Fights like this aren't going to change your mind either. Watching prime GGG (which he's not anymore sadly) or Loma is the pinnacle of combat sports imo for entertainment. Best parallel I can draw is F1 vs Nascar. F1 you watch for the refined skill level, Nascar you watch to get liquored and hope for a crash.
There's just something extremely satisfying to see a specialist combat sport like boxing at the absolute highest level. MMA being more of a generalist discipline relies on moments of pure insanity.
Perfectly put.
I've been a hardcore fan of both for years, (used to wake up in the middle of the night to watch Pride FC/Shooto cards live from Japan, still have a big VHS collection of classic boxing matches, etc).....
MMA appeals to a much broader spectrum of fans because of it's simple "who would win a street fight" nature......but it blew up in the way it did, as well in part because shittier striking fighters makes for more exciting fights...(it's also why as mens MMA has had the calibre of it's striking improve/become less chaotic....women's mma has taken off, because it many ways it's a throwback to the more basic Bonnar-Griffin days of MMA.)
Boxing at its best is like longform journalism, literature, or a series like The Wire....capable of a level of depth, MMA rarely ascends to. (and I say that as someone who f*cking loves MMA).
....but the kind of skill on display, long term gameplaning that can unfold over the course of a match, or the kind of grueling heart on display at times when you get 30+ minutes into a fight, just isn't the same in MMA. (Although you sometimes see some form of those things).
Last night on DAZN was a great example of it....with the kind of narrative genius that unfolded in both the main event fights. Former world P4P #1 Chocolatito vs 26-0, world champion Khalid Yafai.....and then Mikey Garcia Vs Jesse Vargas, was pure brilliance.
Both sports are incredible (and I'd concede when it's bad, boxing is way way worse)....but when they're both at their best, boxing is on a whole other tier.