Line between boxing, MMA i$ getting thinner every day

(Editor’s note: This story first published at Boxing Junkie, part of the USA TODAY Network.)

The “mixed” in MMA appears to be getting more mixed all the time, a revolving door that has Tyson Fury and Claressa Shields considering the cage while Conor McGregor talks – and talks – about a return to the ring against Floyd Mayweather or Manny Pacquiao.

It’s all about options, mostly financial. The rest of it is confusing, especially in terms of rules governing each contest. More than money is on the table. Everything from glove size to the kind of blows are subject to negotiation.

To wit: UFC star McGregor was not allowed to kick Mayweather in their big-money show, a one-sided Mayweather victory by 10th-round stoppage on Aug. 27, 2017 in Las Vegas. If he had kicked Mayweather, he would have been disqualified and fined $10 million.

Now, Fury is talking about his own version of a cage fight, which he is considering after three more bouts in the ring: against Deontay Wilder on Feb. 22, Anthony Joshua and Dillian Whyte.

“I don’t want to go into an MMA fight, rolling around the floor and all that, no,’’ Fury told ESPN Saturday before attending McGregor’s victory over Donald Cerrone at UFC 246. “But I would fight one of their champions in small gloves. Maybe in a cage, but with boxing rules. I think that would be very interesting.’’

Fury, who will wear 12-ounce gloves against Wilder, went on to say that the UFC’s “little” four-ounce gloves “would be good for me.’’

Might be devastating for his opponent, too.

Current UFC heavyweight champion Stipe Miocic says he wants to fight Fury, who would like to meet with UFC president Dana White.

“After I beat Deontay Wilder next month, I’m going to have a sit-down with Dana, and we’re going to go for it, run some numbers, and see if the fight makes sense,’’ Fury said during a break from his Vegas training camp for the Wilder rematch on Fox/ESPN+ pay-per-view. “Whoever’s available from that side, and whoever’s willing to get their ass kicked in the cage by the heavyweight champion of the world, he’s the one I want.”