Canelo Alvarez Ruins Ilia Topuria’s Boxing Plans With Clear Message Before UFC 317

via Imago

As UFC 317 looms on the horizon, a surprising ripple shook the MMA community: Saúl ‘Canelo’ Álvarez, arguably one of boxing’s most dominant figures, responded bold callout from someone who admires him deeply—the former UFC Featherweight Champion, Ilia Topuria. But rather than accepting the call-to-arms, the Mexican superstar pivoted the conversation, swiftly putting Topuria’s supposed callout in its place.

Before getting to the meat and potatoes, let’s rewind. During a press appearance in February 2024, before the Spaniard’s clash with Alexander Volkanovski, Ilia Topuria, who is set to headline tonight’s UFC 317 against Charles Oliveira, had said, “I would love to fight Canelo. If we talk about boxing and who I would like to face, I aim towards the best and the best right now is Canelo.” He explained, “I would love to try myself with Canelo, it would be something great and everything can happen and everything is going to happen, it’s just a matter of time.” As someone who has molded his boxing completely on Canelo, this was the pinnacle of dream fights that El Matador could hope for.

Meanwhile, Canelo Alvarez is set to headline a monumental clash against Terence Crawford on September 13 at Allegiant Stadium in Las Vegas. This bout is being promoted by the UFC boss, Dana White. And the third press conference for the mega event saw all three arrive at Las Vegas. As is the case with all things, a person in the audience, during the presser’s Q&A session, decided to connect the dots and ask the undisputed super middleweight champion about what the Georgian-Spanish brawler had said sometime ago.

The Mexican superstar responded with trademark composure: “First of all, I’ve never seen him fight a full fight, like a complete fight. I have a lot of gratitude for fighters that take a little bit of my fighting. But, let’s see. As far as fighting him goes, first things first. Let’s worry about [Crawford] now.” In short, Canelo has no time for Ilia Topuria right now; Terence Crawford remains the only target right now. And since the Mexican is pushing past 34 at the moment with a plate full of genuine champions looking to dethrone him, it appears that that is something which will never happen. And let’s not even go into the weight difference between the two.
To his credit, the former UFC champ isn’t all talk. Ilia Topuria boasts an undefeated MMA record and made headlines after capturing the UFC Featherweight Championship by dethroning Alexander Volkanovski, widely considered one of the pound-for-pound greats. Known for his heavy hands and precise counters, he’s one of the few in MMA whose striking has sparked genuine conversations about crossing into the boxing world.

Regardless, at the moment, it is nothing more than a far-fetched dream. And speaking of crossovers, the man bridging both worlds, Dana White, didn’t hold back either, dropping a truth bomb that shook both industries.

For the first time in his career, UFC CEO Dana White is stepping into a new combat territory—not as a co-promoter, but as the lead promoter for a historic boxing showdown: Canelo Álvarez vs. Terence Crawford. But what’s stirred up even more buzz is White’s unfiltered honesty about the internal mechanics of each sport. In an interview with journalist Helen Yee, the Boston-born fight mogul didn’t mince words when comparing the promotional landscapes of MMA and boxing. “The difference is there’s a lot of cooks in the kitchen [in boxing] and not in the UFC. You know, the UFC is a dictatorship,” White candidly admitted.

That explosive metaphor wasn’t just for show. What White meant is that while the UFC maintains tight, centralized control over its operations—essentially making decisions swift and unilateral—boxing remains a fragmented battlefield. With multiple promoters, sanctioning bodies, and egos involved, organizing a mega-fight often turns into a long-winded negotiation marathon. “When you get into boxing, there’s a lot of different guys,” White added, hinting at the challenges he’s facing in navigating his current role.

Despite the chaos, the UFC president appears undeterred. In fact, he revealed ambitions that extend well beyond this single event. “I have big plans over the next five years. We really haven’t even announced what I’m doing yet in boxing,” he teased. White further shared that this particular fight is being promoted specifically for Turki Alalshikh and hinted that more would be revealed after the dust settles in Vegas. “To be able to be in the middle of it and promote it and put my stamp on it has been an honor,” he concluded.