Fedor Emelianenko open to boxing Roy Jones Jr: ‘It would be a great honor for me’

Fedor Emelianenko is the latest mixed martial artist to express interest in entering the boxing ring. In an interview with Russia’s state-run media outlet…

By: Karim Zidan | 2 years ago
Fedor Emelianenko open to boxing Roy Jones Jr: ‘It would be a great honor for me’
Bloody Elbow 2.0 | Anton Tabuena

Fedor Emelianenko is the latest mixed martial artist to express interest in entering the boxing ring.

In an interview with Russia’s state-run media outlet Tass.ru, Emelianenko revealed that he was open to facing former world champion Roy Jones Jr. in a boxing match in the near future.

“I have great respect for him as an athlete, a person, like a legend,” Emelianenko said. “He is one of the most outstanding boxers in the world of all time. Of course, it would be a great honor for me to perform in such a fight. I am interested in such fights. There are a few things we need to do—we need a promotion that is ready to organize such a fight. We also need to discuss the terms.”

Emelianenko, 45, holds a 40-6 (1) record in MMA, including a recent KO victory against Timothy Johnson at Bellator 269. Though still under contract with Bellator, the legendary heavyweight noted that he can still compete elsewhere as long as he remains in Russia. He also hinted that the potential fight might be best suited as an exhibition.

“We probably will not fully commit to strikes. But even without committing to punches, Roy can show everything he is capable of. Hopefully, I won’t pale in comparison.”

Seven years Emelianenko’s senior, Jones Jr. most recently took part in a boxing exhibition bout against Mike Tyson in November 2020, which ended in a split draw following eight rounds. He has not competed professionally since 2018, when he defeated Scott Sigmon by unanimous decision and retired on a win streak.

While Emelianenko is aware that both fighters are past their prime, he seemed to believe that combat sports fans would be interested in the match-up. He revealed plans to train with Denis Lebedev, a former unified cruiserweight world champion, in preparation for the bout, and expressed a desire to test his skills against one of his favorite fighters.

“We now have the wind blowing in different directions,” Emelianenko noted. “I think that this fight will be interesting for many. But there are many pitfalls, including many people who will take it negatively.”

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About the author
Karim Zidan
Karim Zidan

Karim Zidan is a investigative reporter and feature writer focusing on the intersection of sports and politics. He has written for BloodyElbow since 2014 and has served as an associate editor since 2016. He also writes for The New York Times and The Guardian. Karim has been invited to speak about his work at numerous universities, including Princeton, and was a panelist at the South by Southwest (SXSW) film festival and the Oslo Freedom Forum. He also participated in the United Nations counter-terrorism conference in 2021. His reporting on Ramzan Kadyrov’s involvement in MMA, much of which was done for Bloody Elbow, has led to numerous award nominations, and was the basis of an award-winning HBO Real Sports documentary.

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