Darren Till and Luke Rockhold will meet in a six-round boxing match on August 30 at Manchester’s AO Arena. Tensions flared during the official press conference when Till accused Rockhold of using performance-enhancing drugs (PEDs), prompting sharp rebuttals and comments from former UFC champion Michael Bisping.
Darren Till Slams Luke Rockhold Over PED Usage
During the July 23 press event, Till challenged Rockhold’s integrity, demanding evidence of what he described as “juice” usage. Rockhold denied the claim and suggested Till’s remarks were designed to distract from his own lack of experience in boxing. Neither fighter has ever tested positive for banned substances in their MMA careers.
Michael Bisping addressed the exchange on his podcast, he opened by relaying Till’s accusation “Darren Till accuses Luke Rockhold of being on steroids,” Then dismissed the notion that Rockhold used banned substances. “The reality is, Luke Rockhold’s not on steroids, right? The man could have done whatever sport he chose. He’s a high-level surfer, a high-level skateboarder, a world champion mixed martial artist. And now, of course, Saturday he’s going to be a boxer against Darren Till.”
Bisping also critiqued Till’s assessment of Rockhold’s career:
“Darren Till says that he was technical and brilliant back in the day. He was an awesome champion, but he’s got no balls and that he runs away in fights. You were brilliant in Strikeforce and UFC at the start. You were fantastic, but you were technical. You’ve got no balls and you’ve got no power. Listen, I knocked him out. Yoel Romero knocked him out and then he lost to Paulo Costa. In that fight against Paulo Costa, I thought he showed some balls. That was a fight that he could be proud of. That was a fight where he really bit down on the mouthpiece and showed the world what he’s made of.”
Luke Rockhold, a former UFC middleweight champion, will make his professional boxing debut after competing in MMA since 2011. His only prior boxing experience was an April 2023 bare-knuckle bout against Mike Perry. Till, a former UFC welterweight contender, has gone 2–0 in Misfits Boxing contests this year, including a TKO victory over Anthony Taylor in January and a decision win against Darren Stewart in May.
The fighters will adhere to a contracted weight of 193 pounds for this crossover event. Rockhold has previously competed as high as 205 pounds in MMA, while Till began his UFC career at 170 pounds. Analysts view Till’s recent boxing experience as an advantage, but Rockhold’s power and reach could prove significant factors.
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