Canelo Alvarez and Kamaru Usman have gone back and forth after the UFC champion's manager acussed the boxing star of being a "chicken".
Usman, who is the UFC pound-for-pound No.1 fighter, has been calling for a fight with Alvarez since defending his welterweight title against Colby Covington last year. 'The Nigerian Nightmare' has pushed harder for the fight recently and wants to fight Alvarez this September.
Alvarez moves back to up to light heavyweight for the first time in three years next weekend when he challenges Dmitry Bivol for the WBA title. If things go to plan for the Mexican, he is expected to face Gennady Golovkin in a trilogy fight later this year.
Usman's manager Ali Abdelaziz recently attacked Alvarez for the quality of his opponents and labelled him a "chicken" for not wanting to fight Usman. Alvarez replied by asking "who the f***" Abdelaziz is and Usman has since got involved in the argument.
Do you want to see Canelo Alvarez fight Kamaru Usman? Let us know in the comments section below
"Let’s just all relax… before somebody gets hurt," Usman replied to Alvarez, to which the Mexican wrote back: "I agree cause it will not be me". Alvarez has refused to rule out a fight with Usman, but his next comment made it seem like the crossover bout is unlikely to happen anytime soon.
Usman then told him: "In the cage or the ring I’m willing find out in both… Are you?". Alvarez shut down the fight for the meantime, replying: "You calling me out, right? You want the pay day, right ? So you know where, but sit down it's not your turn yet I have a legacy to make". Usman then added: "Enough said… you don’t want that smoke in a real fight. I hear you! Good luck champ."
Talks of crossover fights have between UFC champions and boxing stars have become increasily popular after Conor McGregor's record breaking fight with Floyd Mayweather in 2017, but it's unlikely that Usman - who is pencilled in to fight Leon Edwards in July - will fight Alvarez anytime soon.
Matchroom Boxing boss Eddie Hearn has a good relationship with Dana White and thinks if the UFC boss would pardon Usman of his conctractual duties, the fight could be made. "He's under contract with UFC, but if Dana White wants to do it, we'd love to discuss it," Hearn told The DAZN Boxing Show.
"I don't see how Usman would have any shot at all against Canelo Alvarez, but therefore why not. The thing I say about Canelo is, even when you mention Jake Paul to him, he doesn't belittle these fights. Never say never."
