Even though Kamaru Usman will be defending his welterweight title against Leon Edwards at UFC 278 on August 20, he is already considering a new challenge.
Usman stated in an interview with TMZ Sports that he would eventually like to go on a date with boxing champion Canelo Alvarez.
“It’s never been done, pound-for-pound versus pound-for-pound,” he said. “And, they’re significantly close in weight classes to be able to do it — why not?! When you hear that that fight’s announced, everyone’s going to be watching that fight.”
Usman initially expressed hope to face Alvarez in the fall to TMZ Sports in March. He anticipated that the event would bring in nine figures in revenue.
Alvarez and Usman had a social media conversation in April.
Usman will have to put off his hopes of seeing a significant crossover exhibition for the time being, though.
Alvarez’s calendar for the rest of 2022 is filled as he scheduled a third fight against Gennadiy Golovkin on September 17. Alvarez had previously lost by majority decision to Dmitry Bivol in May.
However, the UFC fighter cannot be faulted for trying.
The 35-year-old has successfully defended his welterweight belt five times and has not suffered a defeat inside the ring since May 2013. He does not really have much to prove in MMA anymore, so fighting Alvarez in boxing would be a very different challenge.
Given that the pay-per-view for Floyd Mayweather and Conor McGregor in 2017 brought nearly $600 million, Usman would likely earn the highest salary of his career if he faced Alvarez.
