Roy Jones Jr is soon to be back in the ring, as the living legend will do battle with Anthony Pettis, an MMA ace, on April 1 in Wisconsin.
Check out this release, which offers more details on the Jones-Pettis tango, and the rest of the Gamebred Boxing card:
MILWAUKEE – March 27, 2023 – The full card has been announced for the Saturday, April 1, “Gamebred Boxing 4” pay-per-view event (9 p.m. ET/6 p.m. PT) from Fiserv Forum in Milwaukee, Wisconsin, presented by Jorge Masvidal’s Gamebred Boxing.
In the main event, Boxing Hall of Famer Roy Jones Jr. and former UFC and WEC World Champion Anthony Pettis of Milwaukee will go toe-to-toe in an intriguing six-round heavyweight clash between two of combat sports’ most skilled, accomplished and popular champions.
A colorful array of boxing and MMA’s best highlight the exciting undercard, including former UFC and Cage Rage World Light Heavyweight Champion Vitor “The Phenom” Belfort (1-0, 1 KO) making his second official pro boxing appearance in a six-round heavyweight battle against debuting fellow Brazilian and former Strikeforce middleweight champion Ronaldo “Jacare” Souza.
The grappler Souza holds an MMA victory over Belfort, but the quick-fisted southpaw Belfort is much more established in the ring, having defeated the great Evander Holyfield by TKO in a September 2021 exhibition bout, in addition to his official first-round boxing KO over Josemario Neves in 2006.
In another MMA crossover bout, all-time great UFC Featherweight Champion Jose Aldo of Brazil will compete in a second-sport rematch against former MMA foe and top UFC contender Jeremy Stephens. The pair first met five years ago in an entertaining struggle won by Aldo that garnered him “Performance of the Night.” The two MMA vets will meet this time in a six-round welterweight affair.
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Also on the main card, Milwaukee’s own undefeated former NABF Champion and rising contender Luis Feliciano (16-0, 8 KOs) will take on durable veteran Clarence Booth (21-7, 13 KOs) of Florida in an eight-round super lightweight bout, while Florida’s undefeated Devin Cushing (12-0, 9 KOs) will face Argentine veteran Damian David Marchiano (18-11-1, 7 KOs) in a six-round super featherweight tussle.
Former UFC contender Pearl Gonzalez will take on fellow mixed martial artist turned social media star Gina Mazany in a six-round featherweight showdown. Brooklyn’s Gonzalez is already 2-0 with one KO as a boxer. Originally from Alaska, Mazany will be making her boxing debut.
Kicking off the pay-per-view telecast will be a six-round heavyweight battle between 11-1 MMA/3-1 Bareknuckle fighter Dillon “Bad Boy” Cleckler and Bellator MMA and fellow bareknuckle competitor Josh “The Hammer” Burns.
“If you’re on the fence about buying this PPV, we don’t blame you. You more than likely don’t have a clue how these fights will play out, and to tell you the truth, neither do we,” said Jorge Masvidal, CEO of Gamebred Boxing. “We have no idea if wisdom beats youth in the Roy Jones vs Anthony Pettis fight, we have no idea who wins between one of the greatest strikers in MMA history, Vitor Belfort, against the former BJJ World Champion, Jacare Souza. We can all sit and make assumptions about what we think will happen between Jose Aldo and Jeremy Stephens, but you know what they say about assumptions. If there’s one thing we can promise and deliver on is that there will be sheer violence and sweet science. Bottom line, you’re just gonna have to tune in April 1st to find out.”
“I can’t think of a time we’ve seen five former World Champion from two different sports on 1 fight card,” said Dean Toole, President of Gamebred Boxing. “The best thing about this entire event is the eyeballs on the young incredible talent coming up. Undefeated prospects like Luis Feliciano, Devin Cushing and Javier Zamarron will really showcase our mission statement here at Gamebred Boxing and that’s to build new stars and promote upcoming talent. We want to build our own roster and have those fighters eventually headlining these big events. On Saturday night they’ll get an opportunity to steal the show.”
The pay-per-view can be purchased through InDEMAND, PPV.com and UFC Fight Pass PPV, with tickets to the live event available through FiservForum.com and Ticketmaster.com. Additional event details will be announced shortly.
Several preliminary bouts are also on tap, headed up by former UFC and BKFC fighter Joe Riggs taking on fellow UFC alum Markus Perez in a six-round cruiserweight bout. Riggs replaces UFC vet Paul Daley who was forced to withdraw.
Also scheduled is a double pro debut between female fighters, as Vegas via Vietnam’s Bi Nguyen will face Myrtle Beach via Vietnam’s Andy Nguyen in a four-round bantamweight contest. This will be the rubber match between the two MMA competitors turned boxers with each previously claiming a victory over the other.
Rounding out the preliminary action will be a female four-round lightweight bout, as MMA fighters Danielle Wynn and Danielle Cohen will meet, with Cohen making her pro debut, while Wynn is 0-1 in boxing. Wisconsin southpaw Javier “El Guerito” Zamarron (2-0, 2 KOs) will take on debuting South Carolinian, MMA competitor Roberto Armas in a four-round super featherweight matchup.
Lastly, Florida’s Cade Howell (3-1, 3 KOs) will appear in a four-round welterweight bout vs. an opponent that is TBA.