Anderson Silva: “I’ve Always Wanted to Test Myself Against Roy Jones”

UFC middleweight champion Anderson Silva has publically stated over the last couple of years that he’d like to fight boxing legend Roy Jones Jr. in a boxing match at some point.

On June 7, Jones Jr. told TMZ.com that he would “love to do it.”

During a UFC 162: Silva vs. Weidman media conference call on Tuesday, Silva reiterated his desire to fight the 44-year-old former boxing champion.

“Of course I want to fight him.  Maybe after this fight with Weidman, regardless of the outcome, I would love to fight him.  He’s already said that he would fight me also, so that’s something that I would really like to happen,” said the UFC champion.  “I feel that his boxing style is one that I’d like to test myself against.  I’ve always been a fan of his, and I just always wanted to test myself against Roy Jones.”

Silva recently signed a 10-fight deal with the UFC, but at 38-years-old it’s uncertain if he’ll be able to fulfill the contract.

“There’s a lot of possibilities of different things that could happen.  But that’s a fight that I’ve always wanted.  That’s a fight that I still want.  We’re going to have to see how everything plays out and wait for the next chapter of Anderson Silva and the UFC,” said Silva.

“Everything is a possibility, but really it’s going to come down to my willpower and my desire to still be fighting.  I have a lot of other things that I want to do.  I have other desires, and one of those is fighting Roy Jones.  But we’re just going to have to see how things work out in the next few fights and how I feel,” he added.

Jones Jr. indicated that for the fight to happen, it would probably have to take place in the near future.

“I don’t like wasting time. I don’t want to talk about something that’s not going to happen so if you want to do it, I would love to do it,” Jones Jr. said to TMZ. “Of course if we’re going to do it shortly, if it’s two, three years down the line I can’t make no promise. But if we’re going to do it immediately, right away, like after the next fight, then it can happen.”

It’s unlikely that a fight between Silva and Jones Jr. will ever actually happen, but Silva’s been in search of superfights and a bout with Roy Jones Jr. would certainly be one.

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