UFC welterweight champion Kamaru Usman is doing everything he can to ‘poke the bear’ and potentially get a fight with boxing champ Canelo Alvarez.
Usman has called out Alvarez recently over the past few months, most notably in the leadup to his fight against Colby Covington at UFC 268. He would defeat Covington via a unanimous decision.
Usman ended 2021 at the top of the UFC’s pound-for-pound list and is arguably the most dominant fighter in the world at the moment. He’s expected to return later this year once he’s fully recovered from hand surgery.
But an injured hand hasn’t stopped Usman from continuing to put pressure on Alvarez for a crossover fight. During an interview with CBS Sports, Usman gave his thoughts on why Alvarez hasn’t accepted a fight with him.
Kamaru Usman Wants Canelo Alvarez Crossover Fight
“When you’re the pound for pound, and you’re the best on the planet, you believe that,” Usman said. “You’re not afraid to say ‘I’ll cross over [to boxing], I’ll go over, because I am the best.’ You see Tyson Fury and Francis Ngannou right now. Tyson Fury is not shy of saying ‘Hey, Francis Ngannou you’re a big power puncher, you wanna be the best, come over and I’ll take you on.’ But you’re not really hearing that from [Canelo’s] side, my guy. So, more power to him… Canelo, you can continue being the champion that you are, I respect you, you continue picking off all these guys that no one really knows and fighting them. More respect to you.” (h/t SportsKeeda)
Alvarez most recently defeated Caleb Plant, Billy Joe Saunders, and Avni Yildirim in 2021. He’s expected to face Gennady Golovkin next in a trilogy.
Usman wants a shot in the boxing ring as his striking continues to improve. Whether or not he’ll get that opportunity remains to be seen.
Do you think we’ll ever see Kamaru Usman vs. Canelo Alvarez?