UFC heavyweight champion Cain Velasquez has responded to the call-out by undefeated heavyweight boxer Tyson Fury, but don’t expect the two to face off anytime soon.
The American Kickboxing Academy fighter addressed Fury’s recent Twitter outburst in an interview with ESPN Chicago:
“I’m not a boxer,” he said. “I’m a mixed martial artist, and if he wants to fight, he can go into the UFC and work his way up like everybody else does. Nothing is given to you in this world. “To me, it’s like don’t talk about it, go ahead and do it. That’s all I have to say about that.”
Last week, Fury sent out several tweets aimed at Velasquez, beginning with “I challenge u to fight all in in a cage or ring! It could be billed as the man vs midget lets get it on!”
This was the first of several impromptu challenges, which also included UFC middleweight Michael Bisping and heavyweight journeyman/walking punchline Bob Sapp.
Velasquez is brushing off the unexpected proposition as a publicity stunt.
“I didn’t know who he was until this,” Velasquez told ESPNChicago.com. “I think he’s using my name to gain publicity, which he has done, everybody is bringing it up.”
In recent years, accomplished boxers have entered the cage with mixed results.
Former Olympic boxing gold medalist/WBO Heavyweight Champion Ray Mercer knocked out former UFC heavyweight title holder Tim Sylvia on the regional circuit in June 2009.
However, it was the complete opposite when former UFC heavyweight/light heavyweight champ Randy Couture fought James Toney—a boxing world champ in four separate divisions, at UFC 118 in Aug. 2010.
After securing a takedown in less than a minute, Couture used some signature ground and pound to set up an arm triangle choke, earning the submission win in less than two minutes.
Velasquez also told ESPN he would not be interested in fighting Fury in a similar type of fight even if his title wasn’t on the line, reiterating that Fury should have to work his way to a high-profile fight like anyone else.
Have we heard the last of Fury vs. Velasquez or is this just the end of the first chapter of what will be an ongoing saga in the weeks to come?
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