The amount of nonsense on social media will never cease to amaze you, both for the drek that most of the general public posts with their thoughts on everything, regardless of if anyone asked for their opinion on the matter or not, and some of the outright farcical sewage that some claim as fact. The current administration does it all the time. So, I was more than a little skeptical when I saw the information that Ronda Rousey, the former MMA phenom that ushered in the era of women’s mixed martial arts to its biggest stages, was supposedly in negotiations for a boxing match against Katie Taylor, the gold medalist in the 2012 Olympics. Taylor made news last year when her rematch with Amanda Serrano served as the exciting co-main event for the Jake Paul vs. Mike Tyson spectacle that drew more than 72,000 fans to AT&T Stadium in Arlington, Texas with a massive global audience on Netflix.
The exposure to boxing and casual fans created anticipation for the trilogy fight, which Taylor won via a close decision on the score cards this past July. All things considered, the Irish boxer has quickly made herself the most hyped female boxer in the sport, surpassing the younger Claressa Shields, who lost a little buzz after an undistinguished MMA experiment in recent years. That’s not to say that the undefeated Shields doesn’t have a lucrative future, as she’s only 30, but rather to point out that the right promotional push can be key in these type of scenarios. Serrano is promoted by Jake Paul’s Most Valuable Promotions group, hence the spot on the under card of Paul/Tyson, and for Taylor, that spotlight undoubtedly put her name and skills in front of such a major audience that it would only be smart business to try to capitalize on it with another big time bout after the conclusion of the trilogy with Serrano.
Still, I had a very difficult time believing that Ronda, who saw her meteoric rise to fame fall just as quickly when she was knocked out with a highlight reel head kick by Holly Holm, a multi-time boxing champion and former UFC Bantamweight champion, would legitimately consider a fight against a boxer that won Olympic gold medal with 25-1 pro record.
The bottom line is, Katie Taylor is more dangerous than Holm, and exponentially more dangerous than MMA legend, Amanda Nunes, who landed nearly a dozen unanswered punches before the referee rescued Ronda to stop their 2016 bout, sending her into retirement.
So, why would Ronda Rousey even consider such a boxing contest?
Apparently, it has been confirmed by enough news outlets that negotiations for the potential Taylor/Rousey fight have taken place, with Las Vegas being the possible host city some time in 2026. I think it’s fair to say that it’s not as though Rousey will suddenly become a competitive or even competent striker, at least compared to Taylor, by the time the fight would be in the ring. This isn’t quite a money grab or a show side fight, but it’s not exactly credible either. Financially, it’s a win-win situation for both of them, as it would be the biggest payoff of Taylor’s career, who at 39 is undoubtedly in the latter stages of her tenure as a boxer. It might’ve taken until that latter stage for her to gain some mainstream notoriety, but prize fighting is about making the most money possible, and the fight business is still a part of the entertainment business. A clash with the former MMA champion can give the Irish boxer a chance to make enough cash to live comfortably when she finally decides to hang up her gloves.
Despite Rousey’s overwhelming success in her relatively short MMA career prior to this and a lucrative, albeit, a mixed bag of WWE runs in more recent years, the decision to enter the world of boxing without any experience and limited striking skills in the octagon, must be a financial choice as well. This isn’t to say that “Rowdy” Ronda will be in the bread line any time soon, but with the way she more or less burned bridges with the WWE with her criticism of the company after she wasn’t catered to in her second run the way that she was for her first run in 2018, a one-off novelty fight for millions of dollars probably is the best way to maximize her earning potential at this point in her career.
Keep in mind, the movies and television roles dried up relatively quickly after she was KO’ed by Holm and any chance of a comeback to MMA was snuffed out when she was pummeled into retirement by Nunes the following year. In many ways, the shine wore off of Ronda so fast because of the way she did or didn’t handle the defeats in her career. Essentially, she told fight fans that she didn’t have the heart to handle adversity or defeat. When she lost to Holm, she more or less went off the grid for a year, infamously refusing to do any media before her return to the UFC against Nunes. When Rousey lost again, she simply quit the sport.
That alone sends more of a message to the audience than any knockout loss ever could. Rocky didn’t win against Apollo during the first fight, but he didn’t give up either.
That’s why her WWE debut, while a major boost to the overall female division in the company, wasn’t quite as spectacular as the promotional machine tried to make it. Basically, Ronda made the jump to a scripted sport because she quit MMA. She was willing to settle into sports entertainment because she could be catered to and made to look like a superstar again. Her criticism of the pro wrestling fan base didn’t do her any favors when she returned to the company in 2022 and despite being used in the title picture again, the year and a half that she spent on WWE television was rather underwhelming, giving the impression that her stint as a WWE performer was merely a novelty act that was “been there, done that” by the time she had a second run in the organization. Her final WWE bout was a submission match against fellow former MMA fighter Shayna Baszler, and the contest was panned as a clunky presentation that garnered “boring” chants from the crowd at Summer Slam in 2023. It’s ironic that Ronda has done far better than Shayna in MMA, but Baszler had made a much better transition to pro wrestling than Rousey. It’s also ironic that Ronda criticized pro wrestling after her WWE tenure, as she didn’t complain about sports entertainment when she was being promoted as one of the top acts in the company, but took issue with it when she actually had to justify her spot with decent performances during her second run. She had a handful of pro wrestling appearances after that, but nothing major or noteworthy.
As I said, this bout isn’t exactly a cash grab, despite being financially motivated, and it’s not quite a circus fight even though it’s a novelty bout. Ronda is a former MMA champion that beat legitimate competition, as well as a bronze medalist in judo at the Olympics in 2008.
However, and this is the biggest takeaway from this potential step back into the ring after almost a decade away from competition, this is definitely not a full-fledged comeback to combat sports.
At 38, Ronda Rousey isn’t going to pursue a career in boxing, especially with no previous amateur boxing experience. The fact that she would be competing against a current lightweight boxing champion with zero prior boxing experience tells you everything you need to know about why she might take this fight. That’s not necessarily a knock against her either, if someone is willing to pay her millions of dollars to compete in a boxing match against Katie Taylor, she has the right to take the money on the table. That’s capitalism, and that’s nothing wrong with that.
That being said, it would be an unbelievable upset if Ronda Rousey somehow beat Katie Taylor in a boxing match. Because of that, I don’t think the bout, which would undoubtedly get a lot of hype if for no other reason that the trend that has seen these type of boxing events get a lot of buzz in recent years, would do anything overall for female boxing. This is a one-off novelty unless Ronda shocks the world, not a rivalry that the sport can be built around the way that Taylor/Serrano was for a few years. But, sometimes the money is simply too good to turn down. Ronda had a family in more recent years and a mega payday ensures financial security for them so you can’t blame her for taking the cash if offered. Again, an event like this is probably the way for her to maximize her earning potential at this point in her career. At the same time, it’d be nice for Taylor to get a big payday before she retires, too. As mentioned, the fight business is still the entertainment business. This event would be Rousey’s way of garnered one more major payoff, not a return to combat sports or another chapter to her career. If there’s a demand to see her fight again remains to be seen, but if there’s money to be made then the bout will probably be signed to happen.
What do you think? Share your thoughts, opinions, feedback, and anything else that was raised on Twitter @PWMania and Facebook.com/PWMania.
Until next week
-Jim LaMotta
Email [email protected] | You can follow me on Instagram, Facebook, & Threads @jimlamotta89
