Milwaukee MMA star Anthony Pettis will make his pro boxing debut April 1 at Fiserv Forum
Milwaukee-born former mixed-martial arts champion Anthony Pettis is scheduled to make his boxing debut April 1 at Fiserv Forum.
His opponent? Fifty-four-year-old Roy Jones Jr., a four-class champion whose best days came in the 1990s and early 2000s.
“He’s dangerous,” Pettis said on “The MMA Hour” YouTube show Feb. 8. “Especially with how much knowledge he has in boxing. This favors him. It’s eight rounds, it’s something I’ve never done before.”
The Pettis-Jones bout is the headliner on what is to be an eight-fight program promoted by Jorge Masvidal’s Gamebred Boxing.
Masvidal is a middleweight competitor with the United Fighting Championship and has branched out into boxing, mostly promoting MMA fighters. Five of the eight matches scheduled for Fiserv involve competitors who are known first as MMA fighters. That includes two women’s matches.
Pettis, 36, is a past UFC lightweight champion. More recently he has competed in the Professional Fighters League at 155 and 170 pounds. His boxing debut will come at 200 pounds.
“It’s amazing. I was surprised to see the big check,” Pettis said on “The MMA Hour.” “It’s enough for me to go fight Ray Jones Jr. in my debut as a professional boxer.”
The last time Pettis fought in his hometown was 2013, when he beat Benson Henderson for the UFC lightweight belt in UFC 164. Pettis said he will continue to compete in the PFL.
Jones won middleweight, super middleweight, light heavyweight, and heavyweight titles with various organizations and has been considered one of the greatest boxers of all time. He has a professional record of 66-9 with his last victory coming in 2018.
In November 2020, Jones participated in an eight-round exhibition match with Mike Tyson that was declared a draw.
“He’s going to be a totally different fighter against me,” said Pettis, who lives and trains in Las Vegas. “He’s not going to worry about getting knocked out. He’s gotten hit by much bigger guys. He’ll probably press the pace on me and try to test me.”
Tickets are on sale, starting at $48 plus fees.
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This article originally appeared on Milwaukee Journal Sentinel: MMA's Anthony Pettis to box vs. Roy Jones Jr. April 1 in Milwaukee
