“We feel sad” - Canelo Alvarez reacts to Shakur Stevenson beating Oscar Valdez
Canelo Alvarez recently revealed that he felt “sad” about the loss of his gym mate and compatriot Oscar Valdez to Shakur Stevenson over the weekend.
However, the current No.1 pound-for-pound fighter in the world was quick to acknowledge that Stevenson was the better fighter between the two when they clashed last Saturday at the MGM Grand Garden Arena.
Stevenson won via unanimous decision in runaway fashion. He now holds the unified WBC and WBO Super Featherweight Championships. In a recent interview with FIGHTHYPE, the 31-year-old shared his thoughts on the recently-concluded fight:
“We feel sad for Oscar but it is what it is, it’s boxing. He [Stevenson] is a really good fighter, a great fighter.”
Watch the full interview with Canelo Alvarez:
Alvarez watched the Stevenson-Valdez fight from ringside. He even tried to guide his fellow Mexican during the match by shouting out instructions.
'Cinammon' and Valdez are both trained by Eddy Reynoso at the House of Boxing gym in San Diego, California. Valdez is likewise a regular sparring partner for Alvarez.
Canelo Alvarez scoffs at Kamaru Usman once again
Alvarez (57-1-2 39KOs) will face WBA Light Heavyweight champion Dmitry Bivol (19-1 11KOs) in less than a week at the T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas. The 31-year-old champion is off to a tough task as he faces a much taller opponent in Bivol.
However, in recent times, the Mexican has been called out by various combat sports athletes This includes reigning UFC welterweight champion Kamaru Usman.
‘The Nigerian Nightmare’ has repeatedly expressed an eagerness to lace up his boxing gloves against the Mexican superstar. He even engaged Alvarez in a heated social media exchange. But despite Usman’s persistent calls, the cross-sport megafight seems farfetched as of now.
Asked about Usman’s repeated callouts, Alvarez simply smirked and said:
“Everybody wants the payday.”
Canelo Alvarez is arguably the biggest star in present-day boxing. He has been a world champion in multiple divisions including super middleweight, super welterweight, middleweight, and light heavyweight. A fight against him promises to be a lucrative payday.
However, considering Usman's contract with the UFC coupled with Alvarez's boxing aspirations, the chances of them meeting inside the ring seem slim as of now.
Check out Alvarez's take on a potential boxing bout with Kamaru Usman below: