Tony Ferguson is feeling confident ahead of his boxing debut.
After exiting the UFC on an eight-fight losing streak, ‘El Cucuy’ will strap on the eight-ounce gloves this Saturday night as one half of the MF & DAZN X Series 22 co-main event in Manchester, England. On the other side of the ring will be Misfits Boxing mainstay Nathaniel ‘Salt Papi’ Bustamante.
While ‘Salt Papi’ goes into the bout with an experience advantage in the sweet science, going 6-1 in his first seven bouts, Ferugson thinks the Filipino has nothing more than a puncher’s chance come fight night.
“In terms of boxing, I think Salt has got a puncher’s chance, for sure,” Ferguson told Seconds Out. “But we’re taking all those elements away, making sure we cross our t’s and dot our i’s.”
“So the mission comes this weekend against Salt Papi. When I get in the ring, I’m going to get my hand raised. We’ve done all the work. We’re here to fight, to loosen up, and get everything crispy. I’m here to do work.”
Will Tony Ferguson get back into the win column?
Once upon a time, Ferguson was considered to be one of the greatest lightweight fighters on the planet. At one point, he’d put together an incredible 12-fight win streak in the division, capturing the interim 155-pound title along the way.
After getting handily pummeled by ‘The Highlight’ for the better part of five rounds, Ferguson was seemingly never the same. El Cucuy’ was finally shown the door by Dana White and Co. following a first-round submission loss against Michael Chiesa in August 2024. A year later, he’ll look to reclaim some of that lost glory in the world of boxing.
Ferguson has not won a fight since a second-round TKO over Donald ‘Cowboy’ Cerrone in June 2019.
