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Dmitry Bivol could put himself in position for a lucrative rematch with Canelo Alvarez if he defeats undisputed light heavyweight champion Artur Beterbiev in their rematch on February 22 in Riyadh.
Beterbiev stands in the way
Matchroom boss Eddie Hearn says if Bivol (23-1, 12 KOs) defeats Beterbiev (21-0, 20 KOs) next month, Canelo can reach 175 to challenge him for the undisputed championship.
The way Beterbiev finished strong, chasing a scared and tired looking Bivol around the ring is likely to win the rematch on February 22. Canelo hasn’t said anything about wanting to fight Beterbiev if he emerges victorious in the second fight with Bivol. The only one who has any chance of fighting the popular Mexican star is Bivol for obvious reasons. He is a delicate fighter.
The original hope was for Bivol to defeat Beterbiev in their October 12 clash and then face Canelo for all the gold. Unfortunately for Dmitry and Hearn, Beterbiev won a 12-round majority decision to ruin things.
“I’m not sure what Canelo is going to do. What other fights are there for him? Crawford, I don’t see that happening. (David) Benavidez is now up to 175. I don’t think he’ll ever get back to 168, and he’s got a great fight against (David) Morrell,” Eddie Hearn told The playing field YouTube channel, talking about Canelo Álvarez’s options.
“If Bivol beats Beterbiev in the rematch, Canelo can rematch Bivol for the undisputed championship at 175. It’s a big carrot. “It’s a tough fight,” Hearn said.
It’s understandable why Hearn would be interested in a Canelo-Bivol rematch; It will bring him a lot of money and his fighter, Bivol, would be a big favorite to win. It’s not like a fight where Bivol would be at great risk of losing, like he would move up to cruiserweight to challenge IBF champion Jai Opetaia. It would be a nightmare for Bivol.
Canelo hasn’t mentioned wanting a rematch with Bivol lately, and it’s questionable whether he would do so unless the money is huge. He has options at 168 against Terence Crawford and several other fighters. Bivol was too big for Canelo in their fight three years ago, and a rematch would seem pointless.
The first Canelo-Bivol fight
Three years ago, on May 7, 2022, Bivol defeated Canelo by unanimous decision in 12 rounds at the T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas. The scores were 115-113 x 3, but the fight seemed much more one-sided than that. Canelo later said that he had fought through injuries and had not trained well. He initially wanted a rematch, but then changed his mind and never revisited the idea.
