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Former UFC middleweight champion Anderson Silva revealed that he wanted to fight Roy Jones Jr. in a boxing match but Dana White and the top brass were against it. 'The Spider' wanted to fight 'Captain Hook' after recovering from the unfortunate leg break at UFC 168.
Silva recently entered the UFC Hall of Fame and still holds several records in the promotion, the most notable being the longest title reign. After his UFC career ended, Silva dabbled in professional boxing before calling it quits.
The 49-year-old appeared on Andre Ward's Art of Ward podcast earlier last month, where the retired undefeated boxer asked why 'Spider' never fought Jones Jr.
"When I broke my leg, I remember I talked to Dana White and Lorenzo, saying, 'Why don’t make this fight, me and Roy Jones?' And the guys said, 'Oh, because this and that and that.' I said, 'Listen, that’s something you can change everything.' And the guys said, 'Oh, but it’s a different sport. What do you think? You lose.' [I said] 'You lose, You lose because it’s a different sport,'" Silva said.
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Silva was a fan of Jones Jr. even before 'Captain Hook' turned professional. The Brazilian first watched Jones Jr. during the 1988 Olympics. Over the years, 'The Spider' closely followed the Olympic Silver medalist's career.
Like the overwhelming majority, Silva believes Jones Jr. was robbed of a gold medal by the judges in Seoul.
Check out Anderson Silva's comments about Dana White below (36:45):
Roy Jones Jr. once predicted Dana White would do well in boxing promotion
Dana White recently partnered with Turki Alalshik to create a global boxing league, and many believe it will revolutionize professional boxing. Seven years ago, Roy Jones Jr. had predicted White would do well in boxing promotion.
'Captain Hook' was asked about White's chances in boxing promotion during an interview with Kevin Iole. The interview was just months after White co-promoted the crossover boxing bout between Conor McGregor and Floyd Mayweather Jr., which did massive numbers in PPV sales and revenue generation.
"Dana White would do fabulous in anything he gets into because he reads and wants all the weight. He loves everything about boxing, just like he does with MMA, just as I do. If you’re a true fan of combat sports, you’d have to love MMA, and you have to love boxing. It is what it is," Jones Jr. said.
Check out Roy Jones Jr.'s comments below (8:28):
