How well would Alex Pereira do in boxing?

[jackleeb]

So we all know he is a fierce striker in kicboxing/mma.
And his boxing is looking sharper as he spars more heavyweights.

He has mentioned that boxing is always a possibility, and even was encouraged when Anthony Joshua said Alex should try boxing. His jabs, hooks, and uppercuts look so powerful and crisp in the octagon.

- That being said, how well would he do in boxing against a top heavyweight boxer, such as Daniel Dubois (who KO'd Anthony Joshua in July).
- Would Alex's strikes translate well in bigger gloves, or is he only dangerous in 4 oz gloves ?

Not trolling, genuine question (white belt question).

 

[Kowboy On Sherdog]

He could win one of those Heavyweight Champion of Nevada State belts

 

[joy2day]

Honestly, probably not very well if you are talking the top level. He's a great striker in MMA and has adjusted his striking game to make a good MMA game. That's far different from straight boxing though.

 

[MarioLemieux]

Different sport but he still has a hell of a left hook and good instincts. He'd easily KO Jake Paul but wouldn't be top level.

 

[kkthx]

No matter how good an MMA fighter is, they will get tooled by any top tier boxer that actually gives a shit. End of story. Different sport.

And yes, before silly nerds point it out, Fury Ngannou was a farce.

 

[mmacrisis]

He would get destroyed. While he is a very good MMA fighter, remove the kicking and knees and a good boxer would beat him.

 

[Elegant]

Ryan Garcia has given credit to Pereira's boxing/left hook before

You don't get credit from someone of that level without having elite boxing

 

[BigTruck]

He would get destroyed. While he is a very good MMA fighter, remove the kicking and knees and a good boxer would beat him.

This, he's a kickboxer not a boxer. Hed bead mid-level guys but that would be his ceiling.

 

[Thepaintbucket]

Alex by boxing standards is very limited defensively. His chin would get touched so fast.

 

[Bobby Boulders]

I can't remember which boxer it was, but I saw a vid recently of someone critiquing his hands, and that person suggested that his size and his power would probably get him wins up to the top 30 range, but noted that he didn't have good boxing fundamentals and that his kicks setup a lot of his punches.

Take that for what it's worth, may not have been said without bias.

 

[Dr. Rose]

He was always hittable, with little defensive movement, and up there in age. He would not have the time to get the dedicated training for pure boxing to be a champ.

 

[dogsdonutsdragons]

i think he has a punchers chance and that it. hes a good kick boxer.

 

[Bowel-forged Stool]

Can we please just stop this?

 

[KarateYeah]

He'd fuck everyone up

 

[KarateYeah]

I just said this to piss ppl off

 

[PeterGriffin]

Based on what I have seen, he should stay in his own lane and stick to MMA. He could probably score a few good paydays outside of MMA and after the UFC, but he should really just enjoy the groove he's landed in. He is pretty much the UFC's messiah for 2024, and finds himself in a position already for a lucrative 2025.

At his age, he's way too comfortable and in the zone right now, and I think that transition (to boxing) at 38 would be way too difficult. Not impossible, but highly improbable.

Personally, I find him too flat-footed and stiff for boxing. Yes, that comment is mainly based on his recent performances in MMA, but only because I haven't seen any hard sparring footage of him in straight boxing. Any decent mid or high level boxer puts him out easily.

I think Alex has a very high fight IQ, and could adapt to boxing, but why bother at 38? MMA suits him perfectly. He doesn't expel a ton of energy, his chin is holding up well at LHW, his power seems on point, he's clearly become the killer of the division and darling of the UFC. According to all his haters he can pick and choose his opponents (and favorable match ups).

He can go box in Triller with Jake or Logan Paul after his MMA career wraps up for a couple decent farewell paydays if the itch still needs to be scratched.

 

[Kratos94]

He'd probably do better than Ngannou. But still not good

 

[Söze Aldo]

Can we please just stop this?

Yeah, its kinda sad. It's like in the last few years MMA has gone from wanting to compete with Boxing as the preeminent combat sport, to viewing itself as a minor league for boxing where maybe one of the UFC champs will get the lucky call up to the big league (boxing) one day.

Every other UFC champ is talking like being UFC champ is a stepping stone to get a boxing fight. SAD.

 

[colorles]

Pereira is a kickboxer; not a boxer. the two things sound similar, but are not the same. boxers are typically very front foot dominant and that allows them to shift their weight into their punches better from all sorts of angles, and also move their head more efficiently and protect the chin better. so why don't kickboxers and mma fighters do this? because they would get their lead leg kicked to smithereens; not to mention the head movement in kickboxing and mma has to be different due to kicks and knees (so no swaying the head all around like boxers do). kickboxers tend to be back foot dominant fighters and this tends to make them look more "stiff"; but in reality it makes kicking and checks practical and efficient and powerful. however, you cannot punch with quite the same efficiency that way and not all the same angles (not saying you can't still punch powerfully of course; just not with the same efficieny and snapping combinations from so many different angles of an actual boxer). also the head movement is relatively more limited although I would say the body itself, movement wise is more mobile that way. at least I find it so

and kickboxers utililze kicks like how boxers utilize jabs (well kind of; when it comes to finding the range anyways). in all honesty the two fighting disciples are rather different. no pure boxer is transitioning to kickboxing without getting hurt; and, no pure kickboxer is transitioning to boxing without getting hurt. transitioning in either direction, requires adjusting to that sport.

the verdict? Pereira has a left hook/uppercut there is no doubt about that. but he would have to adjust his footwork and...honestly just straight up adjust his fighting style to be a boxer. if he just tried to fight in an actual boxing match with his kickboxing form, he would get hurt.

 

[Emporio Alnino]

dubois would knock him dead. he'd be better suited for cruiserweight but would likely get worked there too.