Kamaru Usman Makes a Bold Claim; States Canelo Alvarez Will Have His Biggest Payday When He Faces ‘The Nigerian Nightmare’
Kamaru Usman was in attendance for UFC 274 as he saw two of his teammates take part in championship fights. ‘Thug’ Rose Namajunas put her belt on the line against Carla Esparza and Justin Gaethje took on Charles Oliveira for the vacant lightweight title. Unfortunately for Trevor Wittman and his fighters both Namajunas and Gaethje came up short against the likes of Oliveira and Esparza.
Prior to the fights, Usman sat down for an interview with the media. He was asked his thoughts on his recent back and forth with Canelo, and the welterweight champion said, “It is what it is, Canelo is the best pound-for-pound boxer, I am the best pound-for-pound mixed martial artist. And so I was courageous enough to want to challenge myself in that way and he is not. And the only thing that he can say is, payday.”
‘The Nigerian Nightmare’ continued, “Let’s be honest, if he fights me it is the biggest payday of his career. I fight him, probably the biggest payday of my career because it is something that has never been done before. So make no mistake about it, yes it is a payday for both guys but at the end of the day, I am courageous enough to step in there and do your sport because you’re not man enough to step over here and do this sport.”
Canelo Alvarez competed on the same night against Dmitry Bivol, unfortunately, it was Alvarez who came up short as Bivol utilized his height and reach well to keep Canelo at a distance. This is the first loss for Alvarez since his loss against Floyd Mayweather back in 2013.
Canelo Alvarez vs Kamaru Usman not happening anytime soon
If Canelo Alvarez secured a win against Bivol, the talks of facing Usman might have had more momentum. However, given Alvarez came up short against Bivol, he will chase that rematch later this year.
That derails the timeline for a potential fight against Usman who will take on Edwards in July and wanted to face Alvarez in September or October.
