Former UFC champion Anderson Silva is willing to continue a run in boxing beyond the upcoming fight with former WBC middleweight champion Julio Cesar Chavez Jr.
Silva (34-11 MMA, 1-1 boxing), 45-years-old, will face Chavez Jr. in a ten round boxing match on June 19 at Jalisco Stadium in Guadalajara, Mexico. The bout will be part of the “Tribute to the Kings” pay-per-view – which also features an exhibition clash between Julio Cesar Chavez Sr. and Hector Camacho Jr.
After doing just about everything he could in MMA, Silva says the upcoming fight with Chavez Jr. could be the start of a new career path.
“Yeah, of course it’s possible,” Silva told MMA Junkie. “I love this sport. I love boxing. And, yeah, it’s possible. We’ll see.”
Silva had two boxing matches, in 1998 and 2005.
He tried for years, without success, to have a boxing match with Roy Jones Jr.
Because of his exclusive contract with the UFC, Silva was never allowed to pursue his passion to box.
Now that he’s a free agent, he would still embrace the idea of facing Jones in a boxing match.
“Yeah, absolutely, because I talked about fighting Mr. Roy Jones Jr. for many, many years ago when I started fighting in the UFC,” Silva said. “I think now is coming closer to this reality, and let’s go see. My focus is just for this fight now, and then let’s go see in the future.
“First of all, boxing is an amazing sport. I love boxing, and I practice boxing for a long time – not professionally, but I try to do my best. I continue training, and I continue challenging myself. This opportunity to fight Chavez Jr. is not about proving (anything) to anyone, it’s just to challenge myself. When I go inside to fight in the ring against Chavez Jr., I’ll do my best and stay happy and put my passion inside the ring.”