A boxing champion, but he's no mixed martial artist

There has been something of a trend in the past year or so for stars who are past their prime in other sports to try their hand at MMA.

The first was baseball legend Jose Canseco, who went just 1:17 into the first round with the gigantic Hong Man Choi in DREAM. To be fair, this was a tough fight to give to an inexperienced guy like Canseco, as Choi is 7’ 2” and a regular K-1 competitor.

Next was former NFL running back Herschel Walker, who signed with Strikeforce and began training at American Kickboxing Academy. The media went crazy about it, to the exasperation of every MMA fan in the world. Strikeforce gave Walker a guy named Greg Nagy (1-1) as an opponent, and Walker’s natural athleticism and training with one of the top MMA camps in America made this fight an easy pick from the start. Soon after Walker’s victory, Canseco started calling him out, obviously trying to regain some relevance in the Celebrityweight title picture.

Now, after some initial rocky negotiations, boxer James Toney will be joining the UFC roster. It isn’t uncommon for former boxers to become mixed martial artists, but this is the first time a former world champion in 3 weight divisions has attempted to cross over. While Toney claims he has a lot of experience with MMA techniques, he has made many comments that suggest these claims are suspect at best.

I don’t want to rain on anyone’s parade here, as these crossover athletes tend to bring a lot of new interest to MMA. However, there are a few things these athletes have in common that annoy me:

1) They are all over 40
2) They are all heavyweights
3) They all get into this with suspect background knowledge of the sport
4) They all get to debut in major promotions

Addressing the first point, only a handful of MMA fighters have been able to successfully compete at a high level past the age of 40, and most of them had long careers in MMA before that time. These celebrity fighters have NO time to develop, as they are already in the process of a decline in their natural abilities. Putting them on the televised part of a card pushes out an up-and-coming and relevant fighter. When I’m placing a bet at Sportsbook.com or another online bookmaker, I like to know about the fighter first. Forcing out the young guys with these old sports stars deprives us all of opportunities to learn about new prospects to bet on.

When it comes to the second point… Look, I’m a big fat guy with no fitness. These guys could out-athletic-body me any day of their lives, but 220lb heavyweights like Herschel Walker need to drop to light heavyweight. Surely some of these guys should be fighting at lower weights, so why aren’t they going to the effort of weight control? Oh, yeah, the first point. They are too old to start professional MMA competition, which often involves heavy weight cuts.

For the third point, why do these guys think that this is a safe sport when they have no skills? MMA is much safer than its detractors contend, but this is due to years of training on the part of the athletes. Even Toney risks himself by trying to compete in a sport he has almost no background in, as unskilled grapplers like him are notorious for trying to tough out submissions when they don’t know what’s happening. The best case scenario is getting choked out, while the worst case is a leg broken in several places you don’t want broken (i.e. all the places).

Finally, while I understand why these guys get to debut in major promotions, they just don’t deserve it. Yes, they are sporting legends, and Walker has been a class act the whole way. He clearly does respect the sport. It just isn’t all that respectful to the thousands of fighters training around the world when you get your first MMA fight in a major promotion due to your other achievements. I know Brock Lesnar and Kimbo Slice got their starts in major promotions, but I’m not crash hot on them, either.

That’s my rant done with. I have some advice to bettors about these fights, though – they will nearly always be one-sided mismatches. Just work out whether the promotion is trying to build up the athlete or destroy them, and you’ll be able to predict the outcome. For James Toney, they’ll be trying to destroy him if they put him against a wrestler, and they’ll be working on building up his image if he goes in against a 1-dimensional striker.

If you would like to bet on MMA fights, then I suggest checking out the WEC odds up at Sportsbook.com or the odds for upcoming UFC events at BetUS.

England played host to Egypt during the week, and managed to pull off a decent come-from-behind victory. With the World Cup just around the corner, it’s time that players stepped up their game in order to be selected for the prestigious tournament.

The only way they’ll be able to do that is with consistent results in their respective leagues. The Premier League is a breeding ground for the England national team, and since Ashley Cole is injured, and there is no secure position for the number one jersey, plenty of players have the chance to prove their worth.

This weekend is no more different than any other, except for the fact that Fabio Capello will be eagerly watching every prospective England player with keen eyes. Sportsbook.com has odds on every game over the next five days, so let’s take a look at some of the best fixtures coming up.

