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Tommy Fury feud, a knockout debut: How Darren Till took the Misfits Boxing world by storm
Twelve months ago, Darren Till’s career appeared to be in limbo. Following a run of five losses in his last six fights he had walked away from the UFC, and his boxing debut against Palestine’s Mohammad Mutie ended in farcical scenes.
Till was awarded the victory in the exhibition bout in June 2024 despite appearing to catch Mutie with a punch to the back of the head, leading to a brief brawl breaking out between both camps. It was difficult to see where Till would turn next.
Then Misfits Boxing came calling. It has proved to be the lifeline that Till needed and he has quickly become one of the promotion’s biggest stars.
In just two fights he has got his legion of fans back on side, and he is now due to face ex-UFC middleweight champion Luke Rockhold in Manchester on Saturday night.
It has been some turnaround for the 32-year-old from Liverpool. Here is how he has taken Misfits Boxing by storm to resurrect his career.
- Read next | Misfits 22: The rise and fall of ex-UFC champion Luke Rockhold ahead of Darren Till clash
Tommy Fury feudMisfits Boxing
Till could have been forgiven for taking a tune-up fight for his Misfits debut due to his lack of activity in recent years. But he opted to go straight in with Tommy Fury and the intriguing clash was scheduled for January 2025.
Fury had beaten Jake Paul and KSI in his previous two bouts, yet Till was still adamant that he could get the better of the Love Island star and showed up to the launch press conference full of confidence.
Tommy was accompanied by his father, John, but Till refused to back down as he immediately set his sights on getting under his rival’s skin.
Till threatened to use his MMA skills to land a head kick on Tommy in their fight, which prompted John to throw water at the Liverpudlian as security were forced to step in to prevent a mass brawl.
After Till repeated his head kick threat on social media, Tommy announced in early December that the fight was off.
"I can't believe I'm writing this but I am now not fighting Darren Till on 18 January 2025," Fury posted on Instagram.
"For the one simple reason being that Darren has stated over and over that he does not want to abide by professional boxing rules and that if he is losing the fight he will resort to kicking and other stupid MMA tactics.
"I am a professional boxer, I have been out of the ring for over a year and I wanted this to be a great BOXING fight for the fans. I have wasted weeks in training camp."
Till responded by branding Fury’s pullout as “extremely shameful” on The Ariel Helwani Show .
The highly-anticipated clash was cancelled, but Till’s feud with Fury had only added interest for his eventual Misfits debut.
Back with a bang
Following the Fury cancellation, Till had to swiftly find a replacement opponent. American MMA fighter Anthony Taylor was drafted in, having previously taken Fury the distance in 2021.
It was the perfect opportunity for Till to make a statement by doing a better job than Fury had managed, and he seized his moment.
The heavy-handed Brit overcame a bloodied nose as he dropped Taylor three times to force a sixth-round stoppage.
He had proved he could still take a shot before producing an emphatic finish that got the crowd on their feet.
His final days in the UFC had not gone to plan and many had been wondering exactly how much Till had left to offer.
But his Misfits debut showed Till still had plenty left in the tank as he fought through adversity to land the knockout blow he desperately wanted.
Till powers past Stewart
Inactivity has been a major issue for Till in recent years, so it was important he followed up his win over Taylor to build some momentum.
Just four months after seeing off Taylor he returned to the ring to take on fellow Englishman Darren Stewart.
Stewart is also known for his MMA prowess and was expected to prove a tough test for Till but a first-round knockdown suggested it could be an early night.
However, Stewart fought his way back into the contest and briefly wobbled Till as he eyed an upset win.
Till’s class prevailed, though, as he sent Stewart to the canvas again in the final round to rubberstamp a unanimous decision victory.
Once again, Till had been involved in an entertaining scrap with his superior power proving the difference in the end.
Rockhold challenge awaits
Till has blitzed his way to two wins already in 2025 and is now poised for another step up against Luke Rockhold this weekend.
The pair narrowly missed out on facing each other inside the Octagon, but will now go toe-to-toe with boxing gloves on instead.
Till is the younger, fresher man with more boxing experience behind him, while he also has momentum on his side.
Rockhold’s UFC career also finished in disappointing fashion and he lost his only bare knuckle fight against ex-UFC star Mike Perry two years ago.
But he would still be a big name on Till’s record. If the Brit can make another statement by knocking him out, this could pave the way for him to take on some huge names in the influencer world in the near future.
He still has unfinished business with Tommy Fury, while Jake Paul and KSI are also likely to be on his radar. If he gets past Rockhold, expect him to call out all three men in his post-fight interview.
Chris Unger/Zuffa LLC
Could Till ever return to the UFC?
Till looked set to go right to the top of the MMA world at one point, but after falling short against UFC welterweight champion Tyron Woodley in 2018, he never recovered.
Four further defeats followed and he has not fought for the organisation since 2022.
Speaking to The Independent earlier this year, Till admitted Misfits Boxing suits him perfectly, but refused to rule out returning to the UFC in the future.
“I’m a misfit, aren’t I? I have been my whole life, in the UFC, on social media,” Till said. “I’m probably the only real misfit, the only difference with me is: I can actually fight; all these others can't fight.”
On a potential UFC return, Till added: “It depends on how life goes. I’ve always had good things to say about them, they’ve always liked me. I’m still only 32, so if I choose to go back in two years after I’ve damaged this boxing game... but I might not.
“I think everyone feels like I was destined to win a title, so maybe I’ve got to do it for them and myself. And they need me back in the UFC, because have you seen the state of it right now? My God, it’s on it’s a***. There are no superstars left, but that’s for another conversation.”
The temptation of the UFC will always be there for Till. But for now he is fully focused on Misfits Boxing and continuing his career resurgence against Rockhold on Saturday night.
Misfits X Series 22 on Saturday only on DAZN PPV
Watch Darren Till vs. Luke Rockhold, Tony Ferguson vs Salt Papi and Dillon Danis, Joey Essex and more fight only on DAZN PPV, this Saturday night, August 30.
