Former
Ultimate Fighting Championship champion Jon Jones
would consider competing against Oleksandr Usyk, but not in
boxing.
Usyk vacated his IBA, WBC and WBA heavyweight boxing titles last
month. However, the Ukrainian legend isn’t hanging up his gloves
just yet. Usyk’s advisor, Sergey Lapin, subsequently revealed that
they are considering Jon Jones and Deontay Wilder as potential
opponents for one last fight.
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Jon Jones explains why an MMA fight with Oleksandr Usyk
interests him more than boxing
While Jones (28-1) isn’t interested in boxing Usyk, he’s open to an
MMA bout. „Bones“ notes that wrestling is an important part of
Usyk’s training regimen and that he’d gladly share the cage with
him.
Jones doesn’t want to limit his arsenal by entering the squared
circle against Usyk. While he doesn’t consider himself an elite
boxer, he also doesn’t think of Usyk as a complete fighter. The
American then claimed that he would definitely come out on top if
they fought in a locked room with no rules.
“Not at all [interested]. Usyk is Usyk, man,” Jones told Ring
Magazine. “He is one of the absolute GOATs of heavyweight boxing. I
also am aware that he does wrestling, and wrestling has been a
heavy part of his training for many years, probably why he is so
dominant in the clinch. If he would like to test his total combat
skills, I would oblige him in that. But to handicap myself by only
using my hands, that’s not the world that I come from… I’m no
boxer. And I don’t consider Usyk to be a complete fighter. I think
the world knows what would happen if we were locked in the same
room.”