Boxing star Canelo Alvarez responds to a cross-sport clash with UFC welterweight champion Kamaru Usman.
Kamaru Usman has revealed that he plans to move on to a big fight with Canelo Alvarez in September.
UFC Welterweight champion Usman will have his first 2022 UFC fight in July, ahead of Alvarez, who will face Dmitry Bivol on May 7.
USMAN ON BOXING
“In 2022, I will shock the world,” Usman told TMZ.
“In July, I will fight Leon Edwards. God willing, I will pass Leon Edwards, and then in September, Mexico Independence Day, I will suspend Canelo Alvarez.”
Usman is adamant that he will not fight Alvarez just for the big pay day, as he believes he can beat the undisputed super middleweight champion.
“Boxing is dead, at the end of the day,” said Usman.
“I’m not saying there are no good boxers, there are some very good boxers. Errol Spence Jr., there are a lot of guys I can go down and tell you they are great boxers.
“But boxing is dying, at the end of the day everyone wants to be happy, and when did you ever see a pound when you faced a pound? I’m not afraid of that.
“Unfortunately those guys, namely, Canelo, will not come here to the UFC to challenge. That is against the point.
“Listen, he ignores everything he wants to ignore, but he fights against strangers. And he goes on to say ‘Payday, payday’. Truly the biggest payday you’ll ever make.
“I understand you’re earning, you’re making money, but fighting me is the biggest payday I’ve ever had.”
Dana White On Usman Fighting Canelo
As much as White has praised Usman as the best pound-for-pound fighter in mixed martial arts, he really doesn’t like his chances against Canelo if they ever laced up the gloves against each other.
“I don’t even know how many people would be interested in seeing that,” added White. “It’s just like when Conor [McGregor] and Floyd [Mayweather] fought, it just happened.
“They talked about Tyson Fury and Francis [Ngannou] too. What do you think will happen in those wars? Those boys are the best in the world. ”
Yes, the UFC allowed McGregor to face Mayweather in a boxing match back in 2017 and White even intervened in the development but promises it may have been a one-off deal.
“It’s a war that took its own life,” White said. “Everywhere I went, people asked me if I had a fight with the two of them.
“It finally got to the point where I felt like I was big and I was right. It has become the largest paid program you have ever watched. ”
Although McGregor and Mayweather have managed to sell more than 4 million items together in PPV, White sees nothing that might be of great interest today.
He won’t say he won’t do it again because lightning can strike again but White doesn’t even like to play the song “what if?” a game when it comes to UFC fighters taking the best boxing.
“Who knows,” said White. “Something may have gone well but boxing compared to MMA is stupid.”
