Antonio Tarver is out of his fight with Frank Mir, so Steve Cunningham will step in on short notice at the April 17 boxing event to take on the former UFC heavyweight champion.
The news of the replacement was first reported by MMAfighting. While talk of the event has been percolating for some time, former MMA fighter Ben Askren will take on Youtube star Jake Paul in an exhibition headliner. However, on the undercard grappling sensation Mir was set to face former boxing champion Antonio Tarver, but the boxer ran into some issues. Specifically, Tarver did not meet the requirements to compete via the Georgia Athletic & Entertainment Commission.
It was reported that the meeting requirements to compete via the Georgia Athletic & Entertainment Commission were unsuccessful. Following the news, the promotion announced Frank Mir’s replacement quickly. Not only that, but Triller found the submission artist a legitimate adversary.
Standing at six-foot-three with an 82-inch reach, Cunningham will be a great stand-up test for Frank Mir in his debut. The match serves an important purpose since some of the bigger MMA personalities are saying that older UFC fighters are just being used as sacrificial lambs now to boost the next generation of boxers.
Frank Mir Motivated & Looking To Reinvent Himself In the Boxing World
As long as Cunningham is medically cleared, his fight with Frank Mir is a go. Without a doubt, the promotion was eager to nip this problem in the bud considering the card is top-heavy and lacks bigger names the lower down the card you go.
While Frank Mir is a decorated grappler, surely the champ has been sharpening his hands. After all, Mir does have five knockouts on his record. However, in a boxing match, the science is more exact, and there are fewer possibilities than in MMA, so attention to detail is just as critical.
“Watching Roy and Mike, especially Mike Tyson, someone I can relate to, someone who really let himself go there through his late 30s and 40s,” Frank Mir said to MMAFighting. “There were times Mike was walking around 300 pounds, he wasn’t healthy. Now you look at him, he’s cleaned up his diet, his motivation, his training, and we got to see a phenomenal version of him. So that, again, as a fighter who’s getting older, I found it especially inspiring.”
The heavyweight great can relate to some of the older legends that come back even though odds were against them. With a cleaned-up diet and motivated as ever, Frank Mir intends to make a big splash with his debut at Triller.
How do you think Frank Mir’s boxing debut will go? Let us know below what you think!
