UFC champ Tom Aspinall RIPS ‘boxing model’ despite aspirations to crossover sports

Interim heavyweight Tom Aspinall, who is a hardcode fan of boxing, slams the current state of the sport.

UFC champ Tom Aspinall RIPS ‘boxing model’ despite aspirations to crossover sports

Tom Aspinall slams on current state of boxing, and calls out Jon Jones again (Source: IMAGO)

UFC interim heavyweight champion Tom Aspinall is a huge boxing fan. However, he hates the current trajectory of the sport. On Wednesday, the MMA superstar visited the talkSPORT Boxing headquarters. The newly minted champion even had a pleasant punching feat on a punching machine and called out Jon Jones yet again. Nevertheless, his opinion about boxing became the talk of the town.

Before Riyadh season boxing, fellow Briton and lineal boxing heavyweight champion Tyson Fury had invited Aspinall for sparring. Time and again, Aspinall has mentioned being a livid fan of the sport. Talking to talkSPORT Drive, the fighter said:

I am a massive boxing fan. I absolutely love the sport of boxing, [but] I absolutely can’t stand the boxing model. Hate it. I hate the way boxing is going at the moment because I love the sport of boxing...You can look at the Eddie Hearn show, a Frank Warren show, any other promoter's show, and know - say there are 10 fights on. You can know at least 8 of the winners before the bell rings on any of the fights. I can't stand it.
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Aspinall mentioned that he is in awe of the defensive maneuvers and sciences of boxing itself. However, he was not a fan of the current spectrum of the sport, which was very much unlike the “classic” one. He even name-dropped gigantic sporting promoters like Eddie Hearn and Frank Warren, solidifying his point. While he does not “hate” the sport, Aspinall has mentioned he feels it to be terrible. He also stated that top boxers rarely fight each other. This is not the case in the UFC.

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The 14-3-0 heavyweight defeated Sergei Pavlovich at UFC 295. The outstanding victory came via a 69-second KO victory. Recently, Aspinall had wished upon a mere shift to boxing for wanting to remain active.

Tom Aspinall sees Stipe Miocic as a justifiable next opponent despite Jon Jones callouts

UFC 295 saw a major blow in the form of a withdrawal from Jon Jones. Jones, who was set to face Stipe Miocic pulled out due to injury. He incurred a pectoral tear during training and had to undergo surgery. As a replacement, Tom Aspinall stepped up for an interim championship, which he won. Now, the fighter thought Miocic would be a viable option for his interim title defense.

Tom Aspinall, who won the interim heavyweight title at UFC 295, sees Stipe Miocic as next best option
Tom Aspinall, who won the interim heavyweight title at UFC 295, sees Stipe Miocic as next best option (Source: Twitter/talkSport.com)

Aspinall had called out to Jones several times. But CEO Dana White had inferred on the original line-up for Jones vs. Miocic to persist once he recovers. With Jones making a comeback as the active heavyweight, Aspinall would remain on the sidelines for an extended time. Hence, the fighter wants to shake it up against the next contender while Jones recovers. Check out what he said below:

Ciryl Gane, who defeated Sergey Spivac at UFC Paris, called out Aspinall as well. The French fighter is interested in the pair-up after the subsequent title victory. However, Aspinall wants to fight Stipe or Jones in the immediate future.

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