Gary A. Vasquez-USA TODAY Sports
In case the Conor McGregor vs. Floyd Mayweather spectacle didn’t satisfy your “MMA guy with pretty good hands wants to fight boxing’s elite” cravings, UFC heavyweight champion Stipe Miocic wants to cross over to the “sweet science” to challenge towering pugilist Tyson Fury.
Sure, we already played this game back in 2013 when Cain Velasquez was ruling the 265-pound roost — and when Fury had a full head of hair — but we can recycle some of that hype for the next generation of fantasy matchmakers.
I guess Anthony Joshua wasn’t returning Miocic’s calls.
“Stipe says he wants to box me; that would be a good fight for sure,” Fury told MTK Global. “After I get Wilder out of the way, I’ll fight Stipe in a boxing match if he wants it. It would be a big crossover fight like Mayweather and McGregor. I’m open to that fight, so he should come and see me. It would be the same outcome for any of them: They’ll all get smashed.”
Maybe they can fight on the Jon Jones vs. Deontay Wilder undercard.
Miocic is expected to finish his trilogy with Daniel Cormier in early 2020 after splitting a pair of fights with the former Olympic wrestler, and I guess now is a good time to mention he was outstruck by “DC” in both bouts, despite an eight-inch reach advantage.
I’m sure the multimillion dollar payouts are the real attraction, at least in terms of competing in the “sweet science,” which is why so many successful fighters, like Jorge Masvidal, start name dropping boxing’s best once they have the media’s attention.
I guess it’s not so smoky in here after all.