When Canelo Alvarez moved up to light heavyweight to face WBA champion Dmitry Bivol in 2022, some experts felt the Mexican star was biting off more than he could chew. As it turned out, they were right as Bivol boxed brilliantly to secure a 12-round unanimous decision triumph in Las Vegas.
Canelo (61-2-2, 39 KOs) had already won a light heavyweight title in 2019 when he blasted his way through then-WBO titleholder Sergey Kovalev in 11 rounds. However, unlike Kovalev, Bivol didn't have to adhere to a rehydration clause and was still in his fighting prime.
This was only the second time that Canelo had ever lost a fight, but it was a bitter pill to swallow. His defeat to pound-for-pound great Floyd Mayweather in 2013 was passed off by many as too much too soon. With Bivol, Canelo was expected to win and move up to cruiserweight. In the aftermath of the loss, the brakes were put on those plans in a hurry.
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As the reigning super middleweight champion, Canelo returned to 168 pounds. Since then, he's posted four convincing points wins over Gennadiy Golovkin, John Ryder, Jermell Charlo and Jaime Munguia. On September 14 at the T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas, he's heavily favored to swat aside Puerto Rican puncher Edgar Berlanga .
What's next? Well, one mark of a great champion is to avenge career defeats. Mayweather is 47 years old and cashing in against novices in meaningless exhibition bouts, so that sequel is dead. However, Bivol vs. Canelo 2 is very much alive and would resonate with fight fans the world over.
The Sporting News assesses the chances of this rematch becoming a reality.
Will Canelo Alvarez fight Dmitry Bivol again?
During his promotional tour for the Berlanga fight, Canelo was asked about a rematch with Bivol.
"Yeah, it's possible one day," said the Mexican star in an interview with the Pound-for-Pound podcast . "It's the only fight I make one more time at 175, the rematch with Bivol. It's the only fight that will happen."
Not so fast. Disenchanted with the return fight not happening in a timely fashion, Bivol appears to have lost patience with Team Canelo.
"I don't have him on my agenda, my mind is elsewhere right now," stated the WBA champion in an interview with Fight Hub via marca.com . "I have another route. Maybe in the future, we can face each other again, but not in the short term."
One can't blame Bivol for not looking too far ahead. He is presently in hard training for an undisputed title fight against IBF, WBC and WBO counterpart Artur Beterbiev, which takes place on October 12 in Riyadh.
The other obstacle preventing a rematch is promotional and network allegiance. Canelo is currently under contract with PBC and has yet to debut in Saudi Arabia. Bivol is promoted by Matchroom Boxing and will be having his third straight fight in Riyadh.
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Can Canelo beat Dmitry Bivol?
Canelo has the best resume of any active world champion in boxing today. His victims include Austin Trout, Erislandy Lara, Miguel Cotto, Golovkin (twice), Daniel Jacobs, Kovalev, Callum Smith, Billy Joe Saunders and Caleb Plant.
The 34-year-old punched his ticket to the Hall of Fame long ago and he remains a pound-for-pound entrant. However, sometimes a fighter has your number and that's exactly how it looked when Canelo and Bivol mixed things up two years ago.
Besides being the naturally bigger man, Bivol is a stylistic nightmare for the four-weight world champ. The Russian's jab worked wonders in fight one, he mixed up the attacks, he was busy and his movement was outstanding. Canelo could rarely close the gap and when he did manage it, Bivol unloaded with strong two-fisted attacks.
Far from intimidated by Canelo's reputation, Bivol was and likely remains a bridge too far for boxing's biggest attraction.
Where to watch Canelo Alvarez vs. Edgar Berlanga
Canelo vs. Berlanga is available on DAZN PPV and Prime Video in the U.S. The PPV price will be $89.99.
WATCH: Canelo Alvarez vs. Edgar Berlanga, live on DAZN
A DAZN monthly subscription is $19.99 on a 12-month contract or $24.99 month-to-month. You can get DAZN in Canada for $24.99 per month. An annual subscription costs $224.99 in the U.S. and $199.99 in Canada.
Prime Video is available for existing Prime customers and those new to the platform. Subscribers can choose from multiple membership plans with discounts available for students. Prime also offers a free 30-day trial.
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