Roy Jones Jr. is inserting himself into the boxing versus MMA debate. Ethan Miller/Getty Images/AFP
The potential crossover match-up between Floyd Mayweather Jr. and Conor McGregor has not even materialized yet, but another boxer is already inserting himself into the discussion.
Multiple division boxing champion Roy Jones Jr. expressed his desire to co-headline the dream card and is lobbying for a fight against UFC legend Anderson Silva.
As seen in a YouTube video, the 48-year-old American fighter called out the Brazilian mixed martial artist, claiming that the two Boxing versus MMA fights would be the “biggest event of all time.”
“I think you put Roy Jones in versus Anderson Silva as the co-main event, you’ve got yourself a good dang ol’ fight card,” Jones told reporters after his TKO victory against bare-knuckle boxing king Bobby Gunn last week.
Jones, who holds 65 victories with 47 of those coming by knockout, also confirmed his interest in fighting the MMA superstar on Twitter.
Roy Jones vs Anderson Silva and Mayweather vs McGregor double headline card UFC invasion. Would be biggest event of all time period
— Roy Jones Jr. (@RealRoyJonesJr) February 23, 2017
Earlier before his unprecedented fall from grace, Silva was quite vocal about his desire to fight Jones inside a boxing ring.
“I know maybe I never (beat) Roy Jones, but this is my dream,” he told MMAFighting two weeks ago. “This is the business, I have a contract in the UFC. I have no frustration. It was my dream for a long time in my life,” he said.
Both fighters have seemingly lost a step and are in the advanced stage of their storied careers. Their love for competition has kept them active throughout the years, with Jones winning the vacant WBF cruiserweight title over the weekend and Silva recently winning against Derek Brunson at UFC 208.
By the looks of it, the potential Mayweather-versus-McGregor card remains to be far-fetched, but the allure of pitting stars from both combat sports inside one ring remains an enticing idea for sports fans all over the world. Khristian Ibarrola