Promoter Eddie HearnMatchroom Boxing) confirmed that the undisputed super middleweight champion Mexican Saul Canelo Alvarez (58-2-2, 39 KOs) will try on the second attempt to take away the WBA Super light heavyweight belt from Russian Dmitry Bivol (20-0, 11 KOs) playing for Kyrgyzstan.
In May, Canelo lost by a decision of the judges, and the second fight will tentatively take place exactly one year after the first. But it’s still not worth rushing, because first the Mexican must heal all the sores.
Tells Hearn: Rematch? Yes, it will take place in May. But only if Saul is physically ready, and if Bivol beats the mandatory challenger Gilberto Ramirez. Canelo has reached a level where more and more questions will be asked: “What next?” Indeed, what else can decorate such a great career? How else to improve his legacy? As for me, he needs to fight all over the world now. And I’m not just talking about Mexico. I’m talking about fighting in London, the Middle East, Japan. Everywhere. That’s what all the great stars have done.”
Canelo wants to fight on Azteca stadium in Mexico. Hearn’s opinion: “It would be a special event. But you need to understand that it also has its drawbacks. And they lie in the fact that in such a fight he will earn about half as much as he would have earned in Las Vegas. But Alvarez is a proud guy and very emotional. I know that he is ready to do this for the sake of his compatriots. He is, without a doubt, the greatest sports star with the coolest resume in the world. And I do not hide the fact that I still consider him the leader of the P4P rating. You should not be demoted in the “pound” if you fought and lost in a different weight class. And even then, do not forget that he fought with an injury.
Hearn believes Alvarez can beat Bivol in a rematch, because “it was clearly not the best performance from Canelo. Yes, and, I’m sure, there was a factor of underestimating the opponent. But you should not belittle the merits of Bivol. I’m just saying if Canelo is 100% fit and healthy, then we’re going to see a very different fight.”
Meanwhile, Bivol does not hide that he prefers the fight with Beterbiev. And his manager is completely afraid of a rematch with Canelo. Last week it became known that Bivol and Ramirez will be supported by the 2020 Olympic winner, ex-champion and son of a legend.
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