Arsenal: -666
Draw: +550
Burnley: +1600

Arsenal vs. Burnley: Vowing to “win it for Ramsey” is one thing, but putting those words into action is an entirely different task. The Gunners may be spurred on by the horrific injury that Welshman Aaron Ramsey sustained last weekend, but they still have a bit of catching up to do in order to lift the trophy. A win a Burnley would put them on level terms with Chelsea, at least for a few days, so if the drive is there to win, they should claim victory comfortably.

Burnley’s away form is the major reason behind their battle against relegation. With only a single point taken from a possible 42, the Clarets simply can’t seem to produce when on the road. Their opponents this weekend are fighting for the title, and it’s hard to see any situation where Burnley come away with points.

Wolves: +900
Draw: +375
Manchester United: -333

Wolves vs. Manchester United: Wolves are another team facing the possibility of relegation this season. They are on equal points with Hull City, only sitting above the top three on goal difference. Their home form has been fairly poor so far, having only taken four wins from 14, and their opponents aren’t known for going easy on any club. Even a point will be seen as a victory this weekend.

Chelsea may have very well handed United their third consecutive Premiership title when they failed to beat Man City at home last week. United are well known for their brilliant form in the second half of the season, and have already shown that they are ready to fight to the bitter end for silverware. They’ve already claimed the Carling Cup, so a win at Wolverhampton shouldn’t be a difficult task.

Everton: -285
Draw: +350
Hull City: +750

Everton vs. Hull City: David Moyes has been buoyed by the fact that the majority of his team has returned to full fitness. Mikel Arteta and Phil Neville have returned to the Premier League with a bang, and while Marouane Fellaini is out for the season, Tim Cahill will make his return against Hull on Monday. The Toffees are currently sitting in 10th, but are fighting for a higher finish that would see them in the Europa League.

Hull are another victim of poor away form. They have yet to win on the road, and as the season draws to a close, their negative goal difference may yet again prove a hindrance in their attempts to avoid relegation. The Tigers may draw some inspiration knowing that they managed to knock over Everton 3-2 in their last meeting, but that was a much different team to the one that will be walking out on Monday. Any points are good points for Phil Brown’s squad.

Sportsbook.com has all the latest odds for this week’s Premier League and FA Cup fixtures, so head over to place a wager on your favorite club.

There’s been a bit of drama in the NBA over the past couple weeks, and as you might have guessed Allen Iverson and LeBron James are at the center.

Iverson is making headlines, and, once again, it’s about the future of his basketball career.  As many of you dedicated NBA fans will know, Iverson has been out of commission for the past month or so due to his four year old daughter’s undisclosed illness.  Well, he and the 76ers have come to a mutual decision that he will remain out for the remainder of the season so that he can deal with his more pressing family issues.

So, with Iverson out, many people are asking what’s next for him?  After a very short retirement, he made his return when the Sixers signed him as a free agent.  This came after two less than memorable stints with Detroit and Memphis.  He was certainly anxious to prove that he had plenty left to give.  He returned with a bit of humility, seemingly less interested in being the center of attention and more interested in being a part of the team.  Though, perhaps his arthritic knee played a part in his desire to take a more reserved role on the team.

So, does all of this spell out a more permanent retirement for Iverson?  There are no confirmed answers at this point, but one thing is certain: he won’t be returning this season.

In other NBA news, LeBron James has filed papers to officially change his number from 23 to 6.  You may remember, earlier in the year when James made the news when he called for the NBA to retire the number 23 in honor of Michael Jordan.  Well, he’s taken it a step further by officially giving up 23.  Though, it’s one famous number to another.  Both Julius Irving and Bill Russell donned the No. 6 during their careers. James wore the six jersey on the US Olympic team, and continues to wear it everyday in practice.

In any event, the season must roll on, and BetUS still has you covered on all the odds.  They are currently offering the following:

Los Angeles Lakers v Miami Heat
Lakers: -5 ½ -110
Heat: +5 ½ -110

Utah Jazz v Phoenix Suns
Jazz: +1 ½ -110
Suns: -1 ½ -110

Don’t forget to get to BetUS to put down a wager before the games get underway on Thursday, March 4.