“Got rocked by a wrestler” – Alex Pereira coach’s Floyd Mayweather comparison doesn’t sit well with boxing fans

With UFC's TKO-powered boxing league on the rise, Glover Teixeira draws fan ire, comparing Alex Pereira to icon Floyd Mayweather.

“Got rocked by a wrestler” – Alex Pereira coach’s Floyd Mayweather comparison doesn’t sit well with boxing fans

Glover Teixeira ranks Alex Pereira's standup at par with Floyd Mayweather (Source: X)

Will Dana White’s foray into boxing bring on a heavyweight crossover between Alex Pereira and Oleksandr Usyk? Last month, White and Saudi GEA chief Turki Alalshikh got into the boxing business. The TKO-powered league has instigated interest from Pereira’s side. So much so that his coach Glover Teixeira, made an audacious claim of ‘Poatan’ being at par with Floyd Mayweather.

Few details have been made public about the TKO-powered league. However, the news had fight fans clamoring on if White’s boxing promotion would allow UFC athletes to cross over. Despite the UFC boss saying no, Alex Pereira himself urged interest during a sitdown with the ‘VIP AOA Global‘ media scrum in Australia. Pitching in, Pereira’s coach and former UFC champion Glover Teixeira made an audacious claim.

Maybe they put Usyk and Alex for the heavyweight champion; I think Usyk can fight light heavyweight… He’s what like 230 [pounds]? …Alex just has the eyes. The movement he makes, he’s like Mayweather and Pacquiao. Alex does those things.

Glover Teixeira on ‘The Coach And The Casual’ Podcast
YouTube video

Glover Teixeira even crossed the grave bounds of saying soon-to-be former UFC 145-pound champ and crips boxer Ilia Topuria trailed behind as second best. While he doused Pereira as the best boxer in the roster right now, the legendary kickboxer does have a good standup game. He bloomed late and pieced through Khalil Rountree Jr. during the UFC 307 PPV event headliner.

However, it’s a big leap to cross over names like Topuria, Dustin Poirier, Max Holloway, Tom Aspinall, Petr Yan, and others in that department. Furthermore, to make a comparison to ‘Money’ Mayweather was even more so, especially as Pereira could not muster much offense during his latest UFC 313 PPV headliner spot. Fans have reacted as much to it.

Fight fans react to boxing comparisons between Alex Pereira and Floyd Mayweather and even others

A showdown between the undisputed HW boxing champ of the world and a former two-division UFC titleholder is one of the biggest fights the promotion could potentially book. Usyk recently talked on a two-parter legacy retirement; one part of which was a crossover “show fight” against Poatan. Alex Pereira made the call-up first and has since shown substantial interest in it.

Fans react to Alex Pereira boxing comparison
Fans react to Alex Pereira boxing comparison (Source: X)

While hardly a reality, it does not stop fight fans from wondering up what-if scenarios about Pereira and his power barrage faring in boxing. He did lace up as a 1-0 cruiserweight amateur boxer, with a TKO win with Marcelo de Souza Cruz. However, comparisons with Floyd Mayweather would be taking it a bit too far. Here is what fans think of it:

A prime reaction (@YaImran24479) retorted: “Is this why he got rocked by a wrestler?” Pereira, 37, lost out his UFC 205-pound title strap to Magomed Ankalaev recently at UFC 313. Funnily enough, Master of Sambo and 2016 Akhmat FC Light Heavyweight Grand Prix champ Ankalaev outstruck Pereira with a hard push to the fence.

While Pereira did develop a better anti-wrestling game, he failed on his own turf. Hence, a few fans have also quipped that maybe his BJJ coach should not be making boxing comparisons.

Related: Oleksandr Usyk sidelined for super fight as Magomed Ankalaev ruins Alex Pereira’s plans