Ready for another boxing superfight?
Even if you’re not, former UFC welterweight title challenger Nick Diaz sure sounds like he’d be up to the task. That’s according to Diaz himself, who recently took aim at Mexican boxer Canelo Alvarez.
The Stockton callout comes a few days removed from Canelo’s massive $365 million deal with DAZN, which will keep him on the streaming service for five years and 11 fights. His first bout under contract will come against WBA super middleweight champion Rocky Fielding this December. It will be Canelo’s first appearance at 168 pounds.
As a professional mixed martial artist who has trained alongside the likes of former boxing world champion Andre Ward, Diaz isn’t too impressed with Canelo.
“I’ve never even thought about that, but the guy is moving up to 168 and fighting some no names,” Diaz told TMZ (shown above). “Let’s be real Canelo moving up to my weight, he ain’t gonna win that fight. No way, come on man. You’re just basically one of them little guys I spar before I fight. I am a professional fighter, I’ve had over 37 fights.”
“Nothing personal. Motherf**ker don’t speak English so he ain’t knowing what I’m saying anyway.”
Diaz, 35, has been focused on a potential return to the Octagon, but the former welterweight standout seems more than willing to test his luck inside of the boxing ring and get his piece of pie.
“Y’all getting the money, if y’all gonna make all that money, making billions of dollars or millions of dollars now, I’m a better fighter, I’m a bigger draw,” he said.
Bigger draw than Canelo in boxing? Probably not. But Diaz is one of the most recognizable names in MMA today, despite having not competed since a no contest opposite Anderson Silva nearly three years ago.
While a Diaz vs. Canelo crossover fight is unlikely to actually take flight, it’s yet another option fight fans have been presented with in this crazy thing we call combat sports. After seeing Conor McGregor step inside of the boxing ring against Floyd Mayweather Jr. last year anything seems possible at this point.