It's not new. MMA has been stepping up it's striking game for a while now, slowly approaching the techniques of quality boxers.
Someday there will be a cross over star in both sports. Top level boxing money is insane but lower ranks get paid next to nothing. MMA money sounds like it's cleaner and a bit better for up and coming fighters.
Boxing has a lot to learn about business from MMA, MMA has a lot to learn about striking from boxing.
Watch some early Ali fights from the Cassius Clay Era to see a fighter that can strike from any position, at hideously awkward angles without setting his feet, with power, it's truly absurd.
I see a lot of bad footwork in both sports, nothing upsets me like a guy moving toward his opponents power hand for the whole damn match.
As Ruebusch pointed out, the technique has been around for a while. I think though, that we're in an exciting era in MMA. The competency of its fighters has steadily been growing over the years in all areas from striking and grappling to ring IQ. As I said in a thread yesterday on the site that will not be mentioned, it'll be interesting to see how the sport evolves in the next decade or so. I'd say we'd see as big of a jump in skill in MMA as we did in boxing from the '50s and '60s compared to the late '80s and early '90s.
While I do see and here a lot about people from smaller gyms and organizations doing both MMA and Boxing and succeeding in both, I have to admit I wonder if we'll ever see a cross over star in the upper tier levels. Boxing is so specialized as a sport that if you want to be on the top, you pretty much have to focus on just that.
You're definitely right though that Boxing could take a page or two out of MMAs book when it comes to running a business, as of the two MMA organizations do seem a lot cleaner.
I feel like that special guy (sorry ladies women's boxing is a mess where some of the best fighters like Ann Wolf could hardly make a living) will come along and leave his mark in both sports. Sadly it doesn't take much or mean much to get hold of an alphabet soup belt in boxing. But I think (hope) we may see someone who can do it and be very competitive in MMA.
The only guy I can think of who did well in both sports was Kimbo Slice but he wasn't about to set the world on fire.
If I had to guess, I think if we were to see a breakout star who could cross compete, it would honestly be someone from Russia or one of the former Soviet States. Not only do they have many quality boxers but both Sambo and Kyokushkin Karate are very popular over there, which provides some great cross training opportunities. It would be interesting to see how it would work out though, cause compared to MMA boxing is very much a finesse sport.
It's unfortunate that women's boxing is in such a state though. Currently in MMA, whether you look at The UFC, Invicta, or elsewhere, the woman's field is very thin in quality competition at the moment. Now is the perfect time for a strong boxer to make her mark in MMA, much like Rhousy is doing, before the field gets too tight. They'll have a much harder time down the road as the women's segment matures.