Anderson Silva and Chael Sonnen engaged in a friendly, low-intensity boxing exhibition in Brazil, resulting in a draw as both fighters showcased their skills without aiming for a knockout.
Anderson Silva and Chael Sonnen throwing hands in a boxing ring was never going to look like Arturo Gatti vs. Micky Ward. The old foes seemed resigned to engage in a glorified sparring session during their boxing exhibition on Saturday.
In a matchup billed as Silva’s final fight in his native Brazil, the former UFC middleweight champion still showed off some speed and skill. But it didn’t appear that he was actually going for the kill.
Sonnen did his best to hang with the better boxer. Really, this was two old-school legends spending five rounds in the ring together to put on a show.
Because it was an exhibition, there was no winner. Both fighters got their hand raised in a draw when it was over.
From the very start, it was clear the once heated rivals were really just having some fun in there. Sonnen’s game plan involved trying to bully Silva around the ring.
In return, the Brazilian snapped off his punches with speed but not much power. Again and again, Sonnen marched forward, but he didn’t do much damage offensively.
As for Silva, he stuck a right jab in Sonnen’s face and then circled away. The longtime rivals continued trading shots.
Silva got a little busier as the fight moved into the third round. He opened with several quick combinations as Sonnen ducked his head and covered up to prevent absorbing any serious damage.
At times, Silva did set up a good lead jab with his left and followed up with a right behind it. But there wasn’t much rhythm as he continued to let Sonnen hang around.
Sonnen did his best to close the distance and use his size to wear down Silva. The Brazilian still defended well and then fired back on the inside with more effective punches.
In the fourth, Silva started dancing a bit more, bouncing on his feet and tossing jabs and hooks out without really putting any power behind them. His best punch came with a stinging uppercut that appeared to catch Sonnen off guard.
But it still wasn’t enough to actually rattle the three-time UFC title challenger. The pitter-patter shots continued from both fighters as time ticked away in the final round.
Silva did manage to do enough damage to bloody Sonnen’s nose. In the end, both fighters celebrated after the final bell sounded.
Nobody expected a pair of fighters nearing age 50 to go into the ring and just slug it out. Silva was able to spend five rounds in the ring with a rival turned friend.
He also shared a card with his son Kalyl, who picked up a win over Paulo Roberto earlier in the night. Silva teased his next fight for later this year with the location likely set in Abu Dhabi.
But he declined to reveal the opponent just yet. As for Sonnen, he continued to call out Jorge Masvidal for a future boxing match.