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via Imago

via Imago

Jorge Masvidal, who announced his retirement from combat sports last year, is all set to feature in the boxing bout against his former UFC opponent Nate Diaz. The game that was scheduled to be played on June 1 at the Kia Forum in Inglewood, CA is now said to be postponed to July 6 at the Honda Center in Anaheim, CA in the wake of UFC 302. Following an illustrious career in Dana White’s promotion, Masvidal would be hoping to replicate his success in the boxing ring as well. And it seems that he has already picked his second opponent.

A few years ago, there were reports about the Mexican sensation Canelo Álvarez being interested in squaring off inside the squared circle against the former UFC star. Masvidal learned about the proposal recently and the ‘Gamebred’ seemed interested in the opportunity.

Jorge Masvidal was surprised to learn that Canelo Álvarez wanted to fight him

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“I do remember now, yeah, yeah. That was, he fought the same day I fought for the BMF title. It would be an honor to fight Canelo, you know,” said Jorge Masvidal as he sat down with American journalist DJ Vlad for an interview. The fastest UFC knockout record holder also mentioned that he has a lot of respect for the boxers, claiming that they are some of the most impressive combat sports athletes ever. However, it all comes down to fighting, and that’s what Masvidal’s good at. “Obviously, boxing, these guys are f***ing amazing. They’re standouts in what they do, but at the end of the day, it’s still a fight, you know,” the 39-year-old added.

The report in question was from an interview back in December 2019, when Canelo Álvarez caught up with TMZ. The Mexican star mentioned that for business, he will have no problems fighting an MMA fighter, or Jorge Masvidal, for that instance. Masvidal appears to be confident about putting up a great fight against Álvarez and possibly knocking him. Citing how Francis Ngannou shocked Tyson Fury when they fought, ‘Gamebred’ aims to do something similar against Canelo Álvarez.

via Imago

“I always got a puncher’s chance and I’m always gonna put all the money on me. Also, just like we saw with Ngannou vs Tyson, you know… when they don’t have you quite figured out, we’re not easy to deal with,” Masvidal added. Nevertheless, this comes as a surprise because over three years ago, ‘Gamebred’ thought Canelo Álvarez did not like the idea of fighting him.

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‘Gamebred’ was convinced in 2020 that Álvarez did not want to fight him

When there was chatter online about the idea of a fight between Canelo Álvarez and Jorge Masvidal in 2020, a fan decided to give a thumbs up to ‘Gamebred’ regarding a boxing match against the Mexican sensation. They liked the idea of that matchup. However, Masvidal responded to that fan that there was no point because Álvarez was petrified at the thought of fighting the UFC’s first BMF champion.

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“He don’t want it,” asserted Jorge Masvidal in a short and straightforward manner. But now that he’s not in the UFC and already sinking his teeth in boxing, there could be a possibility that we do see them fight in the future. But for now, Canelo Álvarez is looking to continue fighting actual boxers because he’s still in the prime of his career.

We cannot say for sure if Canelo Álvarez seriously considered fighting Jorge Masvidal or if it was just a joke. Do you wish to see the two boxers take on each other in the ring? Let us know your thoughts in the comments below.