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Kamaru Usman stated that Canelo Alvarez’s loss to Dmitry Bivol has "tarnished" their potential crossover matchup, as the Mexican lost his seemingly invincible aura.
The reigning UFC welterweight champion was present at the Eagle FC 47 pre-fight press conference. In an interview with John Morgan of The Underground, Usman spoke about the status of his recovery from injury and contenders in his division. He was also asked about his potential fight against Canelo Alvarez in light of the Mexican’s recent defeat to Dmitry Bivol.
Kamru Usman said:
"I mean it’s tough now, just because it’s… You know, people are fixated on the fact of dominance. Everyone’s dominant and dominant, dominant. I still thinks it’s a, you know, tremendous fight. It’s a phenomenal fight, because he’s still up there in those pound-for-pound rankings. But of course it’s a bit tarnished now, you know, because his aura of invincibility has diminished."
‘The Nigerian Nightmare’ stated that despite this loss, Canelo Alvarez is still a great champion and one of the best boxers of his generation. Usman noted that he has nothing but respect for the boxing superstar.
Watch Kamaru Usman talk about Canelo Alvarez at 6:13 of the video below:
Kamaru Usman on his doubters: "If I believe in myself that it can be done, why can’t it be done?"
During the same interview, John Morgan admitted that he'd been one of those to express disdain over Usman's continued callouts of Canelo, given that the Nigerian native has only just taken to striking. At the same time, the Mexican is arguably the best active boxer in the world. Morgan asked the UFC welterweight king if he felt angered by such heavy skepticism from fans.
Kamaru Usman stated that he's not angry but does feel a certain way about it. He recalled being told that he would have to wrestle Jorge Masvidal to secure a win. However, Usman became the first person to put 'Gamebred' to sleep when he knocked him out cold in the second round of their fight at UFC 261.
'The Nigerian Nightmare' said:
"And at one point, everyone was saying, 'Oh, you have to wrestle Masvidal. You don’t stand a chance to stand with him.' It is what it is, everybody’s going to have their opinion. I know the type of work that I’m the one to be putting in, and so if I believe in myself that it can be done, why can’t it be done?"
Usman said that he believes that he will give Canelo a run for his money and that he’s brave enough to come to a different sport and try to impose dominance. That said, it's still all speculative, and there's no real movement on this fight coming to fruition any time soon.
