Over the past few months, the UFC welterweight champion Kamaru Usman tried to test the waters for a boxing match with a world champion in four weight categories Saul "Canelo" Alvarez. Usman believes this fight will be bigger than the 2017 bout between the UFC superstar Conor McGregor and champion of five divisions Floyd Mayweather.
In that fight, Mayweather stopped McGregor in the tenth round. The event was a huge financial success. Mayweather-McGregor has become the second-largest earner in pay-per-view history.
UFC President Dana White believes that Usman will make a very big mistake if he enters the ring with Canelo. Usman, due to his contractual obligations, will need White's go-ahead to fight any opponent outside of the UFC. And White is far from letting Usman face Canelo in a boxing match. He believes that Usman-Canelo is not on the same level - in terms of public demand - as compared to the Mayweather-McGregor fight.
“He (Uthman) takes it seriously, although he really shouldn’t take it seriously. I don’t like this fight at all,” White said in an interview with Sky Sports. “Everything about him is terrible. This is a stupid fight, it makes no sense. I don't know how many people would be interested in seeing this. When Conor and Floyd fought, it was a separate life. Everywhere I went, people asked me if these two were going to fight. The idea for this fight just kept growing and growing and growing. As a result, it turned out that it was one of the most popular paid broadcasts. Something may come of it, but this whole boxing vs MMA story is stupid.”
Usman has not fought since November, when he won a decision victory over Colby Covington. Canelo, who also fought last November when he knocked out Caleb Plant, will take on WBA light heavyweight champion Dimitri Bivol on May 7.
