Anthony Pettis, a former UFC lightweight champion, went big for his professional boxing debut, challenging former four-division boxing champion Roy Jones Jr. The two squared off in the Gamebred Boxing 4 main event on Saturday at Fiserv Forum in Milwaukee.
The Anthony Pettis vs. Roy Jones Jr. match-up
Jones’s credentials would leave most people scratching their heads, wondering why he would be allowed to fight a debuting boxer. He won a silver medal boxing in the 1988 Olympics. He’s held boxing titles in at least four different weight classes. And Jones held an overall record of 66-9 going into the fight with Pettis, having shared the squared circle with the likes of Felix Trinidad, Antonio Tarver, James Toney, and Bernard Hopkins, to name but a few.
Pettis, on paper, would appear to have no business in the ring opposite Jones. Then again, he may have been making his professional boxing debut, but he was no neophyte when it came to boxing skills. Pettis has trained boxing for decades to apply it to his mixed martial arts career, in which he was a UFC and WEC (World Extreme Cagefighting) champion.
Not only was he not a newbie to fighting heading into the boxing bout with Jones, Pettis held several advantages in other areas. Notably, at 36 years of age, Pettis is nearly 20 years younger than the 54-year-old Jones. He also appeared to be in much better physical condition at 200 pounds than his opponent.
How the Anthony Pettis vs. Roy Jones Jr. boxing fight went down
In short, Jones is riding out the final frames of a once illustrious career, cashing in on his glory days. Unfortunately, he looked it in the bout with Pettis. He had his moments, as more than 30 years of fighting showed in his deft skill against a much younger athlete.
It wasn’t enough for Jones, however, as Pettis was simply quicker to the punch throughout. He also appeared to have much more gas left in the tank by the end of the bout, which earned him a majority decision.
Though one judge scored the bout a 76-76 draw, the other two saw it as decisively in Pettis’s favor. They scored the eight-round bout 77-75 and 78-74 for the former UFC lightweight champion.
Pettis, a free agent, looked good in his professional boxing debut, but says he isn’t done with MMA just yet.
“I still have some MMA left in me,” he said at the Gamebred 4 post-fight press conference. “I definitely want to move up to 170 pounds. I’m a free agent right now, so I get to sit back and take the fights as they come.”
UFC veterans highlighted the Gamebred Boxing 4 fight card
The Gamebred Boxing 4 fight card was littered with UFC veterans and former champions. Aside from Pettis vs. Jones, Vitor Belfort outpointed Ronaldo “Jacare” Souza. Belfort is a former UFC heavyweight champion, while Jacare is a UFC vet that once held the Strikeforce middleweight championship.
Former UFC featherweight titleholder Jose Aldo squared off with Jeremy Stephens, another former UFC fighter. They fought to a majority draw, but it was Aldo’s war of words with UFC superstar Conor McGregor after the fight that drew most of the attention to Gamebred Boxing 4.
After the fight, McGregor tweeted that he and Aldo should rematch in boxing. McGregor famously knocked Aldo out in just 13 seconds when they met in the UFC 194 main event in 2015. Aldo didn’t take too kindly to McGregor’s jab at him.
“Conor, shut your f**king mouth. We were supposed to fight before in the UFC. You run, and now you still talk sh*t.”
UFC veterans Gina Mazany and Pearl Gonzalez also boxed at Gamebred Boxing 4. Mazany took the majority nod with scores of 57-57, 59-55, and 58-56.
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Gamebred Boxing 4 Results
- Anthony Pettis def. Roy Jones Jr. via majority decision
- Vitor Belfort def. Ronaldo “Jacare” Souza via unanimous decision
- Jose Aldo vs. Jeremy Stephens declared majority draw
- Gina Mazany def. Pearl Gonzalez via majority decision (57-57, 59-55, 58-56)
Anthony Pettis outboxes Roy Jones Jr. at Gambred Boxing 4
Anthony Pettis outboxes Roy Jones Jr. 🥊 plans MMA return
