Since UFC star Conor McGregor boxed Floyd Mayweather Jr. in 2017, there has been an increase in cross-sports callouts. A recent incident involves newly crowned UFC bantamweight champion Sean O’Malley, who just after winning the title has called out undefeated boxing star Gervonta Davis. This recent challenge issued by the UFC bantamweight champion has not only captured the interest of fighters in his own division but also resonated with boxers.
Recently, boxer Ryan Garcia mocked O’Malley for showing interest in fighting Davis. Additionally, O’Malley’s arch-rival, bantamweight contender Marlon Vera, criticized his move of fighting Davis. The undefeated boxer’s coach predicted a brutal loss for the UFC champ if the two ever fight, and that prompted O’Malley to send out a hilarious 3-word message.
Any tiny lightweight would beat Sean O’Malley
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O’Malley, on his YouTube channel, has stated that he wouldn’t mind knocking out Davis. “I wouldn’t mind knocking out Gervonta Davis, I’m telling you that fight is going to happen…I would love to go out there and box him,” said O’Malley. In response to this callout, Kenny Ellis, one of Davis’ trainers, stated that the UFC bantamweight champion would get destroyed in a boxing match.
As per Boxing Scene, citing ES News, Ellis said, “Tank gonna whoop his ass, in the first round. Any tiny lightweight would beat him, Tank, Shakur, Haney, all those guys would beat him cause they’re boxers. All of them would knock him out. You better leave those boxers alone before you get knocked out.” This prompted the UFC bantamweight champion to tweet a 3-word message. O’Malley, who is 5’11 in height, tweeted, “Lolz dudes 5’2”, underscoring the height difference between the two.
Lolz dudes 5’2 https://t.co/pB2QbBzgnr
— Sean O’Malley (@SugaSeanMMA) August 29, 2023
Although it’s very early to determine whether the fight between these two athletes will come to fruition or not, a former UFC champion is, however, taking on the current boxing heavyweight champion Tyson Fury.
MMA star vs. boxing legend
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Former UFC heavyweight champion Francis Ngannou, who left the UFC earlier this year, is scheduled to fight heavyweight champion Fury on October 28 in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia. For his boxing debut, Ngannou has onboarded heavyweight boxer Mike Tyson, who will act as a mentor and coach.
‘Iron Mike,’ recently in an interview on The Jim Rome Show, praised Ngannou’s punching speed and power. He said, “Tyson Fury got dropped by a small guy. It was early in his career, and listen, (Ngannou) punches like God knows who, man. He’s fast, he moves quicker. I worked with his speed, and listen, man, he only has to land one or two (punches).”
Highlighting that Fury has not faced an opponent who can strike like Ngannou, ‘Iron Mike’ said, “Tyson has never been in the ring with a guy that can punch this hard. There’s no doubt about that, and don’t be surprised if Tyson tastes the mat either.”
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Do you find these cross-sports matchups exciting and intriguing? Would you be interested in witnessing O’Malley face Davis in a boxing match? Share your thoughts in the comments.
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