There’s just no end in sight to the crossover talk.
Following the mammoth paydays enjoyed by both men involved in the Floyd Mayweather vs. Conor McGregor super-fight last weekend, everyone is seemingly of the belief that the grass is greener on the other side.
Two-time former welterweight world champion Andre Berto has encouraged UFC President Dana White to give him a call, reigning UFC heavyweight champion Stipe Miocic continues to bang the drum in the hope of convincing Anthony Joshua to accept a boxing match with him and former UFC 145lbs kingpin Jose Aldo is eager to fight out his current contract so that he can realise his dream of becoming a world boxing champion.
But before McGregor officially took to the ring with ‘Money’, when talk about MMA vs. boxing was ramping up, Tony Bellew insisted that he’d be open to meeting UFC middleweight champion Michael Bisping and wasn’t all that concerned about whether it took place in the ring or the Octagon.
Bellew was so confident in his abilities that he announced that he would happily welcome ‘The Count’ to the ring before then making the all-British clash a mixed martial arts contest.
All good Tony. People twist things. But for the record, after gsp, I'm down to have a boxing match with you 100 percent. 👊
— michael (@bisping) August 15, 2017
Well it looks and sounds good to me… @EddieHearn can provide the stage and I'll provide a knockout to add to my highlight reel. 👊👍👌 https://t.co/UIWKAIv29J
— Tony Bellew (@TonyBellew) August 16, 2017
And given the success of MayMac, in terms of earnings if not sporting merit, the question was put to Bellew again last weekend and he insisted that he’d actually back his grappling skills against Bisping if they fought under MMA rules.
“If Michael Bisping gets in a boxing ring with me, I would sleep him in about four minutes,” Bellew told John Balfe of The Mac Life.
“If I got him in a cage, I’d probably choke him in about two and a half [minutes],” Bellew added. “He would try and take me down but my takedown defence is absolutely fantastic. At the point I would reverse it around and I would choke him out.”
The Liverpool boxer is currently mulling over the possibility of meeting pound-for-pound king Andre Ward at cruiserweight, while a heavyweight world title clash with Joseph Parker is also on the horizon depending on how the New Zealander fares against Hughie Fury.
But Bellew’s interest in a cross-sport duel with Bisping seems very legitimate as his promoter, Eddie Hearn, revealed a recent conversation about the potential tilt.
Hearn said: “He texted me the other night about Bisping and he said, ‘if it’s boxing it’s over’. I replied with a funny face and he said, ‘you don’t understand about my wrestling.’
“He fancies his chances in a cage.”
