Anthony Joshua invites UFC light heavyweight champion Alex Pereira to test his skills between the ropes.
Joshua has a new challenge in mind. He recently tweeted, “Alex Pereira should make a boxing debut one day,” suggesting that the UFC star test his skills in the boxing ring. This idea has sparked a lot of discussions in the combat sports community, especially after Pereira’s recent victory over Jiri Prochazka to dominate the UFC light heavyweight division.
The end of June brought notable events in the heavyweight boxing world. Oleksandr Usyk vacated his IBF title, becoming a unified heavyweight champion once more. This change allowed Daniel Dubois to step up and become a world champion again. Now, Dubois is set to face Anthony Joshua on September 21 at Wembley Stadium. This will be Joshua’s second fight of the year, following his impressive win over Francis Ngannou in March at Riyadh’s Kingdom Arena.
Boxer Anthony Joshua Invites UFC Champion Alex Pereira to Boxing
Joshua’s tweet about Pereira quickly caught the attention of fans. Some MMA enthusiasts argued that it was time for boxers to try their hand in the Octagon. One fan replied, “Nah, it’s about time we see some boxers go into the octagon.” Another suggested Joshua himself should consider an MMA debut.
Interestingly, a fan pointed out that Alex Pereira has already tried boxing. On June 17, 2017, Pereira fought Marcelo de Souza Cruz in Sao Paulo and won by a third-round stoppage in a four-round bout. Despite this, Joshua’s suggestion for Pereira to enter boxing on a larger stage remains intriguing.
For now, fans are eagerly awaiting Joshua’s next fight against Dubois. The two had a heated face-off and had to be separated. A win for Anthony Joshua against Dubois could be significant in his quest to regain prominence in boxing after losses to Usyk.
Joshua has been carefully rebuilding his career, starting with a fight against Jermaine Franklin last year. He then faced Otto Wallin and eventually took on Francis Ngannou. Joshua’s powerful performance against Ngannou, resulting in a second-round knockout, demonstrated his readiness to compete at the highest level again.
As fans look forward to Joshua’s fight in September, the prospect of Pereira transitioning to boxing remains a fascinating possibility. Could Pereira make a successful switch like others before him? It would be an honour accordioning to the light heavyweight MMA kingpin who responded to Joshua’s invitation.
Pereira said the following in recognising his age and his chances of making a proper boxing career at this stage of fighting career: “I’m honored you think so. It’s always been my dream, I’m 37 I cannot make a career in it so who do you recommend I fight?”
Featured image credits to Embed from Getty Images and Embed from Getty Images
