Joshua has encouraged UFC light-heavyweight champion Alex Pereira to get in touch about a possible boxing battle.

Anthony Joshua may want to assist UFC champion Alex Pereira launch a boxing career, but his idea has little chance of succeeding.

Anthony Joshua sent a message to Alex Pereira

Joshua turned to social media over the weekend to recommend that light-heavyweight champion Pereira move from MMA to boxing following his victory over Jiri Prochazka last month. “Alex Pereira should make his boxing debut one day,” Joshua wrote.

“I’m honoured you think so,” Pereira replied. “It’s always been my dream, I’m 37 I cannot make a career in it so who do you recommend I fight?” Joshua added: “The options are endless champ. I am sure something can be done. Drop 258 MGT [Joshua’s management company] a line.”

However, Pereira recently signed an eight-fight contract with the UFC, and the promotion’s CEO, Dana White, is unlikely to entertain one of his top athletes taking a vacation from MMA. He did let Conor McGregor to face Floyd Mayweather in 2017, but he has showed little interest in a rematch.

Revealing his new long-term deal earlier this year, Pereira told The MMA Hour: “Friday I signed, the start of this fight, eight more. My relationship with the UFC is really good. I’m very grateful by the way the UFC and my management team get together. They’ve been doing great things together. I think the UFC also appreciates who I am because I’m a composed guy, I’m focused, and I deliver.

“When I first joined UFC, they gave me three fights. After the first fight, they renewed me for eight, Dana did after the [Sean] Strickland fight. Now, they just gave me another eight and of course, I bring [things] to the table, too. They’re happy with that but they’re very good with us, too, so, we cannot complain. We’re in a perfect relationship.”

If Pereira pursues boxing, he would be following in the footsteps of former heavyweight champion Francis Ngannou, who faced Tyson Fury last year. The Cameroonian almost defeated the former world champion, dropping him in the third round and getting outpointed over 10 rounds.

Ngannou was subsequently destroyed by Joshua in March, when the Brit knocked out his opponent in the second round. Ngannou is set to return to MMA later this year, while Joshua will fight Daniel Dubois for the vacant IBF heavyweight championship at Wembley in September.