Issue 040
August 2008
Two MMA fighters who know the sport of boxing better than most are Bangor, Maine’s Marcus Davis and London’s James Zikic. The two men have experienced both disciplines to a decent level, and both ended up punching for pay in a cage.
Davis, a former junior-middleweight boxer who had his first bout at 14, has been fighting his whole life. He started in traditional karate at eight years of age before moving into tae kwon do and kempo at 12. Boxing was a natural progression from that. “Both sides of my family boxed,” explained Davis. “My mother’s father had over 60 professional boxing matches.”
With boxing very much in the blood, Davis turned professional in April 1993. Fighting mainly in Boston, Massachusetts, Davis compiled a respectable 17-1-2 record in the seven years he competed inside the ring. Frustrated by inactivity and soft matchmaking, Davis sought a new challenge.
“I had a lot of issues in my boxing career,” said Davis. “I signed a pro contract at 19 and it forced me to retire for about a year and a half while battling to get out of the contract. I had money stolen from me by promoters and would train for weeks only to have fights fall through at the last minute. I grew tired of it and made the move to MMA.
“MMA is the purest form of legal fighting available. I see myself as a warrior and fighting in MMA was the best way to express myself. I feel I was just born to fight. I’m not a natural boxer. I am not a natural MMA fighter. I’m just a natural fighter.”
Despite his background in combat sports, the transition to MMA was a gradual process. Possessing solid and fast hands, Davis knew how to punch – but did he know how to fight? “It was a long work in progress,” Davis elaborated. “Once I identified the issues at hand it took me about seven months of total dedication to the training to get to where I am today. When I boxed I only did my boxing training and sparring along with running. As an MMA fighter you train in several disciplines of fighting –striking arts and grappling arts. You also do stuff like weight training and plyometrics.
Where many others have failed, Davis has flourished. Currently boasting a 19-4 record as an MMA fighter, Davis only recently saw an 11-fight win-streak snapped by Mike Swick at UFC 85. A fan-favourite in the UFC, Davis has far surpassed his achievements in the boxing ring. Claiming he no longer follows boxing in any shape or form, Davis believes he made the right career choice. “I think as the old faithful boxing spectators die out the younger generation will continue to watch more MMA,” he claimed. “I think they (boxing and MMA) appeal to people differently because they are different sports but still fall in the same category.”
James Zikic, a British light heavyweight possessing an MMA record of 15-5, is a little more receptive to a joint upsurge of the combat sports. “Boxing and MMA can help and learn from each other,” Zikic said. “The market is there for both so long as they both produce quality fights. MMA is new and exciting and there are more elements to the game that keep the fans excited – such as punching, kicking, takedowns, ground ‘n pound, submissions, reversals and escapes. The boxing public won’t be fooled anymore and want to see the best fights. I think boxing has already raised its game as it recognises the best are always fighting the best in MMA.”
Despite offering stern resistance to most men he met in the ring, Zikic’s boxing dream fell short. He bowed out with a 3-2 pro record and boasted the names of a British and an English heavyweight champion on his resume. Sensing the swift rise of MMA could be more up his street, Zikic quickly enrolled. “I believe I’m more naturally suited to MMA,” Zikic continued. “I have a lot of attributes suited to grappling as well as striking. I have good core strength and horsepower and have a thick neck that is good for grappling and strong hard bones that are good for striking with different parts of my body. I also have a long, lean body that is good for jiu-jitsu and finishing guys with submissions.”
Happier than he’s ever been in his fighting life, Zikic, 31, is left in no doubt as to which of the two disciplines was the tougher to master. “MMA is more difficult,” said Zikic, “as there is more to learn and train for - it is often a juggling process making sure each skill set is kept up to par with the levels that the other fighters compete at.”
Taking a “never-say-never” stance on a return to boxing, Zikic is still eager to brush up on his stand-up and boxing skills. So much so, the Watford light-heavy – in training for a September ’07 bout with Vitor Belfort - spent three weeks training alongside world cruiserweight boxing champion David Haye.
“I knew David from my amateur boxing days and had sparred with him a few times as a pro,” said Zikic. “There is nobody in boxing or MMA that is as fast and as powerful as David, so training with an athlete like that would get me more than ready for the speed of Vitor. I felt faster – with improved timing – and was ready to counter Belfort`s speed and it paid off nicely when I caught him with a straight right hand that rocked him. Vitor didn’t want to stand up with me and was always looking to take the fight to the ground.”
Haye also reaped the benefits. Using Zikic’s strength and grappling skills for purposes of his own – namely, a world title fight with Jean-Marc Mormeck – Haye lived to tell the tale, world titles in hand.
“Mormeck was a tough, come-forward brawler who liked to work the clinch and get close – and James helped me get used to grappling and working the clinch,” Haye explained. “Anytime I got close to Mormeck I locked him up and walked him back. Psychologically, that can give you the upper hand. Each and every time I walked Mormeck back I was showing him I was the stronger fighter. It took a wrestler to teach me that.”
