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Can a UFC fighter make a name for themselves in boxing?

Can a UFC fighter make a name for themselves in boxing?

Published:

By: Andy Silva

On the latest episode of All The Smoke Unplugged, Matt and Stak talked about Anthony Joshua KOing Francis Ngannou in the second round of their recent fight.

Matt points out that Ngannou has made $30 million in his last two boxing fights compared to $600K in his last MMA fight. Matt kind of respects Ngannou jumping into the deep water in the boxing world off the rip, while others are skeptical and don’t like it. How does Stak feel?

Stak says he respects Ngannou, noting that he’s a fighter, point blank. Stak points out that Ngannou had knocked down Tyson Fury and thus wanted to really test himself against a guy like Joshua. However, Stak points out that UFC and boxing are two completely separate things. Stak says somebody who has been training in boxing their whole life and is at the level of a Joshua is going to knock out any UFC fighter who steps into the boxing ring. And on the flip side, a UFC fighter would have the advantage on a boxer stepping into the octagon. Stak says he is a fan of both Ngannou and Joshua, but he kind of felt like he knew how the fight was going to go because Joshua is such a pure boxer who has been doing it for so long. But Stak does think Ngannou is someone who can shake up the boxing world, even if he doesn’t see anybody coming from the UFC and making a name in boxing.

Matt says it’s a big jump, training your whole life to do something and then switching it up. Matt says you have to give Ngannou a lot of respect for stepping into that ring, and once again notes just how much better the paydays have been for Ngannou in his boxing career thus far. So he’s not mad at the crossover, but it’s a 24-7-365 kind of job that Ngannou and anyone else looking to make the switch has to know going in.

Watch or listen to the full episode below and keep an eye on DraftKings Network for new episodes of All The Smoke Unplugged every Tuesday at 6 p.m. ET!

SHOW BREAKDOWN

NBA Buy or Sell, LSU vs. South Carolina Brawl, Mike Tyson vs. Jake Paul | All The Smoke UNPLUGGED

  • The boys are back for another unfiltered ATS unplugged episode. This week, Matt and Stak buy or sell some of the latest NBA takes, break down the LSU vs. South Carolina women’s hoop brawl, and talk about the recently announced Mike Tyson vs. Jake Paul boxing match.

VIDEO:

Check out the DraftKings YouTube page and the All The Smoke Productions YouTube page for more. Subscribe to the show on Apple Podcasts, Spotify or wherever you get your podcasts. You can also follow Matt Barnes and Stephen Jackson on Instagram at @Matt_Barnes9 and @_Stak5_ as well as All The Smoke Productions.

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All views expressed are my own. I am an employee of DraftKings and am ineligible to play in public DFS or DKSB contests.