'When I was in the gym training, he was in Ibiza f*cking off': Luke Rockhold hopes Darren Till is taking him seriously

Yesterday at 17:00

Luke Rockhold is just days away from making his professional boxing debut at Misfits 22 but his transition into the sport has actually been a long time coming.

The former UFC middleweight champion has tested himself in various combat sports since ending his retirement with fights in BKFC and Karate Combat but he was always interested in boxing. In fact, Rockhold almost made his first appearance in the boxing ring at the most watched event in 2024 but timing just didn't work out so now he's preparing for his showdown against Darren Till instead.

"I've been in talks with a lot of people," Rockhold told MMA Fighting. "I had an opportunity to fight on the Jake Paul-[Mike] Tyson card. I've been talking to Misfits about boxing, I've always wanted to box. So I just started training. I just started training every f*cking day. It was like a six week deal before the Tyson-Paul fight and I just wasn't in shape, I wasn't ready. Opportunities are coming up, they come quick so be ready, be in shape and put it out there and shit happens.

"I've been putting it on, putting it in and this is it. I think boxing, if anything, was the one hole in my game that I hadn't really perfected and I want to be a complete fighter and you only do this once."

During his MMA career, Rockhold was always regarded as a very well-rounded fighter with good striking, grappling and wrestling but he's taking away some of his best weapons by making the move into boxing.

As much as boxing reduces his overall arsenal, Rockhold appreciates that kind of challenge so he's been spending just about every waking moment of every single day getting ready for his debut.

"I feel like my boxing has come a long way and no one has really seen it," Rockhold said. "To put the shoes on, get in the ring, get that dance, get that movement and f*ck I can do it. I can do it with the best in the game and I'm hurting people left and right in the gym and I don't expect it to be any different. I go out there and do what I'm doing everyday right now and keep training, stay healthy, I don't think Darren should be able to exist more than a few rounds."

After booking the fight against Till for Aug. 30, Rockhold traveled across the pond for a kickoff press conference where the fighters engaged in plenty of trash talk on stage.

While Till has expressed respect for Rockhold as an opponent, he still decided to take shots at him for his past relationships and even questioning the fact that he dyed his hair blonde recently.

Maybe it's all mind games but Rockhold promises nothing said bothers him and he just hopes that the one-time UFC title challenger is really getting himself ready because that brief interaction they shared on stage had him wondering if Till is actually putting everything into this fight.

"When I was in the gym training, he was in Ibiza f*cking off," Rockhold said. "Probably on the Charlie. He looks like he's like 230 pounds right now. He better take things serious or otherwise, he's going to get put to sleep real soon."

When it comes to his assessment on Till as an opponent, Rockhold is leaving no stone unturned in his preparation because he wants to sure he's ready for anything come fight night.

So don't expect Rockhold to just tear Till down for the sake of hyping the fight because that just doesn't make much sense to him.

"He's a good boxer, no doubt," Rockhold said about Till. "He's one to be respected. We as fighters, we dig in and we try to find the faults and beat people down and break them down but there's no bullshit. He's a tough guy.

"I know he's worried. I know he's scared. He's trying to point out weaknesses and faults in my game and I'm not working hard enough, I'm this, I'm that. F*ck, I'm here. I'm just as good as I've ever been if not better. I believe I'm better than I've ever been. I like to challenge myself. Boxing is something I've always wanted to do."

If all goes well on Saturday, Rockhold hopes to pursue more opportunities in boxing, perhaps even chasing somebody like Jake Paul for a fight.

"I'm here to test myself and right the wrongs that are out there in this world," Rockhold said. "The fake fighters, the guys that pose as fighters, I'd like to sleep some people. I'd like to keep on fighting.

"Jake's not setting up fights but he picks his guys very wisely. Everything he does is very systematic but he's coming to a point where he thinks he's getting better and he's going to have to fight somebody real. There's two middleweights fighting here pretty soon. Two guys just about his size that can hang."