Michael Buffer Will Call Antonio Margarito vs. Shane Mosley, Not Affliction MMA

There's something about Michael Buffer's booming voice and "Let's get ready to rumble" catchphrase that makes a fight feel more significant. So when Buffer worked as the ring announcer over the summer at Affliction: Banned and said "Let's get ready to rumble" before Fedor Emelianenko fought Tim Sylvia, it was just one more element that made it feel like a big-time event.

However, Buffer is a boxing guy first and an MMA guy second, and Golden Boy Promotions has confirmed to me that Buffer will call the Antonio Margarito-Shane Mosley fight on January 24, and not the Affliction: Day of Reckoning card the same night. So someone other than Buffer will be introducing Fedor and Andrei Arlovski.

This isn't a big deal -- Buffer is, after all, just an announcer -- but it's another reminder that the partnership between Golden Boy and Affliction isn't much of a partnership. Golden Boy is a force in the fight promoting game and could be a huge asset to Affliction -- except that it's putting on an event in the same area on the same night, and it's devoting its resources to boxing.

I love both boxing and MMA, and I don't necessarily see the two sports as competitors. But on January 24 fans and the media will have to choose one or the other. Buffer has chosen boxing.