Canelo Alvarez has concerns about the risk he’s facing in taking on WBA light heavyweight champion Dmitry Bivol on May 7th. The Mexican star realizes that he’s facing a fighter that can give him a lot of problems with his in & out fighting style, size, power, and overall boxing skills.
Although Canelo and his trainer/manager Eddy Reynoso have obviously vetted Bivol and deemed him a winnable fight, there’s an excellent chance that he’ll lose to the Russian if he’s in the kind of form that he showed against Sullivan Barrera and Joe Smith Jr. in 2018 & 2019.
Bivol was in the zenith of his career back then, and he hasn’t looked as good in the last three years.
“Dmitry Bivol is a very difficult fighter because he’s in and out,” said Canelo Alvarez in a Zoom call. “But I believe I have the experience and the skills to go inside, do my fight and win the fight.
Canelo is moving up in weight next month to face Bivol, 31, for his WBA title in the main event on DAZN PPV at the T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas, Nevada.
Bivol (19-0, 11 KOs) has been training like a demon since the fight with Canelo was signed, and he intends on winning the fight to potentially get a lucrative rematch.
“It’s not different. [Sergey] Kovalev is really strong, and a good fighter at that time,” Canelo continued when asked how the 31-year-old Bivol is a different fighter than Sergey Kovalev when he fought the then 36-year-old in 2019.
Canelo is a little off in lumping Bivol in the same category as Kovalev because he’s still close to his prime. Kovalev was well past his best years when Canelo moved up to 175 and challenged him for his WBO light heavyweight title in 2019.
The fighters at the time in the division back then were Artur Beterbiev and Bivol, but Canelo wisely picked the 36-year-old Kovalev. Bivol is fighting at a higher level now than Kovalev was, and he’s a heck of a lot younger at 31.
“Right now, I have Bivol,” said Canelo. “He’s stronger than Kovalev, yes. He’s a solid champion at 175, a really good fighter. So, it’s a challenge for me, and this kind of challenge motivates me. I’m trying to extend my legacy.
“He was really good, and it was hard to go inside,” said Canelo about his fight with Kovalev three years ago. “He worked really good his left hand. It was hard for me to go inside and throw my combinations.
“We always say in my corner, ‘Be patient. Slow down and do your work.’
“I love boxing, and this kind of fight motivates myself to give working,” said Canelo. “This is part of my life. It’s not, ‘I’m going to go to the gym because I have a fight.’ No, this is part of my life. I train every day no matter what,” said Canelo.
