Boxing and MMA cross overs are becoming a more of a common yet distasteful thought to think about it. Fights would be uncompetitive due to an MMA fighters not being specifically trained in the art of Queensberry rules but accros a magnitude of disciplines. We have already seen Floyd Mayweather fight Conor McGregor in a boxing match which admittedly raised huge revenues and attention to the encounter. However it is publicly admitted that these kind of fights and converstation of these fights are just public relation exercises.
The latest fighter to jump on this bandwagon is WBO heavyweight mandatory challenger Joe Joyce, who recently stated that he would be interested in fighting UFC Champion Francis Ngannou. In 2020 the pair sparred in Joyce’s lead up to his encounter with Daniel Dubois with Joyce being impressed with Ngannou’s power. Ngannou is currently in a contract dispute with the UFC which expires at the end of the year and is refusing to sign a deal under the current conditions of the deal offered.
This has not stopped Joyce speaking of the possibility of one day fighting the UFC heavyweight king.
“I sparred Ngannou before the Dubois fight, he’s a big, powerful unit. It was a good experience to spar him. He’s a freak of nature. He’s got phenomenal power. Most of the time I was trying to get away from those power shots to avoid getting my head taken off," Joyce told Give Me Sport.
“I’d love to fight him though but let’s keep it simple with boxing. The UFC is too much, man. Credit to all those guys because they have to train so hard in all these different areas like they have to be so well-rounded in the kicking, the striking, the grappling and the submissions and all that so it’s a lot you have to train for.”
