BOXING
Canelo Álvarez wants the Dmitry Bivol rematch at 175 lbs
The Mexican star says he will be looking to defeat Bivol in their rematch, planned for September, at the same weight he fought last year and not at 168 lbs.
Canelo is looking to make history again, but he’s not taking the easiest path. The Mexican great has admitted he wants his rematch with Dmitry Bivol to take place at 175 lbs.
That’s the weight Canelo got into the ring with when he lost to WBA light heavyweight champion Bivol (21-0, 11 KOs) by a 12-round unanimous decision last May at the T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas.
Canelo (58-2-2, 39 KOs) is set to face John Ryder on May 6th in Mexico at 168 lbs, so that means he will need to start bulking immediately after that bout to get to the rematch with more chances of defeating the Russian fighter.
The Mexican could force his undefeated opponent to go down to 168 lbs, but Álvarez wants to make history by becoming champion at light heavyweight once again.
The four-weight class champion is also aware that things could get even worse if the fight happened at 168 lbs and he ended up being defeated again by Bivol in a more favorable weight for the Mexican.
Ryder, Bivol and… Benavidez?
Saúl Álvarez talked about what his plans are for the near future and admitted he’s fully focused on defeating Ryder in May and Bivol in September.
Besides the Bivol challenge, boxing pundits and fans want to see Álvarez face one of the biggest boxing sensations, David Benavidez, who will be fighting Caleb Plant on March 25th.
However, before a potential Canelo-Benavidez fight, both men will need to win their scheduled fights. And if Álvarez tastes defeat to Bivol for a second time, a fight with the Mexican Monster next will be pretty unlikely to happen.
“Everyone knows the rematch with Bivol is my goal, but we’ll see. We need to pass this fight first (against Ryder) and then start talking about the fight with Bivol,” said Canelo to Fight Hub TV.
“It’s going to be at 175 because I feel I need to do it in those terms,” he added.
Canelo is expected to defeat Ryder in Mexico, but the rematch against Bivol will probably be the biggest challenge of his career, as he already lost the first fight and he will try to deal with pressure to avenge his loss at his rival’s natural weight class.