File this under press releases that answer questions no one asked. The International Boxing Association announced Monday from its headquarters in Lausanne that it is ready to organize a professional boxing fight for Jon Jones, the former UFC featherlight heavyweight and heavyweight champion. Opponents appeared in the same statement, including Francis Ngannou and Daniel Cormier.

There are a few problems with this.

Jones is still under contract with the UFC. The UFC, owned by TKO Group Holdings, generally does not allow its fighters to accept bookings outside of combat sports, and certainly not those promoted by the Lausanne-based promotion that operates primarily out of Russia. UFC President Dana White continued to refer to Jones as a member of the roster, even though Jones vacated the heavyweight title in 2025 and has not competed since Stipe Miocic’s stoppage at UFC 309 in November 2024.

None of this seems to have slowed down IBA president Umar Kremlev.

“If we’re talking about Jon Jones’ potential transition to boxing, these are the stories we’re interested in,” Kremlev said in a statement. “Jones in the ring against Daniel Cormier or Francis Ngannou, but according to the rules of boxing, these are the fights that the whole world is talking about and waiting for.”

Kremlow added that Jones is scheduled to travel to Russia on June 27 for the IBA Bare Knuckle tournament and that the two will discuss the matter in person.

“It is critical to understand how sedate his plans are to prove himself in boxing,” Kremlov said. “If this interest turns out to be real, IBA will organize an critical event with his participation in Russia.”

The issue of sanctions

The IBA’s role in boxing has diminished significantly in recent years. The International Olympic Committee has stripped the organization of recognition as the sport’s amateur governing body in 2023, and boxing at the 2028 Games in Los Angeles will be managed by World Boxing, which has since secured provisional recognition from the IOC. The IBA continues to operate independently and has organized a number of professional events, most of which took place in Russia.

The IBA is not one of the four sanctioning bodies that regulate professional boxing worldwide. A fight promoted under her banner would have no consequences for the WBC, WBA, IBF or WBO. It also would not appear on any of the major broadcast platforms in North America or Europe that televise significant professional boxing.

In essence, it would be an exhibition combined with a press release.

Opponents

Ngannou, a former UFC heavyweight champion, has two professional boxing fights under his belt. He lost a contest decision to Tyson Fury in October 2023 and was stopped in two rounds by Anthony Joshua in March 2024. He has since returned to mixed martial arts under the PFL banner.

Cormier, 47, retired from busy competition in 2020 and has since worked primarily as a UFC analyst. He has no achievements in professional boxing and has not indicated any intention to start one at any stage of his career.

None of the players commented on the IBA proposal. It is unclear whether any of them were asked before the statement was released.

Stan Jones

Jones, widely considered one of the greatest fighters in the history of mixed martial arts, has said in recent interviews that he wants to test himself in boxing, including a potential fight with Ngannou. He has no professional boxing experience. He remains under contract with the UFC once again.

Jones representatives did not publicly respond to the IBA’s statement, which concluded with the organization’s commitment to “world-class, independent and globally anticipated combat sports spectacles.” The struggle currently exists only in this sentence.

“I don’t care if people didn’t know about it, but I knew we had a good chance against this guy,” Verhoeven told Ring Magazine. “I showed that I can fight and box, so I’m ready for anyone. I may not have hurt him, but I definitely surprised him with the way I approached him.”

Customary promoters would likely be interested in matching their heavyweights to Rico as he is now a recognizable name that attracts intrigue and attention. The problem is financial.

A fighter with a 1-1 boxing record who suffered a loss after a break would not typically have a huge guaranteed amount. If promoters pay Rico huge amounts of money and the event doesn’t generate enough pay-per-view purchases or ticket sales to cover both purses, they could lose heavily on the event.

Therefore, the season in Riyadh changes the equation. Saudi-backed events have shown a willingness to finance spectacle fights and absorb risks that time-honored organizers typically avoid. Rico’s value, the controversy surrounding the Usyk fight, and his kickboxing fan base still make him useful in this environment, even without an established boxing record.

Turki Alalshikh has already shown interest in a rematch between Usyk and Verhoeven after Usyk potentially faces WBC interim heavyweight champion Agit Kabayel next.

If a rematch is indeed part of the plan, it is unlikely that Rico will face risky opponents in the meantime. Pairing him with heavyweights such as Moses Itauma or Frank Sanchez would create unnecessary risks before a possible second fight with Usyk.

A loss to a legitimate challenger could erase the intrigue surrounding Rico’s performance against Usyk and significantly weaken the rematch storyline.

“I only want the biggest fights.” Verhoeven said. “The kickboxing chapter has closed. This is now a fresh chapter. The boxing chapter.”

“The Greatest Fights” are for promotional purposes only brief for greatest controls. At 37 years venerable and coming off an 11th-round loss, he doesn’t have the luxury of time to build a conventional boxing career from scratch.

These “biggest fights” will likely only become realistic if Saudi money is attached to them.

Outside of His Excellency, there is no market for him at the elite level. Customary promoters are not going to shell out millions for a kickboxer who has just been stopped, no matter how competitive he looked on the scorecards before Usyk fired him.

To regular boxing networks, he’s a high-risk, low-reward opponent who brings a unique style but lacks the basic boxing pedigree to draw huge numbers of casual pay-per-view viewers on his own.

If Riyadh Season loses interest in financing this type of glasses, its options will run out immediately. He will either take a dramatic pay cut to take on mid-major fighters on standard cards, or he will realize that the boxing experiment was a short-lived and lucrative venture and end it.

Unless Turki wants to give him a bone in exchange for a rematch or a fight with someone like Agit Kabayel, where else do you think he could turn for that kind of money?

As the boxing world continues to debate the controversial stoppage between Oleksandr Usyk and Rico Verhoeven, Eddie Hearn has revealed how Anthony Joshua scored the fight up to this point.

On Saturday, Usyk and Verhoeven went head-to-head at the Giza Pyramids in Egyptand it almost led to perhaps the greatest upset in boxing history.

Verhoeven performed much better than almost everyone expected, and the Dutch kickboxing legend won multiple rounds against Usyk, and as the fight entered its final stages, there was a real chance he could come out on top.

These hopes were dashed in the 11th round when Usyk finally fired a mighty shot that knocked down his opponent. Verhoeven managed to get back on his feet, but the Ukrainian responded with a series of punches, which caused referee Mark Lyson to step in and stop the fight.

It was this break that caused much controversy as many people believed it came prematurely, especially since many viewers felt that Verhoeven should have been ahead on the scorecards with one round remaining.

Former unified world heavyweight champion Joshua wasn’t one of them though, because promoter Hearn told IFL TV that although “AJ” was surprised by what he saw, Usyk had the lead on his card.

“He was shocked. He actually just picked Usyk up for the fight.”

Perhaps it’s no surprise that Joshua supported the Ukrainian, as although the two have fought twice together, they have since become gym mates, with Usyk stating that he will assist ‘AJ’ become a world champion again in the future.