Did UFC legend Frank Mir win his boxing debut against Steve Cunningham at Triller?
Frank Mir dropped his debut bout in the boxing world to Steve Cunningham via unanimous decision. The former UFC champion and interim title holder entered the bout as a sizeable underdog against a much more experienced opponent in Steve Cunningham. The former IBF titleholder showed his seasoning as he whisked away a decision with the cards reading 60-54, 60-54, 58-56.
Weighing in 70 pounds heavier than Cunningham, Frank Mir started throwing heavy punches early in the fight. Cunningham managed to control the fight by maintaining distance with an accurate jab and repeatedly going to the body.
Frank Mir was preparing for the BKFC
Frank Mir accidentally landed his pro boxing debut while he was actually preparing for a move into bare knuckle boxing. Talking about the preparation for transition to BKFC, Frank Mir told Just Scrap Radio:
"I was training for a fight in February in BKFC. In November, I was picking up the boxing training and limiting the jiu-jitsu and wrestling and then February didn’t work out. They told me they’d get me an opponent on April 16 but a week later, Malki Kawa called me and asked if I wanted to do a pro boxing match completely. I’m excited, I like opportunities to challenge myself.”
While Mir liked certain aspects of the 'sweet science', there were certainly others that still needed some work on for the MMA legend. Speaking about the conversion, Frank Mir said:
"That has helped. The conversion has been flawless. In fact, I’ve always liked to work the body but it’s hard to in MMA. In the clinch, it’s easy to get kneed in the face. Now that I don’t have to worry about it, that’s awesome. The parts that are hurting me, as when I get fatigued I have a hard time remembering not holding on to people as I punch them. That is the biggest difference."
Confident in his footwork, Mir further added:
"I liken it to a major league baseball player batting against a college softball pitcher. Although it is underhand it can still throw you off,” Frank Mir continued. “It is a different angle, different body posture. It can throw people off especially those at a high level as they are so used to seeing certain maneuvers. Also, they have only seen me fight barefoot, my style is different with shoes on."