A Dangerous Encore: Anderson Silva's Possible Foray Into Boxing

Anybody who watched UFC 101 (or really any of his earlier fights) knows just how dominant Anderson Silva can be. There are some who even argue that he can't be beat by any MMA fighter in either of his two weight classes. 

Which begs the question: What's next for Silva?

Well, if you believe rumors and certain MMA articles, it seems the long-term plan might be to trade the octagon in for the ring and face one of boxing's all-time greats, Roy Jones Jr. 

There have been a few articles, including Ken Pishna's March 2008 story on MMAweekly.com that have quoted Silva as saying that he would like to fight Jones Jr. in a match under boxing regulations to show that MMA fighters have technical skills as well.

A more recent quote is attributed to Anderson saying, "After my contract with the UFC is finished, I will set up the fight with Jones Jr. The fight has already been permitted by Jones himself."

Sounds like despite Dana's grumblings that he'll do whatever is possible to stop the bout, Silva is determined to get into the ring with Jones, who was at UFC scouting for the potential match-up.

A boxing match between those two would be disastrous for Silva. Say what you want about his punching power, or his striking ability, the fact is, the man is deadly because of all the weapons he has at his disposal. If you leave him with only his hands and throw him in the ring against one of the greatest boxers ever, its not going to end well.

Roy Jones Jr. has a 58-5 boxing record with 39 wins by KO, holding the Middleweight title for years and always discussed as one of the best pound-for-pound boxers in the world. His ability in the striking game is something Silva has never seen before. Thanks in no small part to the fact that Jones has trained his entire life for a combat sport that only involves his fists.

He is strong, exceptionally quick, and far more versed in the striking game than Silva is, having been boxing competitively for over a quarter of a century. 

But even more important than that, Silva has taken very few, if any, punches with boxing gloves. MMA gloves are designed to protect both the hand and the face of the man eating the punches. Boxing gloves not so much. They are designed to protect the hand so that the boxer can keep punching over and over again, but they offer far less padding for the opponents face. That could be a serious wake-up call.

Similarly to failed attempts by boxers, like Ray Mercer, to cross over into MMA, a loss by Silva would do more than just damage to the fighter himself. It would without a doubt impact the way fans continue to compare the two combat sports. Something Dana White is clearly aware of as he tries to prevent the bout.

But regardless, Anderson will be his own boss when he leaves the UFC. This is one decision that he will wish he had somebody steering him clear of.