Canelo Alvarez challenges Conor McGregor to step in boxing ring
After Conor McGregor defeated Nate Diaz in their highly anticipated rematch at UFC 202, the UFC featherweight champion reignited a conversation about possibly competing outside of the MMA promotion.
“There’s a lot of options,” McGregor said. And with that, the idea of the Irishman possibly competing in a boxing match started again. But if Floyd Mayweather won’t face McGregor in a boxing match, there appears to be another fighter willing to show “Mystic Mac” the ropes.
Lineal middleweight champion Saul “Canelo” Alvarez threw his name into the growing pile of potential opponents for McGregor in an interview with FightHub TV. Alvarez was preparing for his upcoming showdown with Liam Smith on Sept. 17, but wanted to address McGregor’s boxing aspirations.
“If he wants to try out boxing, then anytime he wants,” Alvarez said. “If he wants to come over to this side of the world and try boxing, anytime he wants, to see that it’s not as easy as he thinks.”
Alvarez and McGregor have had a minor issue between them when McGregor accused Canelo of “cherry picking” opponents when he opted to face Smith rather than a highly anticipated showdown with Gennady Golovkin, easily the biggest fight that can be made in the sport.
Canelo responded by picking Diaz to win the rematch and suggesting that McGregor “gasses after two rounds.” However, the Mexican was wrong in picking Diaz as McGregor earned a majority decision last month.
A Canelo-McGregor boxing match remains an even more far-fetched idea than Mayweather-McGregor considering that Alvarez is a much bigger opponent. Although the fight with Smith will be fought at 154 pounds, Alvarez is known to blow up to around 180 pounds on fight night.
McGregor may have defeated Diaz at 170 pounds, but he has stated that he has no desire to fight in that weight class moving forward.
For now, this fantasy showdown is nothing more than lip service.
