punching combinations along with their evasion skills. The use of light and heavy bags are also a Boxer's training tool, as they time rounds and throw heavy combinations into the bag. They will also practise their timing on the speed bag, which can be difficult to master. Boxers will work extensively on their footwork, which is why skipping is a very important aspect in becoming a great Boxer.

ARE THERE DIFFERENCES BETWEEN BOXING AND BJJ

There are multiple differences between BJJ and Boxing, which is similar to other disciplines like wing chun vs jiu jitsu. The main difference is that Boxers are allowed to punch while BJJ practitioners can not. The other major difference is that Boxers must stay on their feet for the duration of the fight, and BJJ practitioners are highly invested in taking the fight down to the ground. 

There Is a huge difference in how the matches are scored between both of the arts. Brazilian Jiu Jitsu has a points system in place during competitions, this is to determine a winner if no one is submitted. A BJJ practitioner can earn points for securing certain control positions, like the mount, the knee on belly, back control or back mount, sweeps, passing the guard and takedowns. Competitors are also awarded advantages, this is when a practitioner attempts a submission and their opponent directly defends it. There are also penalties given out for stalling in certain positions, this is to keep the match flowing and stopping a practitioner from getting two points up and just pinning their opponents down.  BJJ competitors are also banned from certain maneuvers like striking, knee reaping, slamming, neck cranking or doing any twisting leg locks. 

Boxing has a different way of being scored, as it uses a scoring system known as the 10 Point Must System. Judges will score each round individually, on a 10 point ratio. Most rounds are scored 10 - 9, with the Boxer who did better scoring a 10 and therefore winning the round, while the other fighter scores a 9. If a Boxer is knocked down by their opponent then the referee will signal a standing 10 count, that fighter will then lose a point. If the fighter that wins the round does so by a definitive margin then often a judge will score a 10 - 8 or a 10 - 7. The winner of the fight is the athlete that has the higher score. 

In Boxing there are no specific rankings that a student can achieve, there is only amateur and professional Boxing. A student will train until their coach thinks they are ready to fight, then an amateur bout will be scheduled. Going professional is just a matter of time, and is usually decided between a fighter and their coach after they have fought extensively as an amateur. In BJJ there is a belt ranking system, as belts are awarded through a slow progression of mastered skills. It's an instructor's job to determine how a student is graded, this is usually through continuity on the mats, technical proficiency, their technical knowledge and how they act inside the academy. There are 5 main belts that include white, blue, purple, brown and black, and each student is awarded 4 stripes before they move up in belts. There are also two coral belts and a red belt, but these levels are highly unattainable.

Both of these Martial Arts have different equipment they use during their bouts. In BJJ there are two uniforms a practitioner wears, one is the traditional Gi and the other is the No Gi uniform. The Gi is a highly effective uniform that practitioners can use to grip and choke their opponents with. Many high level practitioners use the lapels to execute sweeps and submissions. In No Gi the practitioner will wear compression pants, shorts and a rashguard, this sport uses many of the same moves from the Gi variation just modified to suit No Gi. In Boxing the athlete will wear shorts, shoes, a protective cup, hand wraps, boxing gloves and a mouthguard. In amateur bouts they will also wear abdominal guards and head protection. 

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WHO WOULD WIN IN A FIGHT BETWEEN BOXING AND BJJ

This battle has been fought before with the likes of Royce Gracie, BJ Penn and Demian Maia leaving Boxers in their wake. A BJJ competitor has an astonishing way of bringing a fight down to the ground, as they combine elements of Judo, Wrestling and BJJ takedowns. A Boxer does have a puncher's chance as they are extremely conditioned and good at what they do. A Boxer has two main problems against a BJJ practitioner, the first being they don't practise takedown defense, meaning the odds are heavily in favour of a BJJ practitioner taking a Boxer to the ground. The second problem is a Boxer will get completely outclassed by a BJJ practitioner in the ground game. So this battle is heavily in favour of BJJ winning, as it is fair to say the Brazilian Jiu Jitsu fighter will win by submission.

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