The big plan to make pay-per-view super cards featuring both MMA and boxing has apparently already been knocked out … for the time being, anyway.
ESPN.com reports Oscar De La Hoya’s Golden Boy Promotions has changed its mind about combining the two sports. Last month Golden Boy and MMA upstart Affliction announced a deal to co-promote events.
The deal came in the days following Affliction’s cancellation of a scheduled card in Las Vegas.
The move was met with skepticism from fans of both sports. However, many in the MMA world hoped the partnership could lead to bigger paydays for fighters and help make Affliction viable competition to the UFC.
Golden Boy CEO Richard Schaefer told ESPN.com that criticism of merging the sports was part of the decision to scrap the idea.
Here’s a snip:
“We want to get to know the MMA market better and truly evaluate if there are synergies between the two sports. We are planning to do some focus groups where we will ask boxing and MMA fans how they would feel about it. Once we get the results of that, then we’ll be in a much better position to decide which strategy to apply.”
The companies still plan to promote the Affliction “Day of Reckoning” on Jan. 24 in Anaheim, Calif. However, it will be as an MMA-only event and include no boxing matches.
