Anthony Joshua, former two-time heavyweight boxing champion, has urged two-weight UFC champion Alex Pereira to consider switching to boxing.
Pereira, who recently retained his light-heavyweight title with a knockout victory against Jiri Prochazka, received a message from Joshua on social media.
Joshua wrote, “Alex Pereira should make a boxing debut one day.”
Pereira, who has quickly risen to stardom in the UFC by winning world titles in two divisions since his octagon debut in 2021, responded, “I’m honoured you think so. It’s always been my dream – [but] I’m 37, I cannot make a career in it, so who do you recommend I fight?” Joshua replied, encouraging Pereira to contact his management company about transitioning to boxing and saying the “options are endless.”
Pereira headlined UFC 300 earlier this year and stepped in at two weeks’ notice to replace Conor McGregor as the main event for UFC 303. He would not be the first mixed martial arts star to try boxing in recent times. .
Former UFC heavyweight champion Francis Ngannou recently fought Tyson Fury and Joshua in a boxing ring. Ngannou, 37, made a strong impression in his pro boxing debut against Fury, going 10 rounds with the then-unbeaten heavyweight, but was knocked out in two rounds by Joshua in March.
Pereira, who transitioned from kickboxing to MMA, has also hinted at moving up to the heavyweight division after winning titles at light-heavyweight and middleweight. Ngannou has repeatedly stated that boxing offers much bigger fight purses than the UFC, which he left to pursue a career in boxing.
