Roy Jones Jr, an eight-time world boxing champion, has started Square Ring Promotions, a promotional company that combines boxing with mixed martial arts (MMA). Square Ring Promotions will put on "March Badness," a mixed boxing/MMA card on March 21st in Pensacola, FL. The main event will consist of a light heavyweight boxing match between Omar Sheika and none other than Roy Jones Jr. himself. The event will be broadcast live on pay-per-view.
In a recent interview with Sherdog.com, Jones Jr. said he does not understand the boxing vs. MMA mentality. “So to cure the stigma that we don’t like MMA or that we’re against it, to prove my point, I’m going to start promoting them too,” Jones said. “And they have a huge fan base too. They love fighting. Boxing. Ultimate fighting. It’s all still fighting.”
Jones Jr. continued, "People are always saying, ‘Boxing this, MMA that.’ But both of those are hand-to-hand combat man-to-man. Anyone who will fight another man straight up like that, I got nothing but the utmost respect for."
Jones Jr. believes there is an audience for promotions combining boxing and MMA. “I know there is because a lot of times, the only time people get disappointed in MMA cards is when they don’t give them enough rounds,” he said. “In boxing, you always get enough rounds or a little more than you really want. So how about mixing the two and make it good for everybody? You get enough rounds, plus you get enough action too.”
Are promotions mixing boxing with MMA the future of professional fighting? With the boxing world in dire straits due to lack of promotion and TV coverage, this observer thinks that Roy Jones Jr. just may be onto something.
No comments:
Post a Comment