Tom Aspinall's teammate claims Alex Pereira previously declined fight offer

Phil de Fries, a teammate and friend of Tom Aspinall, has claimed that Alex Pereira previously turned down the opportunity to fight Aspinall. De Fries stated that he believes Aspinall is better than Francis Ngannou and that stylistically different opponents present different challenges. He suggested that a fight between Aspinall and Pereira would be excellent for the British heavyweight. The post sparked debate about which heavyweight would pose a more difficult stylistic challenge for Pereira. Details about when this alleged offer occurred or the specific circumstances are limited in the original statement.