Aspinall right now.
Aspinall has long been teasing a transition to boxing. While
Aspinall seemed really keen on a move to boxing until recently, the
UFC heavyweight champion has now changed tune. Aspinall
recently confirmed that he isn’t focused on boxing right now as he
still has lots left to do in the UFC.
“To be honest, I’m not thinking about boxing that much right now,”
Aspinall said in a recent interview (via unforgettable.mma). “I’ve
got more stuff to do with the UFC.”
Ongoing Tensions
Aspinall’s (15-3) potential move to boxing was highlighted even
more during his ongoing rift with the UFC.. As the interim
champion, “Honey Badger” kept waiting for a title unifier against
Jon
Jones, who retired last year after stalling the heavyweight
division for more than a year. Aspinall was subsequently promoted
to interim champion and booked to defend his title for the first
time against Ciryl Gane
at UFC 320
last year. However, the fight unfortunately ended in a no-contest
after Gane simultaneously poked Aspinall in both eyes in the first
round. Dana White was not impressed with Aspinall’s decision to
discontinue the fight and hinted that the Englishman was looking
for a way out. While Aspinall underwent surgeries in both eyes,
White downplayed them as “injections.”
During the ongoing rift, Aspinall’s father, Andy, even suggested
that the champion might now renew his UFC contract and pursue a
career in boxing instead. The tension has further increased with
Aspinall recently signing with the management of Eddie Hearn,
White’s archrival.