“I respect his skills and I think he’s a phenomenal champion. But I also know whatever I put I mind to, I go out there and I get it”.
Kamaru Usman likes his chances in a boxing match against pound-for-pound No. 1 Canelo Alvarez, ‘The Nigerian Nightmare’ revealed during a recent Instagram Live Q&A.
The reigning UFC welterweight champion has the utmost respect for Alvarez but believes he could successfully make the transition to boxing and put up a good fight against the Mexican superstar.
“I think I can do anything that I put my mind to,” Usman said (h/t Jordan Ellis of Low Kick MMA). “I don’t disrespect Canelo. I think Canelo is one of the best, one of the greatest of this generation and I do not disrespect him at all. I respect his skills and I think he’s a phenomenal champion. But I also know whatever I put I mind to, I go out there and I get it. So if it’s in the cards in the future, maybe we’ll dance. We’ll see.”
Canelo holds notable victories over Gennady Golovkin, Amir Khan, Shane Mosley, Miguel Cotto, and Billy Joe Saunders. His only loss in 59 professional fights is to boxing great Floyd Mayweather Jr., who beat Canelo via unanimous decision in 2013.
As much as Usman would like to fight Canelo, it’s highly unlikely the latter would ever sign off on the idea.
Usman will return to the cage when he defends his welterweight title against Colby Covington in the UFC 268 main event on Nov. 6 at Madison Square Garden in New York. The champ previously beat ‘Chaos’ via fifth-round TKO at UFC 245. It is considered one of the greatest title fights in welterweight history.