Kamaru Usman's manager Ali Abdelaziz believes Canelo Alvarez blew the chance for a major MMA vs boxing crossover fight by losing to Dmitry Bivol.
Alvarez was beaten by Bivol last month in his first loss since 2013, and will now move back down from light-heavyweight to super-middleweight and defend his undisputed crown against Gennady Golovkin in a trilogy bout. And the Dominance MMA boss believes that he could have got himself an even more lucrative bout against Usman had he beaten the Russian.
Usman had been angling for a boxing fight between he and Alvarez for months before the Bivol loss, but there was never any real heat between the pair. Conor McGregor and Floyd Mayweather famously had one of the biggest fights in history back in 2017, but the hype for Alvarez vs Usman would have needed a major push to get to that level of excitement.
“Canelo has become just a regular guy," Abdelaziz told Menace Tube. "He’s become just one of the guys. It was the pound-for-pound king against the pound-for-pound king but Canelo, his mystique is gone. “I respect Canelo. I think he blew a great opportunity for him. The oddsmakers will probably make it 8/1 against Kamaru but I think Kamaru has enough balls to go to boxing and we know Canelo will never have enough balls to come to MMA.”
Prior to the fight with Bivol, Alvarez was rarely even asked about Usman during media obligations. But the few times it was brought up, he tended to laugh off the suggestion, reiterating his famous 'payday' catchphrase during an appearance on The MMA Hour.
Now, he has the next year of his career mapped out with two fights this year before he moves on to a rematch with Bivol next May. He faces Golovkin for a third time in September before taking a less challenging bout in December, expected to be John Ryder in his UK debut.
For Usman, there are still major fights available in his role as UFC welterweight champion. He will face Leon Edwards in a rematch later this year once he recovers from a hand injury, and there is a lingering feeling that Conor McGregor may wrangle a title shot once he's recovered from his broken leg.
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“Kamaru is good, he’s recovering," Abdelaziz continued. "He’s taking his time. The UFC has been great about giving him space and not pressuring him to fight. He’s the greatest pound-for-pound fighter I’ve ever seen. He has not stopped training. If people think he’s injured, not training – he’s training every day.”
Usman has said that he believes he could pull off a major upset against Alvarez, despite coming from a wrestling background as opposed to boxing. UFC legend Chael Sonnen also backed the MMA fighter to impress after watching him during a training drill while working in a punditry capacity with him.
