No one seems particularly interested in seeing Kamaru Usman box Canelo Alvarez … least of all Canelo.
Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) fighters sure have been eager to land a crossover fight into boxing. Sure, they may get their butts handed to them in the ring, but the money is good — 10 to 20 times higher than most UFC champions are making in the Octagon.
With that in mind, it shouldn’t be any surprise that Kamaru Usman is angling for a big boxing payday after he beats Colby Covington at UFC 268 this weekend (Sat., Nov. 6, 2021). And unlike the crowded field of wannabe Jake Paul opponents, Usman is aiming up at the very top where Saul “Canelo” Alvarez sits with multiple Super Middleweight belts.
“This is what intrigues me: I’m getting bored running through these loud mouths up here,” Usman said at the UFC 268 public press conference when asked about the match up. “I’m getting bored! So you know what? I said, ‘Pound-for-pound in both sports, promoted by the pound for pound best promoter in the world, Dana White. Why not?”
Dana White’s response (or non-response) to the idea of Kamaru Usman vs. Canelo Alvarez says it all #UFC268 pic.twitter.com/6F7awMMOhO
— MMA mania (@mmamania) November 5, 2021
Unmoved by the pound-for-pound praise, White was more than happy to use some trash talk from Covington as cover to move on without having to voice an opinion on the subject.
“Got another question?” he asked after a moment of silence.
Canelo responds to Kamaru Usman saying he want to box him..
savage lol #PayDay #CaneloPlant pic.twitter.com/mM2VqXqcH4— Big Irv (@TheKidIrv24) November 3, 2021
“Canelo” doesn’t sound interested in the fight, either. If anyone should be getting bored of running through loud mouth clowns, it’s him. And he identified the real reason Usman wants to step into the ring during a media event for his fight with Caleb Plant the same night as UFC 268.
“Payday,” Alvarez said.
As dominating as he is in the cage, we have to call this one a 10-8 round against Usman.
Remember that MMAmania.com will deliver LIVE round-by-round, blow-by-blow coverage of the entire UFC 268 fight card right here, starting with the early ESPN+ “Prelims” matches online, which are scheduled to begin at 6 p.m. ET, then the remaining undercard balance on ESPNEWS/ESPN+ at 8 p.m. ET, before the PPV main card start time at 10 p.m. ET on ESPN+ PPV.
To check out the latest and greatest UFC 268: “Usman vs. Covington 2” news and notes be sure to hit up our comprehensive event archive right here.