KEY POINTS

  • Kamaru Usman's manager Ali Abdelaziz hit out at Saul "Canelo" Alvarez on social media
  • Alvarez fired back with a short yet fierce response
  • The Mexican boxing superstar is not prioritizing a fight with Usman at the moment

Saul “Canelo” Alvarez is one of the greatest boxers at present, and he doesn’t have time for people throwing shade at him.

Dissatisfied with how Alvarez has not been invested in a super fight against his client Kamaru Usman, Ali Abdelaziz took a dig at the Mexican boxing superstar and called him “chicken” on social media.

“[Canelo] is an absolute chicken, he is fighting guys with 5,000 followers on Instagram, these guys will never do [anything] for his legacy,” Abdelaziz wrote on Twitter. “Now I understand why he doesn’t wanna lose to someone like [Usman].”

“This is chicken style, no risk - no reward,” he continued.

Being an undisputed boxing champion, Alvarez knows how big his name is in the sport, and he made Abdelaziz aware of it.

“Who the f—- is this?” Alvarez replied.

Alvarez is already slated for two huge fights this year. He is set to take on WBA light heavyweight champion Dmitry Bivol on May 7, and the highly-anticipated trilogy match against Gennadiy Golovkin is likely to follow suit.

Nevertheless, the multi-division boxing champion doesn’t rule out a showdown with reigning UFC welterweight champion Usman.

“Never say no, but right now it’s not in my future,” Alvarez told TMZ Sports of fighting Usman. “Not right now. Yeah, it’s all about legacy right now, but you never know.”

Usman, on the other hand, also has a lot of fights lined up. Colby Covington has retained his no. 1 spot in the current UFC welterweight rankings and is looking forward to a third fight with “The Nigerian Nightmare.”

Khamzat Chimaev, meanwhile, has beaten former no. 2 contender Gilbert Burns and is now presenting a strong case for title contention.

Kamaru Usman
LAS VEGAS, NEVADA - FEBRUARY 13: In this handout image provided by UFC, Kamaru Usman of Nigeria reacts after his victory over Gilbert Burns of Brazil in their UFC welterweight championship fight during the UFC 258 event at UFC APEX on February 13, 2021 in Las Vegas, Nevada. (Photo by Jeff Bottari/Zuffa LLC via Getty Images)

However, Usman is still waiting for the clear-cut no. 1 contender. While waiting, the 170-pound king said he wants to entertain the fans by taking on Alvarez.

“Right now, [the UFC top contenders] they’re right there all in the bunch and while they’re right there in the bunch, we all know who the pound for pound champion is, and we all know who the pound for pound champion in boxing is, so why not entertain the world, why not entertain the fans and fight Canelo,” Usman told MMA Junkie last month.

Aside from Alvarez vs. Usman, another MMA-boxing crossover fight is also brewing as heavyweight world boxing champion Tyson Fury and UFC heavyweight champion Francis Ngannou have already agreed to fight in a hybrid match.

RELATED STORIES