"Unfortunately for [James Toney and Ricardo Mayorga], they're getting thrown into the deep end. Those guys are screwed, man. There really isn't much that they can do at this point. They are people that are being thrown into the ocean with sharks, and they can't swim. And that's kinda what's happening. The second that that fight hits the ground for those guys, it's over, man. And if you're not used to getting kicked in the leg, they're gonna take a few shots to the leg and then not only is it hard for you to use footwork so you can use punches, but it's also nearly impossible to be able to move and stop those take downs, too, when you got beat up legs. And that's what's gonna happen.

"There is nothing that I could say to Mayorga or James Toney that's gonna help them try to win a fight, other than: 'You should have spent a lot of time wrestling, a whole lot of time grappling.'  If I was a boxer and was about to do an MMA fight, I wouldn't even throw a punch my whole training camp. The only thing I'd do is wrestle. It's gonna be second nature throwing punches, but you're not really gonna have very many opportunities to do that. You're gonna have to find yourself mostly trying to fight off the cage. And it's really easy for somebody to push you against the cage, hold you there and take you down."  - Marcus Davis

While Marcus Davis is one boxer (17-1-2) who successfully transitioned to mixed martial arts (17-6), there are not many who have walked the same path.

On Shambala Sports Radio yesterday, Davis gave his pragmatic thoughts about how James Toney and Ricardo Mayorga will fare inside a cage.

After stating that leg kicks will be key factor for an opponent to hurt the boxer, the "Irish Hand Grenade" said that when they start telegraphing the leg kicks, they will most likely try to come forward and be more aggressive. However, that will lead to being taken down. And, due to experience, when the boxer is not on his feet, the fight is done.

When a boxer decides that he wants to turn into a professional martial artist, he can train as much as he wants, but he is never going to be on par with a fighter who has been grappling for years.

In the past, Joe Rogan has made the same assessment of boxers changing professions, saying that MMA fighters stand differently when they are anticipating a potential take down, as opposed to boxers who do not need to worry about their lower half being attacked.

The reason for Davis' success on the ground is because after first dabbling in jiu-jitsu and wrestling - where he admitted that his training partners wiped the floor with him - he became addicted to learning the never-ending techniques. Davis stated that throwing jabs, crosses, hooks and uppercuts can become redundant after years of training, but grappling and submissions are a never-ending well of opportunity.