BOXING
Bivol will fight Canelo if he has no other options
The undefeated boxer admitted that he could get into the ring with the Mexican star again if he can’t fight for another title at 175 lbs.
The Canelo-Bivol soap opera continues. The Russian said he will be open to a fight with Saúl Álvarez next if he can’t fight for all the belts at light heavyweight.
Bivol’s priority is to face Artur Beterbiev next for the undisputed championship in that division, as his fellow countryman holds the WBO, IFB, and WBC belts, while Dmitry is the WBA champion.
The Russian fighter has repeatedly stated in the past he would be more than happy to go down in weight and fight Canelo at super middleweight (168 lbs), where the Guadalajara native holds all the belts, but Álvarez wants the rematch to happen at 175 lbs.
“Yes, if we don’t have any chances to fight for another belt, of course, I will fight him, but I’m not so hungry for this fight at 175,” said Bivol to iFL TV.
“I already beat him, and I like my positions now. We could make this fight before, but he made two fights [Gennadiy Golovkin and John Ryder], and I don’t think much about the Canelo fights”, he added.
However, although Canelo has been quite vocal about the idea of fighting Bivol at light heavyweight, the same category where he was outboxed by the Russian one last year, he might take a different path.
There’s a chance that Eddy Reynoso’s boxer will fight promoter Eddie Hearn’s new signee Edgar Berlanga in September if he wins his debut with Matchroom Boxing on June 24th against Jason Quigley.
Canelo, in a difficult position
Bivol’s team believes that Álvarez’s interest in fighting him is just a smoke screen to avoid him, especially after his latest performances, where he hasn’t looked as sharp as he used to.
Now, Canelo is at a tough crossroads, as he will likely be very criticized if he doesn’t fight Bivol -which is the fight everyone wants to see-, and prefers to face Berlanga instead.
After his performance against John Ryder in May, many saw a decline in Álvarez against an opponent that was expected to be knocked out before the final bell, especially in front of the Mexican crowd at Estadio Akron.
If the fight against the Russian champion doesn’t take place, the boxing community will want to see him fight David Benavidez. The Mexican Monster could give Canelo quite a few problems due to his relentless pressure, size advantage, and combinations.