On April 17, former UFC heavyweight champion Frank Mir will make his professional boxing debut. His opponent: multiple-time light heavyweight and cruiserweight titleholder Antonio Tarver.
For Mir, it’s more about making his family proud.
“I just want to make a good showing of myself first and foremost,” Mir told MMA Fighting. “Look, I’m an example to my children and my children are smart. They’re phenomenal human beings. If you watch my Instagram you can see the things they’re already doing, my daughter and my sons.
“So I’m an example to them. When I walk out into that ring, my daughter’s gonna be in my corner. I want to make sure that when I walk out of that ring, my daughter’s proud that I’m her father.”
Based on recent history, at least, crossover bouts like this one don’t usually end well for the MMA fighter. Mir knows the likelihood of losing, but he’s confident he’ll be able to inflict significant damage.
“Regardless of how that fight ends, I’m walking out of there with pride,” he said. “Hopefully, that means me putting my fist through Tarver’s ribs and he gets carried out on a stretcher.
“But if it comes out with an L, he’s still probably leaving on a stretcher. I might get outpointed, but I’m making sure that everybody knows I was there.”
Tarver vs. Mir will be part of the Ben Askren vs. Jake Paul undercard.
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