"Everyone wants a pay day" - Canelo Alvarez talks Dmitry Bivol fight and Kamaru Usman
Canelo Alvarez recently discussed his upcoming fight with Dmitry Bivol this Saturday at the T-Mobile Arena. He also responded to being called out by UFC Welterweight Champion Kamaru Usman.
Canelo is expecting a tough fight against Bivol, who he will face for the WBA Light Heavyweight Championship. The Mexican did not give a prediction for which round he would knock out the Russian. Instead, he implied that the bout would be a bit of a chess match:
"Not really, this is going to be a little different. I'm moving up in weight. Dmitry Bivol is a really good boxer. I don't know, we'll see."
Bivol is an esteemed amateur and is currently undefeated as a professional. He has beaten established fighters at 175lbs including Joe Smith Jr., Sullivan Barrera and Jean Pascal. The former gold-medallist also possesses a slick boxing style that has troubled Canelo in the past.
Canelo Alvarez vs. Kamaru Usman
During the same interview, Canelo Alvarez was asked about a potential fight with Kamaru Usman and gave a light-hearted response:
"Everybody wants a pay day."
Watch the full interview with Canelo on Boxing Social:
Usman and Canelo shared an exchange of words on Twitter several days ago and the UFC Champion made it clear that he wants to fight Alvarez. The pound-for-pound king seemed to shut down Usman’s offer by stating that he has a legacy to build.
Canelo Alvarez and Kamaru Usman exchanging words on social media… https://t.co/LgICDDRLoF
It remains to be seen if Canelo will fight Usman in the future. However, it is very unlikely the two will clash any time soon because the Mexican is solely focused on his boxing career. A win for Alvarez against Bivol would add another world title to his collection and he could go on to become undisputed at Light Heavyweight.
Watch Canelo's interview with TMZ Sports:
Usman is dominating the welterweight division in the UFC but history has shown that MMA is very different to boxing. Floyd Mayweather claimed a tenth-round stoppage victory against Conor McGregor back in 2017.
Meanwhile, in more recent times, a novice boxer in Jake Paul was able to defeat a renowned UFC champion in Tyron Woodley on two occassions.