In October, UFC welterweight champion Kamaru Usman called for a “pound-for-pound” crossover fight against Saul “Canelo” Alvarez. According to him, the lack of exciting opponents makes him want to test his skills against the four-division boxing champion.
“I might have to go drag Canelo out of, you know when he’s done with all these guys that he’s running through. It’s never been done,” Usman told The Schmo.
“I might have to drag him into, if not an Octagon, I might have to drag him in the ring and actually take him. Because he’s pound-for-pound, it’s never been done. Pound-for-pound MMA fighter and pound-for-pound boxer.
“That might be next if these guys can’t prove that they’re the next number one contender.”
Alvarez later responded, indirectly saying Usman simply wants a huge payday. But in his recent appearance on The MMA Hour, he expressed his willingness to face the UFC champion sometime in the future.
“Maybe. Why not? You never say no, right?” Alvarez told Ariel Helwani. “My trainer told me about it. And I said, ‘If you say (so).’”
The 31-year-old Guadalajara native is already deemed as one of the best (if not the best) active boxers today. And if he does decide to make a career shift, he wants his legacy to be set in stone, first.
“(The Usman fight is) not really on my mind. I want a really good legacy for my career, and then we can talk about other things.”
After his 11th round TKO win over Caleb Plant in November, Alvarez (57-1-2) will take on WBA light heavyweight champion Dmitry Bivol on May 7th in Las Vegas.
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