Fedor Emelianenko, after retiring from MMA, has expressed his desire to try boxing, showing interest in fighting Mike Tyson, or alternatively, Jake Paul.
Fedor Emelianenko may have hung up his gloves in the world of Mixed Martial Arts (MMA), but the sporting legend has indicated he’s not yet ready to bow out of combat sports entirely. The 46-year-old lost to Ryan Bader in February for the Bellator heavyweight title, in a match billed as “The Last Emperor’s” final fight, following which a retirement celebration was held. However, Emelianenko recently revealed in an interview that while his MMA career is definitely over, he now seeks to test his skills in the boxing ring.
According to Emelianenko, his hiatus following the Bader bout gave him a chance to recover and increase his strength. He noted that he had been working on his boxing skills and is feeling confident. Recognized as one of the greatest fighters of all time and a prominent figure in the heavyweight category during the 2010s, Emelianenko and his team are in the early stages of organizing his boxing debut. They do, however, have a particular opponent in mind.
Emelianenko expressed enthusiasm at the possibility of facing Mike Tyson, the former heavyweight champion. Despite Tyson being around his athletic zenith at 57 years old, he had recently participated in an exhibition bout against fellow boxing legend Roy Jones Jr. and has been preparing Francis Ngannou for an exhibition match against Tyson Fury. Emelianenko conveyed that if he could make it to the undercard of the Ngannou-Fury bout, he would seize the opportunity.
While aware that his inexperience in professional boxing, especially going up against a former champion, would make him an underdog, Emelianenko is unconcerned. He emphasized that he had been boxing since he was 23 and has thus gained substantial competence in the sport over the years. If a fight against Tyson doesn’t pan out, Emelianenko subtly suggested that Jake Paul, known for challenging former MMA fighters to boxing matches, could be a potential opponent. However, he doubted that Paul would be interested in taking the fight.