Personally, I would like to see a boxer in MMA. Boxers get shit on too because they always get their ass kicked. But its always hasbeens like Ray Mercer or Francois Botha (neither of which I would consider elite), or they were just some no-name guys who were never good enough to be a contender. I'd actually like to see an elite, top-tier boxer. It will never happen because top boxers get paid quite a bit more than top MMA fighters so it is doubtful anybody would switch over and doing MMA on the side would be too big of a risk.

Even though it was during his decline, I was excited when Mike Tyson was teasing us with joining MMA. I would say going 8 rounds with Lennox Lewis proves you can take a punch. Plus, these top heavyweights probably hit just as hard, if not harder than anybody else in MMA. I would like to see somebody like Ruslan Chagaev in MMA. He hits hard and fights like Tyson used to..

I would like to see Vitali Klitschko fight MMA. In my opinion, he is one of the best boxers in his era. He has never been knocked out and only one of his 38 pro fights have went to decision (which he won by a very lopsided UD). He only has lost two fights, one was stopped because of a cut, and the other was when he couldn't continue due to a torn rotator cuff. He is arguably the best finisher of all time with a KO% of 92.11

Even though he is 37, I think he could kick some serious ass. The guy has a jaw made of steel. He has kickboxing experience. He probably hits harder than anybody in MMA. He is almost 6'8" and fights around 245-250. He has an 80" reach. I don't know how well he would do on the ground, but on his feet, I can't think of anybody who would be able to beat him.

King wrote:

It would be interesting to see. I think it would be an awakening in a way for some boxers, getting hit without the padding that there gloves afford, but really feeling the fist more, not that it doesn't hurt like hell with the gloves they do use. I think that boxers could do well, if like many wrestlers, they learn well the other aspects of the game. If you had someone that was a great boxer, but wanted to only rely on that, it would be a huge downfall.

I agree you would need more than just boxing. But even with minimal training in other martial arts, I think they can be dangerous. Look at Chuck Liddell. he has some wrestling experience, but really isn't anything special on the ground. He is considered one of the more dangerous strikers.

As far as getting hit without the gloves, I think some guys would be alright. These guys get punched in the face for a living. We already have an idea who has a good jaw, who is questionable, and who can't take a hit to the jaw for shit. But at the same time, without gloves, some of these guys are going to be even more dangerous. A guy like Chagaev would probably lose his share of fights, but if he catches somebody with a flurry, I can't think of anybody who I think would be able to take the shots without going down.

King wrote:

Forrest Griffin. He can take Chagev's punches. He has a face of stone, I mean granted he has so much scar tissue in his face that his forehead bleeds on a bumpy car ride, but shit, I am convinced you could smash a cinder block on his nose and he would laugh. I think too, as evidenced in the past with tyson getting in fights outside of the ring, that the boxers may not be used to the damage it does to your hands without padding, hell Tyson has broken his hand due to this when not having gloves on. I would love a great True Gung-Fu or Wushu guy, somebody with lots of trips, and evades even more the Machida, who I think needs to be given a shot at the title or his talent as great as it is may walk.

Dude, Griffin is one of the toughest sons of bitches I've ever seen. I'm pretty sure his jaw was carved out of granite.