Anthony Pettis to face Chris Avila at Nate Diaz vs. Jorge Masvidal boxing event
Anthony Pettis is returning to the boxing ring.
Pettis will face former UFC fighter Chris Avila, at the upcoming Nate Diaz vs. Jorge Masvidal boxing match set for June 1, at the Kia Forum in Los Angeles. Sources confirmed to MMA Fighting that the bout will be six rounds and contested at 175 pounds.
Pettis is a former UFC lightweight champion bu in recent years “Showtime” has mixed things up in the combat sports space. After amassing a 1-4 record in the PFL, Pettis jumped to boxing where he won a majority decision over Roy Jones Jr. last April. Then in December, Pettis faced Benson Henderson for a third time in his career, this time at Karate Combat, where Pettis won a unanimous decision.
Best known in MMA for being a training partner of Diaz, Avila had unsuccessful runs in both the UFC and Bellator, scraping out an 8-9 professional MMA record overall. Avila returned to boxing in 2021 and has been undefeated since, stringing together five straight wins on various influencer boxing cards.
The bout will be part of the Diaz vs. Masvidal pay-per-view, which will be sold for $79.99, presented by Diaz’s Real Fight Inc. and Masvidal’s Gamebred Boxing Promotions.
Mike Heck contributed to this report.