ESPN.com Toughest Sport: Boxing

basketball over wrestling...bullshit. I give credit to boxing, can't knock that one. Basketball is WAY over rated!

K1 is tougher than boxing.

I've heard that basketball players get their bodies pretty brutalized during games. It's a lot more physical than it looks.

The order can be whatever, but I agree that Boxing, Football, Hockey, Wrestling, Martial Arts (MMA, MT, Judo, etc...) are the top 5... Basketball??? Certainly not a walk in the park... I guess that there are not alot of other contact sports...

I would think racing (auto and bike) is mentally and physically challenging.

Was this study based on just physical elements of sports???

no way should basketball rate higher than wrestling

Macfights pinned the correct.

I would honestly say: Muay Thai, Boxing, Wrestling, Rugby, Martial Arts (TMA?), then sacronized swimming.

I also question the placement of basketball above wrestling. I'd also say that while football might be more difficult physically than hockey, that IMO hockey players are ten times "tougher" than football players.

Can anyone here imagine a hockey player sitting out half a season from "turf toe"? Or a prima donna football star getting his face split, heading to the locker room to get stitched up, then finishing the game?

ChadK- I repectfully disagree with you. I would venture a guess that if you went into a NFL locker room and a NHL locker room half way through the season, the NFL guys would be playing with far more severe injuries.

I remember when I used to spar in boxing. Even when you win you still get hit 50+ times. The next day you feel every bruise on your head. You get used to it but it's still really hard on the body.

cricket for sure - check me post at:

mma.tv/TUF/index.cfm?ac=ListMessages&PID=1&TID=418578&FID=1&p=8

I'd say they go in this order: Muay Thai, Rugby (Tie Australian Football in there as well), Boxing, Ice Hockey, Wrestling, and MMA.

Not sure on the last two as to which is tougher.

Muay Thai over boxing, easily.

I'd think rubgy would be higher than basketball. Muay Thai also.....

Every single football player I know has had knee or shoulder surgery.... it obviously takes its toll on your body!

I'd say wrestling and boxing are the two most physically demanding sports on the planet.

What exactly is "martial arts"?

Glad to see boxing gets props.

maybe someday ESPN will recognize MMA is a sport.

I was prepared to be pissed but found their list to be well thought out and pretty accurate.

"You can't compare the level you've played with the pro level"


I wasn't trying to do that at all.....I was trying to say that I understand that pro football is incredibly demanding because college football was physically demanding for me.

"ChadK- I repectfully disagree with you. I would venture a guess that if you went into a NFL locker room and a NHL locker room half way through the season, the NFL guys would be playing with far more severe injuries. "

It may be true during the regular season, but during hockey playoffs if the guy has a pulse, he's playing.

And it's much more grueling playoffs than football. Football you play want 3-4games, with two weeks off before the Superbowl?

To win the Stanley Cup you need to play every second night for 8 weeks.