Michael Nunn, who was released from prison after 16½ years last year, reportedly will face a former MMA star in a kickboxing fight.
Pat Miletich isn’t done. And, apparently, neither is former boxing champion Michael Nunn.
According to longtime MMA promoter and manager Monte Cox, UFC Hall of Famer Miletich (29-7-3 MMA) will compete in a fight after the coronavirus pandemic clears up.
However, Miletich’s return won’t be an MMA bout. Instead, Miletich, 52, is targeted to fight Nunn, 56, in a kickboxing match.
Cox, who managed Miletich for much of his career, revealed the booking will take place after the pandemic during a recent episode of the “IT’S TIME with Bruce Buffer” podcast. The fight was originally being discussed for April but has been pushed back because of the COVID-19 outbreak.
“[There’s] one big show I’m working on,” Cox said. “You’ve probably heard rumors of this, but Pat Miletich is going to fight again. He’s fighting Michael Nunn, a great boxer. It’s an incredible [fight]. This thing will draw. We could draw 7,000-plus in the Quad Cities. They are the two greatest professional athletes or fighters out of that area.”
Miletich’s most recent fight came in December 2008 when he defeated Thomas Denny on the Illinois regional circuit. The fight was only Miletich’s second since 2002. Meanwhile, Nunn (58-4 boxing) was released from prison in 2019 after serving 16½ years of a 24-year sentence for pleading guilty to one count of conspiracy to distribute cocaine.
“Michael has been in prison,” Cox said. “He just got out six months ago. It was a cocaine thing. The feds set him up to buy a kilo of cocaine for 100 bucks. It’s just ridiculous. … It was entrapment at its best. But anyway, what he did when he went to prison was he took all the people who came in overweight and didn’t know about nutrition. [He] taught them how to get back in shape, eat right, and put them through workouts and stuff. He really did good.
“He’s a good guy. I know him really well. I traveled with him all over the world when he was fighting. At one time, he was pound-for-pound the best boxer in the world at 35-0. He was untouchable.”
Both fighters have built up notable resumes in their respective combat sports. In 10 UFC appearances, Miletich compiled an 8-2 promotional record. Miletich won the UFC 16 tournament in 1998. Later that year, he earned the UFC welterweight title when he defeated Mikey Burnett at UFC 17.5. In 2014, Miletich was inducted into the UFC Hall of Fame. In recent years, Miletich has extended his resume as an MMA commentator for AXS TV and UFC Fight Pass.
In July 1988, Nunn won a middleweight title when he knocked out Frank Tate. Nunn would defend five times before losing his belt to James Toney in May 1991. Nunn then won a super middleweight title in September 1992. He defeated then-champion Victor Cordoba by split decision. Nunn would eventually lose the title to Steve Little in February 1994.
Nunn last fought in 2002, easily outpointing Vinson Durham in a 10-round cruiserweight fight.
