Ahead of his professional boxing debut later this summer against a former world champion, Darren Till says that he longs for the day he that he straps on the 4oz gloves again.

Till, who requested his temporary release from the UFC in the wake of defeat to Dricus du Plessis back in December 2022, is set to fight former WBC middleweight champion Julio Cesar Chavez Jr on the undercard of the Mike Tyson vs. Jake Paul fight card in Arlington, Texas in July in what he says will be the first fight of a series of contexts in the boxing world.

The Liverpudlian, still just 31, told The Mac Life late last week that the bout with Chavez Jr will be a springboard for future opportunities; perhaps chief of which is what he sees as an inevitable return to the UFC’s middleweight fold.

“When I do win, when I knock Chavez Jr. out, I’m gonna get on the mic [and] watch Jake’s fight. I’ll be right in the mix,” Till said. “I’m gonna hold him to that fight now. F*ck fighting Tommy [Fury], f*ck fighting anyone else, all this McGregor carnival. I’m the same size as [Paul], so let’s see.”

But even amid a new combat sports environment in which he must use only his fists, Till says that he is beginning to miss life as an active mixed martial artist.

“I do miss MMA, I’ll be honest,” he said. “I haven’t said I’m done with MMA, I wanted a little change-up in things and that’s what I’m doing, say the next 2 to 3 years now. Who knows? I still speak to Hunter and Dana on the regular.”

You can watch the full interview with Darren Till in the video above.