Retired UFC light-heavyweight fighter Jimi Manuwa still wants to try his hand at professional boxing and he has certain high-profile opponents in mind.
Jimi Manuwa started his UFC career back in 2012 as an undefeated light-heavyweight from the UK national scene. He was off to a great start, picking up 3 stoppage victories in his first 3 UFC fights. Manuwa’s winning streak was briefly interrupted by Alexander Gustafsson, who stopped him via TKO in the 2nd round.
He bounced back with a decision win over Jan Blachowicz, before dropping another loss against Anthony Johnson, who finished the Englishman via KO in the 2nd round at UFC 191. After losing to Johnson, Manuwa seemed to have regained his prior form as he scored 2 “Performance of the Night” bonuses with his knockout victories over Ovince Saint Preux and Corey Anderson in his next 2 fights.
Manuwa went on a 4-fight losing streak after that, eventually retiring after being defeated by Aleksandar Rakic via knockout in the 1st-round in June of last year.
Now, the Englishman is considering a potential comeback and if it’s not in the cage, it will be inside the squared circle. Manuwa recently talked to BJPENN.com about his future ambitions:
“I have heavy hands and I always loved boxing. These last few months I’ve been focusing on my boxing,” Manuwa said. “Like maybe someone like Shannon Briggs would sell out arenas anywhere in the world. That is something I am really thinking about and leaning towards.”
Shannon Briggs, 48, is the former WBO heavyweight champion of the world. He has shared the ring with notable boxers such as Georges Foreman, Ray Mercer, Siarhei Liakhovich, Lennox Lewis and Vitali Klitschko among others. He hasn’t competed professionally since May of 2016.
Briggs might be open to a comeback as he told Sky Sports in 2019 that he intends to apply for a British boxing license, which would allow him to compete in the UK. Manuwa has picked up on that and is interested in a boxing fight with Briggs, as he believes that the two could sell out an entire arena.
He was previously interested in a bout against the recently-retired British boxer David Haye, but now has set his sights on Shannon Briggs instead:
“I don’t want to come in and start at the bottom and fight these lower-level guys for years. I’m about the big fights and giving exciting fights for the fans as my resume speaks. I had David Haye in mind a couple of years ago but I saw him at Bellator and I asked him to fight and sell out the arenas but he wasn’t up for it,” Manuwa explained. “He said he is retired, so you have to respect that. There are so many big names but maybe coming to the end of their careers which would make for a great fight. Shannon Briggs is someone I’d want to fight.”
Manuwa has been clearly been keep a close eye on the sport since he announced his retirement last year. He recently gave his thoughts on the current state of his former division in the UFC, revealing that he would like to see Jan Blachowicz get the next title shot at UFC light-heavyweight champion Jon Jones.
This article first appeared on CLOSEDGUARDMEDIA.com on 21st March, 2020.
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