MMA star Darren Till will meet fellow mixed martial artist Anthony Taylor (7-4, 3 KOs) in a crossover boxing match at Co-op Live in Manchester, England. The catchweight bout headlines MF & DAZN: X Series 20 after Till’s original opponent, English boxer Tommy Fury, withdrew in December. Till, who has a pro MMA record of 18-5-1, previously made a brief foray into exhibition boxing in 2024 but has yet to compete in an official professional boxing contest.
Flattening every sparring partner: Watch
Initially, Till had been scheduled to face Fury, but tensions flared at the event’s press conference when Fury’s father, John Fury, threw water at Till in response to a verbal exchange. On December 6, Fury announced he was backing out, citing Till’s threats to use "MMA tactics" in the ring if necessary. Till denied any intention of breaking boxing rules, calling his remark a ploy to disrupt Fury’s mindset. Despite the chaos, event organizers soon confirmed Anthony Taylor - who is 7-4 (3 KOs) in boxing and 7-5 in MMA - as the replacement foe.
Till’s first choice for an opponent dated back to July 2024, when he called out various fighters, including Jake Paul, Mike Perry, and Tommy Fury. Meanwhile, Taylor, known as "PrettyBoy," enters with experience in both boxing and MMA, recently capturing the MFB light heavyweight title.
Originally, English influencer HSTikkyTokky was scheduled to co-headline against American commentator Wade Plemons, but a legal issue forced HSTikkyTokky’s withdrawal. The co-feature slot will now see Kenyan reality TV personality Masai Warrior step in.
Fight card:
▪️Darren Till vs. Anthony Taylor ▪️Ty Mitchell vs. Tommy Hench ▪️Wade Plemons vs. Masai Warrior ▪️Carla Jade vs. Melanie Shah ▪️Sami Hamed vs. Ziggy Johnson ▪️Beavo vs. Demetri Dionysus ▪️Adam Brooks vs. Gavinio ▪️BBCC Gareth vs. Kak Hatt
