Canelo's Savage Two-Word Response To Kamaru Usman Saying He Wants To Fight Him

Saul 'Canelo' Alvarez is a savage inside the ring, but it turns out he's a savage outside of it too.

Boxing's pound-for-pound king delivered the most blunt yet brilliant response when a reporter told him that UFC champion Kamaru Usman wants to box him.

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During a media scrum, a journalist asked: "The UFC's pound-for-pound best Kamaru Usman fights Saturday, he talked to Max Kellerman and said he'd be interested to fight you."

But before the reporter could even finish his sentence, Canelo interrupted.

"Pay day," he simply said.

The crowd around them all laughed as Canelo casually strolled away.

Savage.

As it so happens, both Canelo and Usman are fighting this weekend.

UFC welterweight champ Usman defends his title against long-time rival Colby Covington in their rematch, while Mexican fan favourite Canelo takes on undefeated boxer Caleb Plant.

With both men seemingly at the top of their games within their respective sports, Usman sees no reason why the duo can't lock horns inside a ring one day.

Speaking to ESPN's Max Kellerman, Usman said: "To be honest with you, I'll tell you what will really get the people going. When have you ever seen two pound-for-pound fighters in the world in their respective sports, go at it? Who's the pound-for-pound best boxer in the world right now?... It's not about money, it's about what gets me out of bed, what gets me scared! I want the chance. I want [to fight Canelo]."

As good as the idea sounds, whether we genuinely see the pair square off some day is highly unlikely.

But if you're an MMA tragic or a boxing purist, this initial back-and-forth between two of the baddest men on the planet is still box office stuff.

Canelo clearly sees it as a cheeky big-money cheque, but Usman's camp seem genuinely serious about getting the super-fight done.

"What's his name? The Mexican boxer who's the pound-for-pound king right now? Canelo? Let's get the pound-for-pound king in boxing vs. the pound-for-pound king in MMA. We're not into this fake fight, gimme fight," Usman's manager Ali Abdelaziz told TMZ.

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"If you think you're the pound-for-pound king, Kamaru is the pound-for-pound king. Let's have two different kings fight each other. No takedowns allowed.

"It's a fight. He's going to tug on him, he's going to push him back, he's going to clinch with him and make him tired. We've seen Kamaru get hit by big shots, the only think he's got to protect is his body because Canelo goes good to the body. It's going to go 12 rounds and it's going to be a dog fight.

"We saw Conor McGregor, a guy who can't even beat guys in the UFC, went 10 rounds with Floyd Mayweather. You have to tell me Kamaru cannot go 12 rounds with Canelo and beat him? It's not a money grab, it's a fight."

Topics: Saul Canelo Alvarez, Pound for pound, Boxing, Canelo, UFC, Australia, MMA, Kamaru Usman

Max Sherry

Max Sherry is a journalist for SPORTbible Australia. After migrating Down Under from London as a teenager, he instantly fell in love with Aussie sport and its culture. From NRL to AFL, cricket to rugby — you name it, Max watches it (with a beer in hand, of course). During his time at Fox Sports, he worked in the football department covering the Premier League, A-League, Socceroos and Matildas. Born a stone's throw away from West Ham's training ground, Max is obviously a die-hard Liverpool fan.

@maxysherry