UFC Interim Heavyweight Champion Tom Aspinall Criticizes Current State of Boxing

UFC interim heavyweight champion Tom Aspinall, fresh off his spectacular knockout victory over Sergei Pavlovich, has taken a moment to express his love for the sport of boxing while voicing his strong criticism for its current state.

In a recent appearance on talkSPORT during his victory tour across various media outlets in the United Kingdom, Aspinall didn't hold back in questioning the direction boxing is heading.

“I am a massive boxing fan,” Aspinall began. “I absolutely love the sport of boxing, [but] I absolutely can’t stand the boxing model. Hate it. I hate the way boxing is going at the moment because I love the sport of boxing. I love the science. I love the defensive techniques, which is amazing. I absolutely love watching actual classic, traditional boxers who are defensively brilliant — it’s my favorite thing. The way the sport is going at the moment is absolutely terrible."

Aspinall particularly highlighted his frustration with the predictability of boxing events, stating,

You can literally look at a card, you can look at an Eddie Hearn show, a Frank Warren show, any other promoter’s show and know — say there are 10 fights on, you can know at least eight of the winners before the bell rings on any of the fights. I can’t stand it. We’re talking about the top guys in the world, none of them are fighting each other. What is this?”

Aspinall's candid remarks shed light on the challenges and shortcomings he perceives within the boxing world, adding an interesting perspective from a distinguished combat sports figure like himself.