NBA Star Jaylen Brown Makes Amateur Boxing Debut
NBA star Jaylen Brown made his amateur boxing debut this week in Nigeria, leaving many to wonder if he’ll follow in the footsteps of his father, Quinton Marselles Brown, who was a professional heavyweight boxer, sharing the ring with former heavyweight champions Trevor Berbick and Tommy Morrison, as well as future champion Lamon Brewster, in the mid-to-late 1990s.
Despite the 29-year-old former NBA Finals MVP not training for the fight, Brown looked composed in the ring, fighting out of a southpaw stance, using his jab and showing solid defensive work.
Jaylen Brown appears to share his father’s passion for fighting and has previously expressed interest in possibly pursuing a career in boxing or MMA after he retires from the NBA.
The Nigeria bout wasn’t Brown’s first time putting on boxing gloves as he sparred a local on a street in Morocco in July and has trained in Muay Thai for several years, even using the UFC Performance Institute to work on his skills. He even revealed in February that he’d spoken with UFC CEO Dana White about a potential future in fighting
NBA star Jaylen Brown made his boxing debut in Nigeria 👀
“I did 0 prep for this” https://t.co/6tatOCI8dm
— Happy Punch (@HappyPunch) September 10, 2026