The Canelo vs Bivol rematch possible for September
The Mexican could face the undefeated Russian boxer in the second half of 2023 with the weight still to be decided, according to promoter Eddie Hearn.
Saúl Canelo Álvarez is willing to get into the ring with Dimitry Bivol to avenge his 12-round unanimous decision loss to the Russian boxer last May. 2023 seems to be the year of the rematch, but he will have to wait a little bit more.
Boxing promoter Eddie Hearn announced that he wants Bivol to drop down to 168 to face Canelo in September so that he could fight for the undisputed championship in that weight class.
After that, Hearn’s plans include Bivol’s return to the 175-lb division to attempt to repeat the feat against three-belt champion Artur Beterbiev.
“When you’re talking about chasing greatness, about legacy, Dmitry Bivol is a fighter who is all about that. He has a chance to rematch Canelo Álvarez for undisputed at 168lbs, and then move and fight Artur Beterbiev for undisputed at 175lbs”, Hearn said to the DAZN Boxing Show.
Canelo vs Bivol: two aspects to negotiate
However, there are two questions surrounding the potential rematch that need to be resolved first.
One of them is if the Guadalajara native will want to defend his four titles against Bivol in the super middleweight division after the Russian’s dominant victory in their first bout.
The other aspect to be discussed is the weight class. Hearn wants the fight to happen at 168, but Canelo wants to fight Bivol at 175 again as if he beats him he would win the WBA light heavyweight belt, and in case he loses again, he could blame it on the weight class.
“I think Canelo would almost prefer that fight at 175, but I know that Dmitry Bivol is about belts, is about legacy. He’s made it clear to us that he can make 168 lbs”, Hearn added.
At the same, a fight at 168 would be dangerous for the Mexican: in case of a defeat, he would lose his four belts and become a regular contender in the super middleweight division.
“I feel that Canelo against Bivol at 168 would enable Dmitry Bivol to try and become undisputed at 168 lbs,” Hearn concluded.
Bivol came out on top in their first fight via a triple 115-113 card decision, a surprising score after Bivol’s clear dominance from the very first round.