UFC welterweight Leon Edwards doesn’t fancy his chances against Canelo Alvarez. He doesn’t believe Kamaru Usman would do well either.
‘Rocky’ is set to face ‘The Nigerian Nightmare’ this Saturday in the main event of UFC 278. The bout is a rematch of a previous encounter at UFC on Fox 17 in December 2015. Usman won the first matchup by unanimous decision.
Nearly seven years later, the two welterweights are set to run it back. However, a lot of the talk in the buildup hasn’t been about the matchup itself. Instead, a lot of talk has revolved around Usman’s goals after the bout.
Specifically, the UFC welterweight champion has targeted a move up to 205-pounds. Beyond that, Usman has also spoken about his goal of fighting Canelo Alvarez. The 35-year-old has stated that he would beat the boxer in the ring if the chance came.
Now, Leon Edwards has given his take on a possible Kamaru Usman vs. Canelo Alvarez boxing match. It’s safe to say that he doesn’t believe the MMA fighter has a chance in the ring. In the octagon, it’s a different story, according to ‘Rocky’.
On the other end, the Brit doesn’t believe he can beat the Mexican superstar in the boxing ring. Edwards also believes that Usman is deluded for believing that he can beat Alvarez in boxing.
“I know I can’t beat Canelo in a boxing match, I’m not deluded,” Edwards said at UFC 278 media day. “This guy’s deluded. He cannot beat Canelo. I know it’s a payday for him but boxing-for-boxing, he cannot beat Canelo. MMA? Yeah, he will win. Same, MMA, I beat Canelo. For a pure boxing match in the square, he would probably win.” (h/t MMA Mania)
“He’s talking about everything apart from this fight,” Edwards said. “He’s talking about going up to 205 [pounds], fighting Canelo, doing everything apart from the fight. I am solely focused on becoming a world champion and if he thinks I’m gonna be like the first fight, he’s already lost the fight. I’ve erased that fight out of my mind a long time ago. And if he thinks it’s the same kid he’s gonna fight then we’ll see Saturday night.”
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