Chris Avila isn’t that stunned he got here out forward towards Jeremy Stephens on the Jake Paul vs. Nate Diaz undercard.
If it have been MMA, Avila can be closely favored to lose towards the perennial octagon standout. However he met Stephens within the boxing ring, the place he has a bonus.
“He’s a tough puncher, however I didn’t really feel something, and I’m simply ranges above him,” Avila stated of Stephens on the post-fight press convention after his unanimous determination win over Stephens. “That’s all that occurred. That’s all that’s.
“I knew the combat was going to play out one thing like that, so I did what I do. I’m a boxer first, too, and likewise an MMA fighter. I practice arts individually. I’m not simply an MMA-trained kind of man.”
Stephens, whose MMA report is 29-20, got here out swinging with the identical exhausting punches he used to knock out opponents within the UFC. Whereas Avila took a number of of them, he was by no means at risk of being stopped. And in contrast to his MMA counterpart, he had a greater understanding of the positions, timing, and angles {of professional} boxing. Because the combat went on, he usually out-struck Stephens, whose boxing expertise was restricted to a draw with former featherweight UFC champ Jose Aldo.
After Avila’s 8-9 run as an expert MMA fighter, with stints in UFC and Bellator, he’s within the midst of a renaissance as an expert boxer. The win over Stephens adopted one other dominant win within the Misfits Boxing promotion in April. However based on Avila, he has no real interest in making a house within the influencer boxing promotion.
“I’m not into that form of stuff,” he stated. “I did that present, and it was only a bunch of amateurs, and there isn’t anyone there worthy of combating. So they should step their sport up. There’s no person in Misfits Boxing that’s worthy.”
On Saturday, Avila fought in entrance of a packed home in one of many greatest boxing occasions of the yr, and he beat a extremely regarded MMA fighter who possible would have dominated him within the cage. His teammate and pal Nate Diaz wasn’t as profitable towards influencer-turned-boxer Jake Paul, however then once more, Diaz received an ethical victory by being the group favourite.
“It was motivating,” Avila stated of the response to the occasion. “It was cool to see a bunch of individuals there, and it made me really feel good to go on the market and showcase. I had fun.”
