Canelo Alvarez has blunt assessment of Jorge Masvidal callout: It's about 'money ... and nothing else'
The 2017 Floyd Mayweather-Conor McGregor boxing match was a farce.
It was a lucrative farce that drew 4.3 million pay-per-view buys and more than $600 million in revenue, the second-highest pay-per-view draw in fight history.
But it was a farce nonetheless. People who bought the fight were either duped into believing it was a legitimate matchup or knew that McGregor stood no chance in a boxing ring against Mayweather and tuned in for the spectacle regardless.
So why would an MMA fighter subject himself to a potential beating in a fight he can’t win? Well, the money of course.
Alvarez calls Masvidal challenge for what it is
It’s not a reality that’s often publicly acknowledged in the fight game. But with MMA fighter Jorge Masvidal of BMF-belt fame expressing interest in taking on Canelo Alvarez in the ring, the four-weight boxing champion had a blunt assessment of Masvidal’s callout.
It’s a money grab. And he’s not interested.
The Mexican boxing champion didn’t say those exact words. But that was the gist of his interview with Little Giant Boxing conducted in his native Spanish.
“I say this with all respect. If I go into his sport, I have nothing to do there,” Alvarez said, per an MMA Junkie translation. “And I think the same about boxing. If (MMA fighters) come into boxing, they have nothing to do here.
“But looking at it from a business standpoint, it is attractive, but it’s not a challenge for me, so it’s not my priority.”
Alvarez: ‘Because of money’
Notice Alvarez didn’t slam the door shut on the idea, noting that “it’s not my priority.” But he had a blunt assessment of the growing callouts from MMA fighters to get in the ring.
“Because of money – because of the business and nothing else,” Alvarez said. “That’s the reality, because what else? They would’ve started boxing from the beginning if they really liked boxing.”
Masvidal, a 35-year-old who spent years in the fight game before gaining national attention, has reached a point in his career where his name is a draw.
It makes sense that he’d want to cash in on a big payday while he can.
But for now, Alvarez doesn’t sound interested. And he’s not afraid to call out Masvidal’s challenge for what it is.
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