Former UFC lightweight champion, Anthony Pettis joins the ranks of fellow UFC alumni, Tyron Woodley and Ben Askren in transitioning to boxing. “Showtime” faces Mike Tyson’s last opponent, Roy Jones Jr. in his professional boxing debut. The fight between the two goes down at Gamebred Boxing 4, brought to fans by UFC fighter, Jorge Masvidal. The event takes place at the Finserv Forum in Milwaukee, Wisconsin.
Pettis previously held world championships in both the UFC and WEC. He entered the UFC to much fanfare, winning the title very quickly. However, he also fell off just as quickly, leaving the UFC with an 11-9 record to join the rival promotion, PFL. But this fight against Roy Jones Jr. is unlike anything Pettis has ever been involved in.
Familiar faces are throwing down this Saturday 👀🥊
— UFC (@ufc) March 29, 2023
Order the PPV on @UFCFightPass ➡️ https://t.co/cC7hpRE6td
[ #GamebredBoxing4 | Sat. Apr 1st ] pic.twitter.com/QEvgQX8jJ8
For starters, Jones has a stellar boxing record, 66-9 with 47 knockouts to his name. Meaning, he has a lot of experience to lord over Pettis during their showdown. Furthermore, Roy previously held titles in 4 different weight classes, showing that fighting opponents that are under or oversized relative to him, is not a problem.
However, the deciding factor for this match will probably end up being the physical differences between the two. And these differences are astounding, with no way to predict what happens until the bell rings at the Finserv Forum.
Anthony Pettis and Roy Jones Jr. – height, weight, and reach
Anthony Pettis and Roy Jones Jr., stand at a similar height with Jones being slightly taller. Pettis stands at 5’10″(1.78m) whereas Jones stands at 5’11″(1.80m). And when it comes to their reach, the taller man has a slight, one-inch advantage. “Showtime” has a 185 cm reach, while his opponent at Gamebred Boxing 4, has a 188 cm reach.
The biggest physical difference between the two, however, is their weight. Anthony was a competitor in the UFC’s lightweight division, 155lbs. On the other hand, Jones competed several weight classes above Pettis, frequently going up and down in weight. However, his most frequented divisions were the middleweight and super middleweight divisions. This means he used to regularly weigh around 190-200 lbs on fight nights.
It’s really happening 🤯🤯🤯 🎥⌚️ @GamebredFighter @FiteTV pic.twitter.com/IbRJWBuUUD
— Anthony Pettis (@Showtimepettis) March 30, 2023
This stark contrast in their weight may end up being the deciding factor in their fight. After all, we haven’t seen Anthony Pettis fight with such a weight disparity. However, it seems he will not back down from this challenge. And something that may end up helping Pettis in this fight is the age difference between the two.
Roy Jones Jr., at 54 years old, is 18 years older than Anthony, who is 36. While neither man is young for the fight game, the difference of 18 years cannot be ignored.
Come fight night, Anthony will definitely be faster in his reflexes and more explosive than his opponent. However, Jones can offset this using his significant weight advantage and wealth of experience. Ultimately, this fight is a toss-up because of the aforementioned factors and it will be a delight to watch both Pettis and Jones back in action.
