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Bivolo’s road to the Canelo rematch: Beterbiev’s obstacle and the golden carrot


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 February 22 rematch 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 move up to 175 to challenge him for the undisputed championship.

The way Beterbiev finished strong, chasing scared and tired looking Buffalo around the ring, there is a high probability that he will get a rematch on February 22nd. Canelo has said nothing about wanting to fight Beterbiev if he wins his second fight with Bivola. The only one who has any chance of fighting the popular Mexican star is Bivol for obvious reasons. He is a fighter for finesse.

The original hope was that Bivol would 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 spoil things.

“I’m not sure what Canelo will do. What other fights are there for him? Crawford, I don’t see that happening. [David] Benavidez is now down to 175. I don’t think he will ever go back to 168, and he has a great fight against [David] Morrell,” said Eddie Hearn Stomping Ground YouTube channel, talks about the capabilities of Canelo Alvarez.

“If Bivol beats Beterbiev in the rematch, Canelo can rematch Bivol for the undisputed championship at 175. That’s a big carrot. It’s a tough fight,” Hearn said.

It’s understandable why Hearn would be interested in a Canelo-Bivol rematch; will bring a lot of money, and his fighter, Bivol, would be a big favorite to win. It’s not like a match where Bivol would be at great risk of losing, like if he were to move up to cruiserweight to challenge IBF champion Jai Opetaia. That would be a nightmare for Bivol.

Canelo hasn’t mentioned lately that he wants a rematch with Bivolo, and it’s questionable if he will unless the money is huge. He has options at 168 against Terence Crawford and several other fighters. Buffalo 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 looked much more one-sided than that. Canelo later said he had been struggling with injuries and had not been training well. At first he wanted a rematch, but then changed his mind and never revised the idea.



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