UFC star Israel Adesanya squashes speculation of transition to boxing
The 34-year-old has been inactive since September
Former two-time undisputed middleweight champion Israel Adesanya has dismissed the possibility of making a return to the professional boxing ring in the future, despite rumours of a UFC comeback later this year.
Adesanya, who held the middleweight title twice under the Dana White-led UFC, has been inactive since September, suffering his second championship loss within a year.
Linked to a potential comeback in a middleweight title fight against South African rival Dricus du Plessis later this year, Adesanya mentioned that any promoter attempting to lure him back to boxing would face significant costs.
As he anticipates Anthony Joshua's return to boxing this weekend against Adesanya's close friend, former UFC heavyweight champion Francis Ngannou, whom Adesanya accompanied to the ring for his August fight with Tyson Fury, the City Kickboxing staple shut down speculations about his own return to boxing.
“‘You ever thought about going in the boxing ring?’ I was like, I already did,” Israel Adesanya said on his YouTube channel. “6-1. The money’s too much for them to get me back. I just feel like I’ve already done that, and right now, the UFC’s looking after me pretty well. But I know what you mean – there’s a number, but I don’t think these guys are willing to pay it.”
In his last venture to the Octagon, Nigerian-Kiwi striker, Adesanya dropped a one-sided decision shutout loss to former champion, Sean Strickland – a defeat he has vowed to avenge before the end of his illustrious career.
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