Canelo Alvarez Given Zero Chance of Beating Dmitry Bivol at Light Heavyweight

Dmitry Bivol managed to shake off Mexican Gilberto ‘Zurdo’ Ramirez’s threat on November 5th at Etihad Arena. He retained the WBA title, but it wasn’t long before everyone started to talk about his next move.

A fight between Bivol and the four-weight class champion from Mexico, Canelo Alvarez, is a favorite. Even though it remains hare-brained, excitement is rife among fans to see two of the best boxers battle it out – fair and square.

Canelo Alvarez versus Dmitry Bivol I

It’s worth noting that the Russian and the Mexican pugilist have faced each other earlier. The fight, named Legacy is Earned, came around on May 7th this year at Nevada’s T Mobile Arena. The match lasted full 12 rounds with Dmitry Bivol declared the winner by the judges’ unanimous decision.

Once Alvarez took over the WBA, WBO, WBC, and IBF titles in the super middleweight category, he decided to scale up. But his attempts to challenge the Cruiserweight champion of the world, Ilunga Makabu, caved in. Accepting Matchroom Sports’ two-match deal, he eventually fought Dmitry Bivol in the Light Heavyweight division. This would be the Mexican’s second venture in this division. Earlier, he had defeated Russian Sergey Kovalev at MGM, Nevada, in 2019.

Read More: Dmitry Bivol vs. Giberto ‘Zurdo’ Ramirez Stats: Age, Height, Weight, Reach, Net Worth, Record, and More

Despite clear intentions of avenging the second loss of his career, pushing on, Alvarez settled to defend the middleweight title against the Russian challenger Gennady Golovkin on 17th September. The two boxers had met twice earlier, with the Russian facing defeat on both occasions.

The trilogy didn’t end on a happy note, though. Canelo injured his left hand and needed surgery. Unfortunately, he appears to have had problems with his left hand since he faced Caleb Plant. Taking a break from boxing, Canelo expects to return by September next year. Fans are whistling up for a clash with David Benavidez.

At the other end, the logical course of action left for Bivol is to take on the IBF, WBC, and WBO Light heavyweight title holder Arthur Beterbiev.

The Road Ahead…

That leaves the Canelo – Bivol rematch on tenterhooks. Fans and critics aren’t happy even with the likelihood of either Canelo moving up to the Light Heavyweight or Bivol going down to the Super Middleweight.

Philippines-born American boxer Nonito Donaire holds titles in four different weight divisions. Nicknamed ‘The Filipino Flash’, when asked for his opinion on Canelo’s chances against Dmitry Bivol, he responded, “There might be a big difference between being 168 but 175 I don’t think Canelo has a chance because Bivol is just too big in that division.”

The unanimous opinion seems to roll with punches. Let the fighters pursue their natural weight class, and the outcome would speak for itself. Matchroom Sport boss Eddie Hearn was ostensibly roasted when he favored the Canelo-Bivol rematch. Should both camps hold out an olive branch and move on?

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