Eddie Hearn says he’ll try to deliver the Dmitry Bivol rematch for Canelo Alvarez in September, but if it’s impossible, he’ll present other options to the Mexican star.
We’ll soon see how much Canelo wants the rematch with Bivol (21-0, 11 KOs). The fact that Canelo has twice passed up making the fight after losing to him last year in May suggests he’s not eager to face Bivol again. Canelo intentionally avoids Bivol, which is a clear sign of fear.
Hearn isn’t saying what other options he has for Canelo if he can’t deliver the Bivol rematch. Still, he’ll likely enlist recent Matchroom Boxing signee Edgar Berlanga as Saul’s opponent for September 16th.
That’s a gimme for Canelo, and best of all, it’ll make him a lot of money if they stage the fight in New York, where Berlanga has a huge fan base.
Canelo (59-2-2, 39 KOs) could make it difficult, if not impossible, to put the rematch together with WBA heavyweight champion Bivol (21-0, 11 KOs) with his insistence on the same terms as their last fight in May 2022.
Bivol won that fight, and some believe it wasn’t as close as the three judges’ 115-113 x 3 scores.
As the winner, Bivol wants to get different terms for the rematch, and one of them is to have the fight with Canelo take place at 168.
Bivol is about chasing greatness, not money, and he feels it’s essential for him to have a chance of becoming the undisputed champion at super middleweight.
If Bivol can capture Canelo’s four titles, he can then vacate and return to 175 to face Artur Beterbiev for the undisputed championship.
“We have the fight in September that we’re planning, and if we can’t deliver the Dmitry Bivol fight, we’ll present him with other options,” said Eddie Hearn to iFL TV about Canelo Alvarez’s next fight in September.
“If we can’t get him Dmitry Bivol or if he doesn’t like those other options, I’m sure he’ll talk to other people. So we have to deliver what he wants, as always,” Hearn continued about Canelo.
“It’s not a case of, ‘Canelo, just to let you know, you’re fighting this person.’ Him and Eddy Reynoso come to me and say, ‘This is what we want you to do,’ and that instruction was clear. John Ryder and Dmitry Bivol.
“We talked in the changing room last Saturday, and the instruction was exactly the same. ‘John Ryder and Dmitry Bivol.’ Ryder now has been ticked, and now we have to try and make the Dmitry Bivol fight. Talks are ongoing. Where? In Las Vegas,” said Hearn when asked where the Canelo vs. Bivol rematch will take place.
https://youtu.be/KceQrU2v7sI?t=35