One of Alex Pereira's previous sparring partners suffered a horrific knockout during the undercard of Oleksandr Usyk vs. Tyson Fury 2 in Riyadh.
A heavyweight boxing giant who previously sparred Alex Pereira faced a rising contender on Saturday at the Oleksandr Usyk vs. Tyson Fury 2 undercard. Within minutes, Pereira's former sparring foe was defeated by teenage phenom Moses Itauma.
Demsey McKean, who Pereira sparred with earlier this year, was knocked out by Itauma ahead of the heavyweight main event rematch between Fury and Usyk. In the first round of the fight, Itauma landed a huge overhand left hand that caused McKean to collapse in the ring, twisting and turning 180 degrees from a single punch.
Photo by Richard Pelham/Getty Images
The 19-year-old Itauma is one of the rising stars in heavyweight boxing and has been compared to Boxing Hall Famer Mike Tyson. The win over McKean moved him to 11-0 in his professional boxing career with nine wins by knockout.
A few months ago, Pereira and McKean met in the ring during a sparring session ahead of Pereira's UFC 307 return. The two sides traded blows in sparring footage which you can watch below, although McKean's tactics and experience were enough to keep the ever-dangerous Pereira out of reach.
Demsey McKean sparred Alex Pereira just months before the gruesome knockout at Oleksandr Usyk vs. Tyson Fury 2
Pereira would be Khalil Rountree Jr. ending up in the UFC 307 main event to retain his light heavyweight championship. Before making the full-time transition to MMA, Pereira made a name for himself in kickboxing, particularly his one-punch knockout power.
Pereira has sparred with several top boxers during his martial arts career, although he has yet to make a professional boxing appearance. He also sparred with Zhilei Zhang earlier this year and Zhang was complimentary of Pereira's potential in the ring.
McKean was briefly linked with a possible heavyweight fight with Fury before his back-to-back losses. Before the Itauma fight, McKean suffered his first career defeat to Filip Hrgović by TKO in the 12th round last year.
🚨HE'S ONLY 19 YEARS OLD
MOSES ITAUMA JUST KNOCKS DEMSEY MCKEAN IN THE FIRST ROUND.
🇬🇧Itauma (11-0) gets his 7th first round knockout against a veteran in Demsey (22-2) 🥊#UsykFury2
pic.twitter.com/164mstwl6u
– MARTIAL ARTS TODAY (@CSTodayNews) December 21, 2024
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Alex Pereira ended 2024 as 'Fighter of the Year' frontrunner
After finishing Rountree at UFC 307, Pereira will turn his attention to a likely matchup with rising light heavyweight Magomed Ankalaev. Just weeks after Pereira's win, Ankalaev secured the No. 1 contender spot by defeating Aleksandar Rakić at UFC 308 by unanimous decision.
Just a handful of fights into his MMA career, Pereira has cemented himself as a global superstar and become the UFC's fastest to hold championships in multiple weight classes. It took him just eleven fights to secure the middleweight and light heavyweight titles, becoming the first UFC fighter ever to hold both titles.
Despite Ankalaev being the most logical option for Pereira's next opponent, Pereira has turned a cold shoulder to the Russian juggernaut and opened the door for other contenders. A timetable for Pereira's next UFC title defense should be solidified in the coming weeks.
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