It seems Canelo Alvarez has made up his mind (and despite what some people, critics, think, no-one does the decision making for Canelo, he does it himself) – he will fight Gennady Golovkin in their third and fight final, in September, and then the Mexican superstar will go for revenge over Dmitry Bivol next year. It sounds like a plan, but can Canelo win both fights?
How will dropping back down to 168, having bulked up to 175 for the unsuccessful challenge of Bivo, affect Canelo (who will turn 32 in July)? Has a long career and over 60 pro fight caught up with Canelo? Will GGG have a fair chance of getting a fair shake on the cards if (as is likely) the third fight takes place in Las Vegas? These are just some of the questions being asked.
Canelo may well look like a beast again against GGG, who is also ring-worn himself. Maybe the 175 pound division is simply a step too far for Canelo. And maybe the Bivol-Canelo return fight will take place at 168. There are two big challenges ahead of Canelo now, that’s for sure. All of a sudden, a win over Bivol looks like a mighty task, while the GGG three-match is now no forgone conclusion.
“In the next few days we will announce the September fight,” Canelo said. “Surely, it will be against GGG because we already had that agreement, but I will also fight Bivol again.”
So, on paper at least, we have two massive fights to look forward to. Can Canelo win them both? Can Canelo win one of the two fights? Is Canelo still the best fighter around today?
In the meantime, who might Bivol fight next as he awaits his return fight with Canelo? Bivol has good options, and the big one we would like to see is Bivol against the winner of the Artur Beterbiev-Joe Smith Jr fight. That, however, could be too big a risk for Bivol before that return with Canelo.
Interesting times for both fighters.