MMA manager Ali Abdelaziz thinks Canelo Alvarez has become a "regular guy" in boxing after losing to Dmitry Bivol.
Alvarez suffered his first loss in nine years when he was outpointed by light heavyweight champion Bivol earlier this month. The Mexican was fighting for the first time at 175lb since winning the WBO title against Sergey Kovalev in 2019.
Abdelaziz, who manages UFC welterweight champion Kamaru Usman, claims Alvarez's recent loss has damaged his status in boxing. He thinks Alvarez has missed out on an opportunity to face Usman by "losing his mystique" after his last fight.
""Canelo has become just a regular guy," Abdelaziz told Menace Tube. "He became just one of the guys. I don't think he's the pound-for-pound king anymore. Canelo, his mystique is gone. When people lose their mystique, it leaves them. I respect Canelo, but I think he blew a great opportunity for him [to fight Usman]."
Do you still want to see Canelo Alvarez vs Kamaru Usman? Let us know in the comments section below
Usman called for a fight with Alvarez for many months but recently admitted defeat in his attempt to lure the Mexican into a crossover bout. The UFC star admitted Alvarez's recent loss has "tarnished" the fight because the "aura of invincibility" around him has gone.
Currently recovering from a hand injury, Usman is pencilled in to defend his welterweight belt against Leon Edwards later this year. Abdelaziz praised his fighter for being willing enough to step foot in the ring whilst trashing Alvarez for not wanting to fight in MMA.
"Kamaru is good man, he's recovering and taking his time," Abdelaziz continued. "The UFC has been great about giving him the space and not pressuring him to fight. He's one of the pound-for-pound greatest fighters I've ever seen. He has not stopped training.
"I think Kamaru has enough balls to go to boxing but we know that Canelo will never have enough balls to come to MMA, this is why you have to respect people like Kamaru Usman."
Alvarez will move back down to super middleweight for his next fight to defend his undisputed titles against Gennady Golovkin. The pair have met twice before, fighting to a draw first time round before Alvarez controversially won the rematch in 2018.
Golovkin, 40, set up a trilogy with Alvarez by knocking out Ryota Murata last month. It was the Kazakh's first fight in 18 months, having not fought since defending his middleweight titles against Kamil Szeremeta.
