Kamaru Usman believes he could be the first man to put a loss on Canelo Alvarez's record since Floyd Mayweather if the pair agree to a crossover boxing fight.
The UFC welterweight champion, like Alvarez, has only lost once in his career and has looked unbeatable since winning the belt from Tyron Woodley in 2019.
But should he decide to make the switch to boxing for a mega-fight with Alvarez, he would likely be a monstrous underdog just like Conor McGregor was when he faced Mayweather in 2017.
However, that hasn't stopped Usman from remaining confident of his chances of landing a "jaw-dropping" upset win against the undisputed super-middleweight champion.
“See, that’s the thing about this crazy thing that we do; sports," Usman explained in an interview with ESPN MMA, where he compared himself to the likes of Buster Douglas and Holly Holm. "And not just sports; fighting.
"No one knows the size of the dog inside you, no one knows it.
"When you tell people your plans they’re not going believe it because they don’t see it.
"They can’t do it, they don’t do what you do, they don’t walk in your shoes, they don’t walk in your heart and your energy each and every day, no one knows that, no one sees it.
"I’ve said it; everything, I’ve said it, I’ve manifested it.
"There’s a lion inside here, a Nigerian African lion that people don’t really understand.”
Usman believes his ability to manifest results, including what was at the time something of an upset when he defeated Woodley for the belt, would guide him to a win over Alvarez.
Back in 2019, Woodley hadn't lost in half a decade, and had beaten the likes of Robbie Lawlor, Stephen Thompson and Darren Till on his road to five world title fight wins.
"I knew I was going to beat Tyron Woodley four years before that fight," Usman continued. "I told him, even when he wasn't champion I said while we were doing press conferences I told him I'd dominate him start to finish.
"I tell these guys, I said I was going to be pound-for-pound and I did that, so people don't have to believe you but when they see it, their jaws are going to drop.
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"When I fought Jorge Masvidal the second time, what did people say? 'Oh he's just going to take him down, hug him, stomp his feet, Jorge never gets knocked out'.
"They all said he had the best boxing ever and this and that, but what happened fight night? Everyone's reaction, look at it on YouTube, their jaws dropped.
"It can happen, and it will happen."
Promoter Dana White will be a difficult man to convince when it comes to making a crossover fight, having only been lured over once for Mayweather vs McGregor, which was the second-biggest fight of all time.
With Alvarez now seemingly locked into a deal to be promoted by Matchroom Boxing and Eddie Hearn, the fight may be somewhat easier to do given that he and White have a solid personal relationship.
White told Mirror Fighting last month that he "likes Eddie Hearn very much," but would refuse to work with Top Rank's Bob Arum if a possible fight between heavyweight champion Francis Ngannou and Tyson Fury was to be tabled.
