Is Kickboxing Better than Boxing? A Detailed Comparison

Which is the better combat sport, kickboxing or boxing?

Kickboxing or boxing? It’s quite a common question for many considering taking up a combat sport, either for training, competition, or as a spectator.

Here, SportsBoom will provide a detailed comparison of the two similar sports to prove which one is the best for training and which is the most popular worldwide.

Boxing

Mike Tyson and Frank Bruno//Getty Images

Boxing has been recorded in ancient Greece Olympics in 688BC, but the origins extend far beyond those years, thousands of years, in fact, and also depicted by drawings in many different civilisations across the globe.

In the 1600s, the sport become more popular around the world, but it wasn’t until the Marquess of Queensberry introduced modern rules in 1867 that boxing became organised properly. The Queensberry Rules essentially gave birth to modern boxing, and world champions were first officially recognised. 

Over time, the rules have been modernised further, with stricter regulations on gloves, fewer rounds, more weight classes, rehydration clauses, drug testing and medicals – all in favour of making the sport safer and fairer.

Boxing is a fantastic sport for teaching discipline, respect and channelling aggression in the correct way, and there are many stories of boxing saving people’s lives, such as Mike Tyson, who was arrested over 40 times before he entered the gym and turned his life around.

Boxing teaches defence and offence, using just punches only, no kicks. However, it incorporates both upper and lower body, as footwork is one of the biggest elements of training. Having good footwork allows a boxer to get out of trouble quickly when placed under pressure, but also admits opportunities to attack too.

Boxers will also spend hours working on punches and combinations because the high level of skill involved in the sport means that fights can be won or lost by the finest of margins. It’s called the sweet science for a reason.

A Comparison

Kickboxing’s biggest difference to boxing is the use of legs for striking. Involving attacks with both legs and body, you could assume that kickboxing would be a naturally better combat sport than boxing. However, boxing is a finer art form than any other combat sport in the world.

This has been proven by the popularity of boxing compared to kickboxing, as well as the many crossover fights that have taken place in recent times. Conor McGregor challenging Floyd Mayweather, for example, displayed the disparity of skills between the two disciplines. McGregor was known for being one of UFC’s best boxers, but the ageing Mayweather, who had retired two years prior, treated the professional boxing fight as more of an exhibition bout and won with ease in round 10 of 12.

The biggest boxing stars in the world are far more universally known and recognised than kickboxing champions. Tyson Fury and Anthony Joshua are names that are known around the world, but kickboxers, such as Sitthichai Sitsongpeenong and Ernesto Hoost, are not really familiar to people who don’t follow their sport.

Football is, by far, the most popular sport in the world, with over 4 billion followers, and boxing is not far behind in the ratings.

Rcently, boxing has been staging many stadium fights, such as Anthony Joshua vs Daniel Dubois in September 2024, which saw over 96,000 fans fill Wembley Stadium.