Masvidal 'dead serious' about wanting to box Canelo

UFC star Jorge Masvidal believes he could defeat WBO light heavyweight champion Canelo Alvarez in a boxing match, and is "dead serious" about setting up a bout.

"Is Canelo a better boxer than me? Has he thrown 10,000 jabs more than me, cause that's what he does morning and night cause he's just boxing? Yeah. He's a better boxer," Masvidal told ESPN's Ariel Helwani. "But can I bring some elements that boxers ain't used to that are in the legal realm of boxing and throw Canelo completely off his game? F--- yes."

Masvidal, whose stock has been at an all-time high since knocking out Ben Askren with a flying knee in five seconds in July, prevailed in his latest trip to the Octagon with a win over Nate Diaz at UFC 244 on Saturday.

"I'm a natural bigger dude," added Masvidal, who competes in the UFC's welterweight division. " ... With boxing gloves on I'm not afraid of breaking my hand because I have that cast (of tape) on, it will be a little bit extra harder. I feel I can be a legitimate ... threat in there. Plus I'm a little longer than him, too."

Masvidal would be the second UFC superstar to step into the ring for a crossover superfight, following Conor McGregor's unsuccessful bout with Floyd Mayweather in 2017. Alvarez's only career loss came against Mayweather, who retired from the sport undefeated.

"In the wake of Conor and Mayweather, it showed me a lot of things that I thought were good and bad," Masvidal said. "I saw they can't read us as well as they can read a boxer. Our movements are different. How we cover distance is different. Those things give them problems.

"I think I can throw enough punches that I can attack Canelo and put him on his ass. I'd be going for the knockout, obviously. Nothing else. This is not to disrespect Canelo, because I think the dude is a beast. I think he's a stud. It would be an honor to get in the ring with him. But he did say some shit like no MMA fighter would be a challenge and this and that. I beg to differ."

On the same night Masvidal battered Diaz en route to a doctor's stoppage, Alvarez knocked out Sergey Kovalev to become a quadruple champion.

Masvidal has said numerous times in recent months that he's more interested in taking on fights that offer massive paydays as opposed to championship belts.