Crossover: UFC bantamweight champion challenges Boxing lightweight champion

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Sean O’Malley (17-1), the current UFC bamtamweight champion recently challenged undefeated lightweight Boxing champion, Devin Haney. This was in the wake of O’Malley’s controversial victory over Aljermain Sterling (23-4).

Though Sterling kept claiming the match was untimely ended by referee Marc Goddard, Israel Adesanya’s opined that Sterling lost. According to Aljermain Sterling, who sustained a brutalised face from the finishing-pounding Irish fighter O’Malley gave him on the canvas, Goddard’s stoppage of the match stopped him from continuing a competition he was still fit for.

The controversy turned to smoking embers, leaving fans with doubts of a rematch. But Sean O’Malley was indisposed for an immediate fight with the former champion, interested then in contesting with some fighters of his choice. Now he has challenged an undefeated boxing champion, in the person of American, Devin Harney.

Harney watches over four lightweight belts:

• IBF World Light
  
• WBA Super World Light
  
• WBC World Light
  
• WBO World Light

What more? The professional boxer has had 30 recorded matches without losing. This necessitated the reply Devin Haney gave the champion.

After recalling crossover-boxing bouts between UFC fighters and professional boxers, Haney said, ‘Guess y’all MMA punks haven’t learned yet.’

Some might take this as an insult, while few might even imagine the champion boxer might be afraid of facing O’Malley. After all, Tyson Fury is set to fight MMA superstar Francis Ngannou in a highly-announced boxing match.

Tyson Fury praised Ngannou for having the boldness to challenge him, but Devin Haney seemed to have taken the call out as an insult. Fans are yet to see whether the fight would hold, but as things stand, O’Malley is very likely to lose.

Boxing rings are different worlds from the octagon. Different rules and important skill sets apply there, making it much like a dangerous gamble. Though O’Malley stands to make lots of money from the match if it held, it might be a painful match all through.