Jeremy Stephens, known for his Mixed Martial Arts (MMA) career, has expressed his enthusiasm for boxing following a match against ex-UFC champion, Jose Aldo, and is said to be preparing for his upcoming match against Chris Avila.
Jeremy Stephens could hardly contain his excitement when he was offered the chance to box former UFC champion Jose Aldo. While he wasn’t in pursuit for such a challenge, his manager’s proposal was one he was ready to accept without hesitation. Stephens had just finished his third fight in the PFL and, given the choice to recommit or forge on, he chose the intriguing posibility of a boxing match. “My manager Lloyd [Pierson] was like, ‘What about Jeremy Stephens?’ And he called me with eight-and-a-half weeks [to go] to fight Jose Aldo, who is a well-renowned legend in the game,” Stephens recalls.
Making the 147 pounds was definitely a challenge, says Stephens, but it fuelled his desire to leap out of bed each day and train to become a formidable boxer. He was determined to both meet the challenge and make a name for himself in a new sport. Already respected for an impressive streak of knockouts in MMA, Stephens was aware he had a lot to learn about boxing ahead of his professional debut. After wrestling his way to a thin draw against Aldo, Stephens is expecting even more from himself when he goes up against Chris Avila this Saturday in the Jake Paul vs. Nate Diaz card. Talking up his latest performance, he disclosed, “That was on eight-and-a-half weeks’ notice, and I cut a tremendous amount of weight. I was up in the 180s, got down to 147.”
According to Stephens, he remains open to returning to MMA but is completely enamoured with boxing for now. Another aspect that attracts him to the discipline is the lesser incidental damage his body has to endure as compared to MMA. Preparing for matches, in his recent experiences, has left him feeling fitter than ever before. This is another reason why he is amped up about his match with Avila, and he hopes to leverage this into further leap into boxing. “The only thing I can do is one step at a time,” he shared. “I’m looking down at the menu right now and it’s boxing. So it’s 100 percent of my focus on becoming the best boxer.”
Reminiscing about his UFC days, Stephens remembers how Dana White set him up on big cards with formidable fighters like Brock Lesnar. He proudly recalls going out and headlining Fight Nights and pulling big cards. Now, his focus is on winning big in boxing and he is determined to give his fans, who have followed him through his MMA career, an equally thrilling experience in the boxing ring. Sharing his fresh-found love for the sport, he says, “I want the fans to just enjoy it, embrace it, take a deep breath and enjoy boxing. It’s going to be an honor to be out there. I feel like it’s rejuvenated me in a sense. I love it. I actually fell in love with boxing, the training, the intellect you get from sparring better boxers, learning between rounds on the techniques. I’m really enjoying it.”