Count former
Ultimate Fighting Championship king Vitor
Belfort among those throwing cold water on the upcoming boxing
spectacle between Jake Paul and
Mike Tyson.
Belfort held little back when discussing the upcoming boxing match
of Paul vs. Tyson. The YouTuber-turned-boxer and the former
heavyweight champ will be squaring off on July 20 in Arlington,
Texas, and many have debated the legitimacy of their upcoming
encounter. The rules, as approved by the Texas Department of
Licensing and Regulations, consist of the bout lasting eight
two-minute rounds, with the heavyweights wearing 14-ounce gloves.
Despite this, the Texas commission has declared it will be a
professional bout. Belfort, speaking to Sherdog about the matchup
on Wednesday, was not a fan.
“Sixteen-ounce gloves are used only in sparring to protect
fighters,” the former champ noted. “Jake Paul and
Mike Tyson will do a sparring [match] live on Netflix, making
millions of dollars.”
Having left behind the sport of MMA, Belfort is also making waves
in the boxing ring. He first battled Evander Holyfield in an
exhibition in 2021, wiping out the heavyweight legend in the first
round. He returned in 2023 against fellow elder statesman Ronaldo
Souza, where he picked up a decision after six rounds of
combat. His next encounter was expected to be against Brazilian
boxing great Acelino Freitas, but that might not come to
fruition.
“My agent just had a meeting with the FMS [Fight Music Show] owner
and the fact is they don’t have money to pay me,” Belfort stated
flatly. “So, it’s not a question of weight category anymore.”
Several years ago, Belfort created his own style of combat he
coined ‘Boxing Martial Arts,’ which is a combination of boxing and
MMA, allowing for clinching while banning leg strikes, elbows and
takedowns. “The Phenom” also
displayed his glove design that would be used in these BMA
bouts, which appear similar to training gloves for disciplines like
karate.
Belfort continued, “I don’t fight only for money. My goal is to do
fights that make sense. I would love to fight with BMA rules, where
boxing and MMA fighters can face each other on an equal
battlefield. Imagine Anthony
Joshua and Jon Jones
fighting with BMA gloves where Jones is able to use his abilities
in the clinch.”
At the age of 47, Belfort knows his time is limited from a
competition standpoint. Most fellow competitors from his generation
have hung up their gloves and are now coaching or otherwise moved
on to the next stage of their lives. The few that remain, Belfort
would love to fight, no matter the rule set.
“Wanderlei
[Silva], Anderson
Silva, Fedor
Emelianenko, Lyoto
Machida, Nate Diaz,
Darren
Till, Mike Perry.
Anyone of those guys would make sense,” Belfort concluded, pitching
his list of preferred next opponents.