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How good is Darren Till at boxing?
When Darren Till takes the ring on Friday night, he will be wearing boxing gloves instead of the small, padded grappling gloves usually seen on his hands.
That is because the Liverpool fighter, in taking on Darren Stewart, will not be taking part in a bout within the familiar-to-him confines of MMA, but between the ropes of the four-sided boxing ring.
This is not an MMA fight taking place within a ring. Despite some promotions such as the former PRIDE in Japan using rings for MMA, this weekend’s event is strictly a boxing venture.
For Till, this is his second fight in the boxing ring after a sixth-round stoppage of Anthony Taylor earlier this year. Stewart, a veteran of fourteen fights in the UFC, is making his ‘debut’.
Even though it is all taking place under the auspices of Misfits Boxing, there is something seemingly dislocated about this event: two fighters, one famous for MMA and the other versed only in it, will take each other on under different rules.
It is still unclear as to how many rounds the pair are set to fight over, or the length of those rounds, or whether they will follow general boxing rules or, indeed, mix them into a hodgepodge of boxing and MMA.
Still, there is a fight, and it is between fighters. Sometimes – most of the time – that is all that the public wants.
Both men come to the ring with considerable MMA experience.
Till, famously, is a graduate of the UFC, having fought under that organisation until being released in 2022. And Stewart is also a UFC veteran, having his last fight in its Octagon in August 2021. He last fought in March 2024 in a Cage Warriors event in London.
In his most-recent training footage, Till has been filmed working the heavy bag, throwing from a left-handed, southpaw stance. Till leads with his right leg and jabs with the hand of the same side. In contrast, in sports like judo, this would be considered an ‘orthodox’ stance.
In the ring against Taylor earlier this year, Till looked awkward and stiff, often pawing out his jab. Taylor, for his part, looked not much better. Both men looked fleshy and moved as if taking to boxing after it had just been explained too quickly to them.
Cut to this week. Instagram footage of Stewart training in a back garden shows a plodding style and his right cross is not turned over with the full weight of his body behind it. He also stands square with his partner, indicating that Till could punch straight into him.
So the pair will meet on Saturday in a bout that is likely to win any awards for smooth skills. But they might be evenly matched. As I always say on commentary, it is not about the quality of the fighters, but the quality of the fight that determines its entertainment value.
