Anthony Pettis has always wanted to be a boxer since he was young. He eventually became one of the most famous fighters in MMA, but hisdream had always been boxing. On Saturday he will get to fulfill this dream when he fights Roy Jones Jr., which is happening in his home city of Milwaukee.
Pettis still has an agreement with PFL, but he isn’t sure what his future holds since boxing has now filled him with excitement as he’s gearing up to fight Jones Jr. Right now, Pettis hasn’t made any concrete decisions on his future.
Pettis recently told MMA Fighting that he has done a lot in mixed martial arts and is currently building up his own team. He used to watch boxers such as Oscar De La Hoya and Felix Trinidad when he was young, which motivated him to enter combat sports. However, his mother didn’t want him to pursue boxing and instead insisted on taekwondo and kickboxing for him — which turned out to eventually lead him down the path of professional MMA athletes.
“I am taking this opportunity in boxing very seriously, so I’m looking for the best people to help me, and taking out money to pay them. I want to focus on just one fight right now, which is going to be against a really strong opponent in their own stadium. All my attention is on April 1st and whatever comes afterwards will come after that”.
Pettis is making sure he is well-prepared to fight against Jones, a really great boxer with lots of experience. Jones is 54 years old and has won many titles across multiple divisions – winning 47 matches out of his 66 professional fights with knockouts.
Pettis may be young, but he knows that what he’s about to do is much more challenging than the other MMA fighters who went into boxing like Conor McGregor.
He explained by saying, “Most of them weren’t up against a top-level boxer like I am. This win is huge for me as well as mixed martial arts in general and especially for my coaches – they worked so hard on this.”
“I’m really determined to not let this get away from me and surprise my opponent with my boxing talent. I won’t fight in the same way as an MMA fighter but as a boxer.”
The fight between Jones is a heavyweight battle which differs dramatically from what Pettis usually does in his Mixed Martial Arts fights – ranging from 145 to 170 pounds.
At first, it might have been worrying going up against an experienced fighter like Jones, but Pettis has already accepted that he won’t go back to the lightweight division and is much bigger now.
After the last season of PFL had ended, I knew I shouldn’t stay at 155 pounds anymore. So I worked to bulk up and prepare myself for whatever fight might come my way, in MMA or elsewhere. When a fight did come around, I was already 205 pounds and ready.
Pettis is aware that the fight against Jones on Saturday is going to be a difficult one since it’s his first boxing match, but he has done all he can to prepare himself. He wouldn’t say he will definitely win, but he’s hoping for the best outcome.
Pettis said he is looking for the best boxers to practice with since he’s living in Vegas. He’s taking boxing seriously and was even motivated to do so by a legendary boxer, otherwise known as the “GOAT” which stands for Greatest Of All Time. According to Pettis, being able to fight one of these GOATs is an exciting opportunity that he always dreamed about as a child.
I’m really trying my best in this new world I’m entering, where I aim to win fights. The sparring training I get is teaching me more and getting me ready for the fights. Now, I’m all set!
