ATT
01-20-2009, 08:37 AM
http://mmapayout.com/2009/01/roy-jones-jr-to-headline-boxing-mma-hybrid-ppv/
While the possibility of Affliction and Golden Boy putting on PPV events that contain both boxing and MMA is still a question, boxing Hall of Famer Roy Jones Jr looks to go forward with the concept with his next appearance on PPV. Dan Rafael of ESPN.com spoke with John Wirt, CEO of Jones promotional company Square Ring, and confirmed a bout with Omar Sheika at the Pensacola Civic Center on March 21. Wirt then elaborated on the the MMA portion of the card:
In a twist, Wirt said the pay-per-view card would include mixed martial arts bouts along with boxing matches.
“We’re working on that right now,” Wirt said. “By combining Roy’s boxing match and other boxing matches with MMA fights, we are planning on drawing from both boxing and MMA fan bases. We believe that the demographics of boxing and MMA are distinct, so we are trying to introduce boxing fans to MMA and MMA fans to boxing. That’s the business model.”
Boxing matches and MMA bouts have appeared together on shows from time to time, but not at the top level of either sport or on a pay-per-view basis.
“We believe the biggest market out there of boxing is MMA fans and this gives them an opportunity to see a quality boxing event,” Wirt said. “It also gives boxing fans a chance to see some compelling MMA matches. We’re still putting the rest of the card together but Roy believes this is a good business opportunity.”
Wirt said the Florida commission has given Square Ring the green light for a show combining both sports. The MMA matches, Wirt said, will take place in a traditional boxing ring. However, he said a fifth rope will be added to the ring and the ring apron will be extended by a few feet to make it more unlikely that any MMA competitors, who often grapple on the ground, would fall out of the ring.
It should be interesting to see who RJJ partners with to put on the MMA portion of the card. The UFC is certainly out of the question but other mangers/fight companies could see this as an opportunity for good exposure with little downside. One possible avenue would be using a local promotion for talent, if so something like the XFC promotion HQ’ed in Florida would fit the bill. Another possible avenue would be to contact some of the fight teams with larger stables to fill out the card, if so ATT comes to mind.
Update: One possible party that RJJ may reach out to in the MMA sphere would be the WAMMA organization. Jones’ former attorney Fred Levin serves as Executive Legal Counselor for the WAMMA organization and his ties to Jones are trumpeted on the organization’s site:
While the possibility of Affliction and Golden Boy putting on PPV events that contain both boxing and MMA is still a question, boxing Hall of Famer Roy Jones Jr looks to go forward with the concept with his next appearance on PPV. Dan Rafael of ESPN.com spoke with John Wirt, CEO of Jones promotional company Square Ring, and confirmed a bout with Omar Sheika at the Pensacola Civic Center on March 21. Wirt then elaborated on the the MMA portion of the card:
In a twist, Wirt said the pay-per-view card would include mixed martial arts bouts along with boxing matches.
“We’re working on that right now,” Wirt said. “By combining Roy’s boxing match and other boxing matches with MMA fights, we are planning on drawing from both boxing and MMA fan bases. We believe that the demographics of boxing and MMA are distinct, so we are trying to introduce boxing fans to MMA and MMA fans to boxing. That’s the business model.”
Boxing matches and MMA bouts have appeared together on shows from time to time, but not at the top level of either sport or on a pay-per-view basis.
“We believe the biggest market out there of boxing is MMA fans and this gives them an opportunity to see a quality boxing event,” Wirt said. “It also gives boxing fans a chance to see some compelling MMA matches. We’re still putting the rest of the card together but Roy believes this is a good business opportunity.”
Wirt said the Florida commission has given Square Ring the green light for a show combining both sports. The MMA matches, Wirt said, will take place in a traditional boxing ring. However, he said a fifth rope will be added to the ring and the ring apron will be extended by a few feet to make it more unlikely that any MMA competitors, who often grapple on the ground, would fall out of the ring.
It should be interesting to see who RJJ partners with to put on the MMA portion of the card. The UFC is certainly out of the question but other mangers/fight companies could see this as an opportunity for good exposure with little downside. One possible avenue would be using a local promotion for talent, if so something like the XFC promotion HQ’ed in Florida would fit the bill. Another possible avenue would be to contact some of the fight teams with larger stables to fill out the card, if so ATT comes to mind.
Update: One possible party that RJJ may reach out to in the MMA sphere would be the WAMMA organization. Jones’ former attorney Fred Levin serves as Executive Legal Counselor for the WAMMA organization and his ties to Jones are trumpeted on the organization’s site: