UFC Champ Ilia Topuria Boldly Promises Showdown with Legendary Boxer

One of the most vital aspects of an athlete is their mindset, and few are as unshakable as UFC featherweight champion Ilia Topuria's.

'El Matador's' unwavering self-belief led him to predict his victory over Alexander Volkanovski in February. Now, he's making an even bolder promise: a vow to have his dream fight against Saul 'Canelo' Alvarez.

"I know that [the Canelo fight] is gonna happen," Topuria told Sportskeeda's Andrew Whitelaw on May 21. "I don't think," he elaborated. "I know."

Topuria doesn't have a professional boxing record, but it's not unheard of for an MMA fighter to debut against a boxing champion—consider Francis Ngannou vs. Tyson Fury. However, Alvarez isn't Fury, and he's already turned down a challenge from a previous UFC champion.

Former UFC welterweight champion Kamaru Usman was among the first to attempt to secure a fight with Alvarez. 'The Nigerian Nightmare' made his pitch at the peak of his career but was swiftly dismissed when Alvarez responded with the infamous "Who the f*** is this guy?" routine aimed at him and his manager, Ali Abdelaziz.

who the fuck is this? 🤣🤣🥴 https://t.co/ThN5aMcUoW
— Canelo Alvarez (@Canelo) April 26, 2022

Usman was good with the reply, goading Alvarez to "relax... before somebody gets hurt," which was still a fruitless attempt in the end:

I agree cuz it will not be me 👊🏻 https://t.co/m3UMAQfdls
— Canelo Alvarez (@Canelo) April 27, 2022

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