Owing to his rift with the UFC, Jon Jones has teased a crossover to boxing. Not before the Light Heavyweight champ expressed his desire of stepping into the ring, he met with an offer from a retired UFC fighter.
Former UFC Light Heavyweight Jimmy Manuwa is willing to welcome “Bones” to the boxing world. Having retired last year, Manuwa has remained away from competition since then. The American-born English, Manuwa, had a run full of ups and downs in the UFC. He signed with the organization in 2012. During his time in the UFC, he has racked up wins over Corey Anderson, Jan Blachowicz, and Ovince Saint Preux.
However, Manuwa’s stint with the UFC ended with a rather downward slope. After losing three consecutive fights, he announced his retirement. Jimmy never faced Jon Jones during his time at the UFC. Probably, that’ why he wants to fulfill his desire of fighting Jones.
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If Jon wants to box I’d be more than willing to
— JIMI MANUWA (@POSTERBOYJM) May 31, 2020
A fan questioned Manuwa as to why Jones would be interested in fighting him rather than a professional boxer. Manuwa replied by saying Jones doesn’t stand a chance against an actual boxer.
What boxer would be a good match for him? They’d all smoke him.
— JIMI MANUWA (@POSTERBOYJM) May 31, 2020
Why Jon Jones is pondering over a move to boxing
Jones is one of the most prized possessions of the UFC right now. Despite the glitches that he commits in his personal life, Jones is still considered arguably the greatest mixed martial artist ever. Even Dana White agrees with the same. Recently, Jones has been going back and forth with Francis Ngannou. Both of them wanted to fight each other at Heavyweight.
The negotiation for the fight turned out to be a point of conflict. Jones argued that he never quoted an amount for fighting. He said that the UFC outrightly dismissed the possibility of an increased payday for fighting Ngannou. Jones went absolute rant-mode on Twitter. He even talked about taking his talents somewhere else.
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UFC President recollects the entire incident a bit differently. He said that Jon Jones was demanding the same amount which Deontay Wilder made in his last fight, which was $30 million. The statement sparked a series of allegations that Jones and White levied upon each other.
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A fan suggested Jones to crossover to boxing. The Light Heavyweight kingpin said that he would make more money in his boxing debut than he would in his next three UFC fights. At this point, the differences between Jones and Dana seem to be very big. However, money can play the ultimate peacemaker in this business.
What do you think will be the next move for Jon Jones?