Via Dan Ambrose: Eddie Hearn said he is in talks with Canelo Alvarez to rematch Dmitry Bivol in 2023, as long as the undefeated WBA lightweight champion successfully defends against Gilberto ‘Zurdo’ Ramirez on November 5 in Abu Dhabi.
For the fans who don’t understand why Canelo (58-2-2, 39 KOs) wants a rematch with Bivol (21-0, 10 KOs), because if he doesn’t face him, he will there is huge pressure to defend against his mandatory WBC David Benavidez at 168.
Given the way Benavidez (26-0, 23 KOs) fought, there was a great possibility for him to stop Canelo in the second half after he broke out. A rematch with Bivol is much better for Canelo than it is against Benavidez, and it gives him an excuse to keep trading the 25-year-old.
The worst that could happen for Canelo in his rematch against Bivol is that he lost a unanimous decision in the 12th round and was made to look silly by the 175-lb WBA champion. If Canelo is lucky, he gets the kind of points for his previous fight with Bivol, where all three judges gave the contest a strange score of 115-113 x 3.
The fight looks more one-sided than that, and you’d be really nervous to say that Canelo won two rounds because he was knocked over his head by Bivol the entire fight. The punches Canelo throws have been delivered on Bivol’s arms and gloves, and it’s only a rare hit that gets through.
“That’s right,” said Eddie Hearn Social boxing when asked if Canelo Alvarez would re-sign with Matchroom. “We talked about the fight with Dmitry Bivol. See if he wins in Abu Dhabi [against Gilberto ‘Zurdo’ Ramirez]but we have a great relationship,” Hearn said.
It’s unclear why whether Bivol beat Ramirez or not matters when it comes to the Canelo rematch. Does Canelo want to avenge his loss to Bivol? It seems to me that Canelo is looking for a way out of the fight with Bivol. If Canelo does that, like I said, he will have a lot of pressure on him to play against Benavidez.
Canelo is likely going to have an easy next battle against John Ryder in the UK rather than recklessly fighting Bivol.
“We made five matches against Canelo Alvarez. So hopefully, we’ll carry on for the rest of his career,“Hearn said.
