August 31, 2024 5:30 pm ET
Kamaru Usman and Canelo Alvarez are now cool and have cleared the air on their contentious past on social media.
A few years ago, when Usman reigned as UFC welterweight champion, he relentlessly called for a cross-over boxing match against Alvarez, who’s arguably the biggest star in boxing and considered by many as the pound-for-pound best of recent years. Alvarez, who never paid too much attention to the MMA world, would sometimes ignore Usman and sometimes clap back, saying he was just in need of a “payday.”
Now, a few years later, after their back-and-forth, Usman had Alvarez on his “Pound 4 Pound” podcast ahead of Alvarez’s Sept. 14 title defense against Edgar Berlanga and made sure to address the “elephant in the room” right off the bat.
“Obviously, when I was champion in the UFC, I was welterweight champion of the world, and you dominated as champion in boxing, there were some talks about potentially fighting,” Usman said. “First and foremost, I’m a fan of yours. I’m a fan of your work and everything you’ve done in the sport of boxing. I think it’s important for us to clear the air and have this t
