MMA star Cris Cyborg makes boxing debut for love, not money

By GREG BEACHAM
AP Sports Writer

HUNTINGTON BEACH, Calif. (AP) — Cris “Cyborg” Justino is making her professional boxing debut on Sunday night in her native Curitiba, Brazil. One of the world’s most accomplished mixed martial artists is chasing a dream she has held since her combat sports career began with her first boxing training nearly two decades ago. Justino also acknowledges she is making a move that is not practical from a purely economic standpoint. While women’s MMA and women’s boxing have both grown steadily over the past decade, fighters from both sports say MMA almost always pays women much better, largely because it provides better promotion for its fighters.