It may be true that Canelo Alvarez may not have an opponent capable of beating him in boxing today as he is the current pound-for-pound king, but what if the search expands to the UFC. Could he be defeated by the best man in MMA, Kamaru Usman? The Nigerian’s manager has no doubt about it, he even went further and detailed how his charge could overcome Alvarez.
Canelo Alvarez (57-1-2, 39 KOs) is on his way to clash against Russian Dmitry Bivol on May 7 in Las Vegas, Nevada. A tough test for him given that he is going to move up from 168 pounds to 175 to challenge the WBA Champion. The reward would be becoming a two-time Light heavyweight Champion, one more trophy for the Mexican’s cabinet.
On the other hand, Kamaru Usman (20-1), the reigning UFC Welterweight Champion (up to 170 pounds), is going to defend his title in July. His reportedly rival is Leon Edwards. TheNigerian Nightmareis coming back to the octagon after having surgery on his right hand in February.
Kamaru Usman’schallenge toCanelo Alvarez
Usman’s intention to clash with Alvarez is real. Lately, he has even named a date to face the current Undisputed Super middleweight Champion,September, just on the Mexican Independence day, although Canelo may already have scheduled a fight against Gennady Golovkin in those days, if he overcomes Bivol on May 7.
“2022, I’m going to shock the world. In July, I’m going to fightLeon Edwards. God willing, I get throughLeon Edwards, then in September, Mexican Independence Day, I will stopCanelo Alvarez… Boxing is dead at the end of the day“, stated Kamaru to TMZ.
The main reason for Usman to target a fight against Canelo Alvarez is to offer the fans one of thebiggest events in sports ever: “This fight will be the greatest and the biggest fight ever in the history of combat sports… I think it’s only right for me andCaneloto give the world a show, give the world the entertainment they so desire.Never before have the best pound-for-pound of each sport gotten together like this.” said the Nigerian Champion to BT Sports.
Could Kamaru Usman defeat Canelo Alvarez? (Jeff Bottari/Zuffa LLC)
How could Canelo Alvarez be defeated by Kamaru Usman?
In an interview for MMA Junkie, Ali Abdelaziz, Usman’s promoter has not only anticipatedthat his guy could beat Canelo Alvarez in a boxing clash but also predicted the explosive way this could happen if they meet in the ring.
“Kamaru will knock him out in three rounds. You cannot say no to Kamaru. He’s a guy who comes from Africa. He jumped a lot of obstacles. I believe in Kamaru. This is the difference between me and other people. I believe in him, I live with him, I breathe with him, I die with him, I fight with him. He’s a special person in my life“, said Abdelaziz.
It is not only his heart speaking, Kamaru Usman’s manager has a solid reason to believe his fighter could be able to run over Canelo Alvarez: “How many street fights have me and Kamaru been to? We’ve been in a lot of street fights, and I have to believe in him. I believe Kamaru can beat any man alive.They cannot quote Canelo as the baddest man on the planet. They cannot quote Canelo the pound-for-pound best boxer because if they both in the street, who’s gonna win? Kamaru would beat his ass like he stole something“.
