UFC outcast Tyson Pedro can win world boxing title in two fights
Tyson Pedro could go from UFC outcast to world boxing champion in just two fights, after announcing his professional boxing debut in June. Find out how inside.
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Tyson Pedro could go from UFC outcast to world boxing champion in just two fights, after announcing he’ll make his professional debut in the squared circle against Kris Terzievski in June.
Terzievski, the man who defeated Paul Gallen to become Australia’s heavyweight champion, is ranked No.5 by the WBC in the new bridgerweight division.
If Pedro can pull off victory over Terzievski in his pro boxing debut in Sydney on June 12, it’s likely he’ll be catapulted into a world title fight against WBC bridgerweight champion Lukasz Rozanski (15-0, 14KO) from Poland.
WBC boss Mauricio Sulaiman is a fan of Pedro, and is giving him the opportunity to create new buzz around the 101.6kg division.
Promoter Danny Green, the former world champion, said: “[Sulaiman] followed Tyson Pedro, he knew who Tyson was, really enjoyed his style, he said ‘I love this idea, it will get people to stand up and take notice’.
“Rozanski is promoted by the same people who promoted Krzysztof Wlodarczyk when I fought him for the WBC cruiserweight title [in 2011], and we worked very well together, I’ve dealt with these people and they know us.
“We’ve spoken to Rozanski’s people, but Tyson can’t look past Terzievski.
“Terzievski is no joke. It’s a real statement that Tyson is making.
“He’s got to get through this challenge, and [a world title shot by the end of the year] is a possibility.”
But many will be tipping Terzievski (12-1-2, 9KO) to outpoint Pedro with his reach, movement and vast boxing experience.
Since defeating Gallen to claim the Australian heavyweight crown, 33-year-old Terzievski had a technical draw against Faiga Opelu before stopping Alphonce Mchumiatumbo in eight rounds last December.
But Pedro, who had 11 fights with the UFC before calling it quits after losing to Vitor Petrino in Las Vegas last month, is looking to create a bigger legacy outside the cage.
Pedro versus Terzievski will be for the WBC International bridgerweight belt.
“I stopped thinking about UFC after Sydney (when Pedro defeated Anton Turkalj via first round knockout last September), I like to visualise things, but after that Sydney fight I couldn’t visualise the UFC anymore,” Pedro said.
“The only thing that could’ve beaten that is a title fight, but who knows, that could’ve been two or three years working my way back up the ranks. Look at me, I’m fighting for a boxing title in my first fight here. Absolutely crazy.
“You heard Mauricio, the WBC president said he wants to win this, and if I win this that puts me in the No.1 spot, that puts me in contention for the title. That is a crazy story, that’s where the dream goes.”
But Terzievski plans to turn that dream into a nightmare.
“He ain’t going to push me as hard as Gallen pushed me, Gal was in my face for 10, hard rounds, having that experience and knowing I can still be dancing around in the 10th round is invaluable,” Terzievski said.
“There’s not a chance that I could prepare for an MMA fight in 10 weeks. At the same time, there’s a lot of nuances in boxing; angles, footwork, defence. It takes time to build these skills, I’ve been doing this for 18 years.
“Danny Green said Tyson is coming back to boxing. Well, I’ve never left.
“I’m on the cusp of a world title fight. The more opportunities that open up, the more my belief system opens up. I can do it.”
But Gallen, who has sparred numerous rounds with 32-year-old Pedro, expects him to knock out Terzievski.
“I’ve done plenty of rounds with Tyson over the years and I think Tyson can hurt Kris, I’m not sure Kris is going to be able to hurt Tyson,” Gallen said.
“Tyson’s got to knock him out, and I think he can. Kris is a slick boxer, Tyson’s got to go in aggressive and try to knock him out.”
Green said Pedro’s ambition was remarkable, given he’s established a huge profile in the UFC.
“This kid wants to fight, he asked for Terzievski, it’s a big challenge,” Green said.
“He could’ve chosen a footballer and made a stack of cash. He’s picked the hardest challenge he could find, this kid wants the boxing community to respect what he’s trying to do.
“He’s not coming across to boxing to take the piss. He’s a former NSW state amateur champion, five and O, he’s always had visions of becoming a champion boxer, he just followed his UFC dream first.”
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