Anthony Pettis, Roy Jones Jr.
Former UFC star and current PFL fighter Anthony Pettis (left) and boxing legend Roy Jones Jr. (right) Multiple Sources

KEY POINTS

  • Jorge Masvidal has confirmed that Anthony Pettis and Roy Jones Jr. will headline Gamebred Boxing 4
  • Former UFC stars like Jose Aldo and Jeremy Stephens are set to fight as well
  • This marks Pettis' first boxing match, while it would be Jones' first since 2020

Jorge Masvidal built his pro mixed martial arts (MMA) career off street fighting that went viral in the early days of social media.

Now, he is set to put on a boxing card featuring some of the sport's biggest names.

Speaking with Ariel Helwani on "The MMA Hour," Masvidal made the reveal of the fight card for Gamebred Boxing 4 that featured boxing icon Roy Jones Jr. facing former UFC lightweight champion and current Professional Fighters League (PFL) competitor Anthony Pettis in the main event in an eight-round pro bout.

"I've always been a fan of Roy Jones. Always wanted to work with Roy Jones in some capacity. He's going to be fighting someone that inspired me in my career numerous times... This guy has knockouts and finishes at 145, 155, 170 [pounds], it's crazy what this guy has done in his career in MMA," Masvidal said during the show.

"He (Jones) agreed to fight the walking, living legend, the pound-for-pound king, one of the best fighters, athletes, I've ever seen in combat sports, period, versus Anthony Pettis."

It will have been three years since boxing fans saw Jones inside the boxing ring as his last fight came in an exhibition bout against Mike Tyson back in November 2020, which was ruled a draw after it went the full eight rounds.

As for his opponent in Pettis, he joined PFL in 2021 and has racked up a record of 1-4, with his last two appearances being losses against Stevie Ray–one by submission in June 2022 and by decision two months later.

The bout will serve as Pettis' first foray into the realm of boxing.

Former UFC featherweight king Jose Aldo will also share the ring with current PFL fighter and UFC alum Jeremy Stephens in the co-main event.

Joining them on the undercard are former UFC fighters Vitor Belfort and Jacare Souza, England's Paul Daley going up against Anthony Taylor, and Pearl Gonzalez facing Gina Mazany.

Dillon Cleckler vs. Josh Burns and Devin Cushing facing Damian Marciano round out the current card for Gamebred Boxing 4 with all of the fights being counted as professional bouts.

The event also has special implications for both Masvidal and his promotion, Gamebred Promotions, as it will be their most high-profile card to date.

Gamebred Fighting Championship (GFC) 1 happened on June 2021, which had Jason Knight submitting Charles Bennett in the headliner while Brok Weaver produced a TKO victory against Cliff Wright.

Their second event, GFC 2, happened a few months later in October with Alex Nicholson finishing Fred Griswold by first-round TKO and Bennett again losing, this time to Robert Emerson.

Gamebred Boxing 3 was their maiden boxing event, which saw Devin Cushing defeating Aldimar Silva by unanimous decision after an eight-round affair while Gonzalez made her pro boxing debut against Ivana Coleman and took home the win with a first-round knockout.

Masivdal's star-studded event is scheduled to take place on April 1.

Jorge Masvidal
Jorge Masvidal of the United States looks on during a UFC 239 Welterweight Bout against Ben Askren of the United States at T-Mobile Arena on July 06, 2019 in Las Vegas, Nevada. Getty Images/Sean M. Haffey