What did you love about it? Getting your face beaten in? Please explain. I suppose the rush of destroying another, which is primal but not healthy.

it's not that much different from martial arts sparring...
the objective is to bring the opponent down, but a point system is also in play...
just like any other sport, strategy plays a part, and studying the opponent's weaknesses and strengths as well..
it's not a kill or be killed kind of thing, like cock and dog fighting .. there is also sportsmanship in play.
i agree, it is rather violent...but so are other sports...and risk of injuries are always a part of it.

Martial Arts and boxing is like comparing a king to a peasant, nowhere near the same league. The object of martial arts is not to pound the person's face in.

There's nothing wrong with it if someone chooses to do it. Maybe these guys care more about money than their faces?.....

P.S. I LOVE the Rocky movies!

yes... some forms of martial arts are more artistic and philosophical(?), in approach...compared to boxing, kickboxing, muay thai and some wrestling...
but you have to admit, both do have roots in fighting and battles... and eventually evolved into sporting events...
form as well as discipline are involved in all of these...not just a matter of pounding someone's face, tho...
oh well... it's not for everyone...

Just something inside that you have to do! Hard to explain, but it's like a calling and anyone who likes getting their face smashed in must be a fool, as that's not the aim of the sport! Learning how to ride and dodge punches when you bob and weave though, is an art! Pushing yourself mentally and physically beyond what you thought possible of yourself, is what Boxing is all about! Boxing taught me a lot about myself and gave me a will to win that has carried into every aspect of my life! Boxing, is a brilliant sport and I have respect for anyone who gets into that ring!

i used to like boxing i have done it myself a couple of times. but i think mma is alot better. mma is actually also safer believe it or not because of the fact in boxing theres so much padding in the gloves that you can take 1000 blows to the head and not be knocked out. mma 1 good shot and your out. its alot safer to have 1 good punch end a fight, than to have people getting hit with boxing gloves and repeatedly having their brain flop around inside their head. but like messi said, once you step into a ring or cage you are overtaken by a feeling of pure human instinct. knock out, or be knocked out. its an incredible adrenaline rush when your pitted up against someone and your only way out is to win. nothing can compare to that feeling. every man should experience that atleast one time in their life.