Former UFC middleweight champion Anderson Silva will be taking a boxing bout on June 19 against former WBC champion Julio Cesar Chavez Jr.
One of the best mixed martial artists of all-time is heading into the squared circle as former UFC middleweight champion Anderson Silva will be boxing former WBC champion Julio Cesar Chavez Jr at 180 pounds on June 19 at the Jalisco Stadium in Jalisco, Mexico. TMZ was first to report the news, with ESPN later confirming.
Silva, 45, is best known as one of the most dominant mixed martial artists ever to compete in the UFC. After previously setting records for consecutive title defenses and consecutive victories in the promotion, he was widely considered the best to ever compete in the sport. In recent years, injuries and other factors have hampered Silva and he’s been on a 1-7-1 skid since losing the title in 2013. Last October, he lost via third round TKO to Uriah Hall in a fight that was widely considered to be his retirement bout. He would later renege on his comments and left the door open to fighting again, disputing an agreement that UFC President Dana White said he had as Silva was offered the bout with the understanding that it would be his last. Silva was subsequently released with one fight left on his UFC contract. Silva has boxed twice before, losing his debut in 1998 and winning his last bout in 2005.
Chavez Jr, 35, is a veteran boxer with a record of 52-5-1 and has shared the ring with elite fighters such as Mexican superstar Canelo Alvarez and current title holder Daniel Jacobs. Despite his success overall and winning the WBC title in multiple weight-classes, Chavez Jr has often been widely criticized for a lack of discipline in his training in working under his father as well as renowned trainer Freddie Roach. Chavez Jr last fought in November of 2020 in defeating Jeyson Minda by fourth round TKO.
The card on June 19 is set to also feature Chavez Jr’s father, Mexican legend Julio Cesar Chavez, against Hector “Machito” Camacho Jr.
