Conor McGregor has called for a fight with Canelo Alvarez, declaring that he would have "no problem" stepping in the ring with the undisputed super-middleweight champion.
The legendary two-weight UFC world champion made his professional boxing debut against Floyd Mayweather in 2017, with the bout drawing the second biggest pay-per-view audience in the sport's history. And he is currently preparing for his return to the UFC cage, confirming that his comeback fight against Michael Chandler will be announced imminently.
And speaking with media including Mirror Fighting at his Dublin pub The Black Forge Inn yesterday (Friday), McGregor confirmed his interest in a bout with reigning 168lb champion Alvarez. The iconic Mexican fighter has taken over Mayweather's spot as boxing's biggest star over the last few years, taking on all comers at a variety of different weights.
But McGregor feels that his southpaw stance and angles could prove too much for Alvarez, saying: "I saw [John] Ryder, I'm a southpaw, Ryder was a southpaw, Billy Joe [Saunders] was a southpaw, I've seen methods, I've seen things I'd do. I know he's waining, I'd fight Canelo no f****g problem. Out straight. No problem."
McGregor was referring to Alvarez's super-middleweight title fights with British boxers Saunders and Ryder, both of whom the Mexican handily defeated. He viciously stopped Saunders at the AT&T Stadium in Texas during 2021 before systematically dismantling Ryder and winning every round in his mandatory challenge earlier this year.
The Irishman gave Mayweather some problems during the early rounds of their 2017 meeting, but struggled to maintain the pace and was ultimately stopped in round ten by the legendary 50-0 fighter. Boxing fights at the championship level go 12 rounds of three minutes, while major MMA bouts are five rounds of five, meaning that he had gone further than ever before in the ring.
However, it appears that Alvarez may not be keen on the challenge, previously detailing that he is not interested in the fight. When shown a photo of the MMA legend during a 2021 segment in the lead-up to his fight with Caleb Plant, Alvarez told BT Sport Boxing : "Oh my god, no. Don't try man, don't try."
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The Irishman was speaking alongside Alvarez's promoter Eddie Hearn, with whom he is working on the promotion of the Katie Taylor vs Chantelle Cameron fight. "I love him, he's clued in," McGregor said of the Matchroom Boxing boss. "He's in tune and he's committed to the fighters and the sport.
"And he's very, very passionate and you can tell all day. It's great to do business with him, great to be partnered with him, great to be friends with him and that's it. He's a top man." Asked if the pair could ever work together on a fight of his, McGregor joked: "You know the level I'm at, at best co-promote! At best co-promote."
McGregor hasn't won a fight since his 2020 demolition of Donald Cerrone, losing two rematches with Dustin Poirier in 2021. During their trilogy he suffered a gruesome broken leg that has removed him from competition ever since, with his return seemingly set for December of this year.
