EXCLUSIVE
Inside Jorge Masvidal’s camp from Roy Jones Jr to Freddie Roach and elite sparring for Nate Diaz fight
Jorge Masvidal is taking his return to boxing very seriously.
On Saturday, the MMA legend will square off against his long-time rival Nate Diaz five years after stopping him in three rounds at UFC 244 in November 2019.
6
Their 10-round light-heavyweight bout will take place in Anaheim, California, and will be Masvidal’s first boxing match since he won his debut by majority decision in 2005.
‘Gamebred’ has been working with the very best to make sure he goes 2-0 as a professional boxer and 2-0 in fights with Diaz.
The 39-year-old recently spent 10 days training with boxing icon Roy Jones Jr., who he was a big fan of even before he gave him some KO tips.
Masvidal told : “Roy Jones was like, Wow!
READ MORE BOXING
“Just being around the dude, I was like, ‘This is Roy Jones, man, he’s watching me hit the bag, he’s watching me spar. This is crazy!’
“He actually showed me some great moves and little techniques.
“A lot of people think it’s just pure athleticism, but he showed me how he generates his power, how he shifts his weight and the little set-ups he does.”
Hall of Fame boxing trainer Freddie Roach has also helped the two-time UFC welterweight title challenger to get ready to transition to the squared circle.
Most read in Boxing
6
6
Masvidal added: “I went with Freddie Roach, one of the greatest boxing masterminds of our century.
“I mean, he’s had so many world champions and has polished so many world champions. That is another skill that he has, he can take your best tool and amplify it.
Nate Diaz vs Jorge Masvidal press conference descends into chaos as mass brawl breaks out involving MMA star
“I had a great experience with Freddie Roach, he and his team welcomed me with open arms.”
Masvidal ultimately settled into camp with Jorge Capetillo, who is less known but has worked with Tyson Fury, Jorge Linares, Andy Ruiz and a bunch of UFC stars.
There’s been lots of running and ‘tedious’ boxing drills, but the one thing that has stood out is the level of sparring partners that he's been facing.
“He’s brought a fleet of guys for me to spar,” Masvidal added.
6
6
“I didn’t think he was going to be bringing in that type of calibre to work with me.
“I’ve worked with Olympians who are American medallists, working with pros who are 15-0, with 13 knockouts. Not just one time, day after day after day after day.
“And he’s constantly progressing me. I started out training with amateurs, who are national champions, to full-blown pros, who were Olympic medallists.
“The progression has been amazing.”
6
'Street Jesus' is confident the hard work will be worth it on fight night.
Masvidal believes he will leave Diaz out cold and score a KO similar to the one he landed on Darren Till when they fought at UFC London in March 2019.
"I’m going to kill this dude,” he predicted.
Read More on talkSPORT
“I’m just going on go in there and f***ing Darren Till him and leave that whole crowd f***ing speechless.
“I know we are in California and people might come out for him, but I can’t wait to take the breath out of the room.”
Topics