Sean O’Malley has form in the boxing ring as the UFC champion continues to be linked with a crossover contest.
O’Malley shot to fame by claiming the UFC bantamweight title against Aljamain Sterling at UFC 292. Since then, O’Malley has stepped over to test the waters by calling out boxers.
Ryan Garcia and Devin Haney have since responded to O’Malley, who surprisingly holds an undefeated record in the same sport.
Sean O’Malley’s Boxing Record
‘Sugar’ Sean defeated David Courtney in 2016 via a technical knockout. The fight lasted 179 seconds. O’Malley entered the UFC a year later, and the rest is history.
A massive event in boxing seems to be a matter of time for O’Malley, who Garcia again mentioned.
“I have always been a star,” said Garcia in response to a video of O’Malley. “But I never had the opportunity to show it due to my platform not doing PPV at the time.
“I always knew that if I did a PPV, it would do great. It did 1.2 million PPV buys. I’m also aware enough that if you just put every fight on PPV, you will do horrible numbers like 150k-200k, losing your company money and robbing the fans.
“People who want to see you, we need to be selective. I’m just getting started. The system doesn’t know how to promote, so all of us fighters have got to take matters into our own hands.”
Devin Haney exchange
Haney first spoke about O’Malley on The MMA Hour.
“I mean, obviously [I laugh when I hear it], because it’s totally different,” Haney stated. “Whenever the MMA guys come to boxing, it’s not good for them. It’s never going to be good for them.
“I don’t disrespect the MMA guys because it’s just a different sport. But I know I can’t compete with those guys in the cage.
“When it comes to the boxing ring, they can’t compete with me. So it’s just two different styles of fighting.”
He continued: “It’s not best for Sean O’Malley to get into a boxing ring with me. It’s just that it’s not. It won’t be competitive. It won’t be competitive.
“But I respect him in the cage, what he does in the cage. He’s a hell of a fighter in the cage. But it’s totally different when you step into that square circle, the boxing ring.”
Brushing off Haney’s words, O’Malley told TimboSugarShow: “The thing about Devin Haney is like, I’m not trying to throw shade or anything, but I’ve legit never watched him box one fight ever.
“I didn’t even really know who he was until more recently. Like him, Gervonta, there’s a guy named Shakur [Stevenson].
“I talked to the UFC about a potential boxing fight someday, and they were like, ‘No one knows Devin Haney. There’s a zero percent chance that ever happens. He’s not a star. No one knows him.'”
They are fighting words from O’Malley, who will undoubtedly return to the boxing ring at some point.
