When Affliction announced its partnership with Golden Boy Promotions, it was seen as a big deal for mixed martial arts that the top boxing promoter was getting involved in MMA.
But does Golden Boy really have big plans for MMA? After Golden Boy boss Oscar De La Hoya announced his retirement from boxing, I asked him about his goals as a promoter, and I was interested in what he didn't say.
You can read exactly what he did say here, but what he didn't say was anything at all about MMA, even though I made a point of mentioning MMA in my question. And that reinforces my overall opinion that Golden Boy is just not that into MMA.
Don't get me wrong, neither De La Hoya nor Golden Boy CEO Richard Schaefer is part of the anti-MMA crowd that pervades boxing. I've talked to both De La Hoya and Schaefer about MMA in the past, and I think they both like the sport, respect its fans, recognize its potential for growth and, perhaps most importantly, realize that they can't just waltz into the MMA world and overtake the UFC.
But De La Hoya's first love is boxing, his second love is soccer, and MMA is more of an afterthought. Golden Boy admires great MMA athletes like Fedor Emelianenko and Andrei Arlovski (Schaefer raved about Arlovski in a conversation we had last year), but it isn't going to make MMA a major part of its promotional efforts any time soon.
But does Golden Boy really have big plans for MMA? After Golden Boy boss Oscar De La Hoya announced his retirement from boxing, I asked him about his goals as a promoter, and I was interested in what he didn't say.
You can read exactly what he did say here, but what he didn't say was anything at all about MMA, even though I made a point of mentioning MMA in my question. And that reinforces my overall opinion that Golden Boy is just not that into MMA.
Don't get me wrong, neither De La Hoya nor Golden Boy CEO Richard Schaefer is part of the anti-MMA crowd that pervades boxing. I've talked to both De La Hoya and Schaefer about MMA in the past, and I think they both like the sport, respect its fans, recognize its potential for growth and, perhaps most importantly, realize that they can't just waltz into the MMA world and overtake the UFC.
But De La Hoya's first love is boxing, his second love is soccer, and MMA is more of an afterthought. Golden Boy admires great MMA athletes like Fedor Emelianenko and Andrei Arlovski (Schaefer raved about Arlovski in a conversation we had last year), but it isn't going to make MMA a major part of its promotional efforts any time soon.