Former boxing world champion Roy Jones Jr. is still interested in facing mixed martial arts superstar Anderson Silva in a boxing match, but he is unsure if the dream showdown will happen.
Jones said in an interview with MMA Fight Corner that the long-proposed boxing match between him and Silva might not happen anymore because Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) promotions won't allow it to materialize.
"The UFC won't allow him to fulfill his dream and get in the ring and enjoy a night of sharing the ring with the great Roy Jones, Jr.," said Jones, who has proven over his five fights that he still has a lot of gas left in his tank.
Both Jones and Silva have been talking about the boxing match over the past several years. The 45-year-old boxer said that it will be a disgrace to fight fans if the showdown will not be staged before both of them decides to end their respective fighting careers.
"It's such a pity," Jones said. "It's such a shame because it's a night that I'm sure people from both worlds would really admire, and would love to see, and would get a lot from because of two legends in the ring at once. Although it's boxing, we could share the ring together because Anderson can box."
Jones was at ringside when Silva sustained a gruesome leg injury during his rematch with Chris Weidman in December last year. But despite suffering a career-threatening injury, Jones is convinced that Silva will still end his career on top of the list of best UFC fighters in history.
Silva, the former UFC middleweight champion, recently announced that he signed a new 15-fight deal with UFC. The Brazilian is already 39 years old, fueling doubts if he can compete in 15 more fights, but Jones said that he understands Silva's mentality.
"We fighters can't think that we have the mentality of a fighter, we are fighters," Jones said. "So, there's nothing that's supposed to get in our way that we see as defeat. Nothing's supposed to be a fear that we can't overcome. And that's same case with him. He's a fighter so he knows how to overcome anything possible."
