Bivol Feels Canelo’s Team Will “Try To Avoid” Rematch
WBA light heavyweight champ Dmitry Bivol is set to take a fight in June, and then, ideally, he and his team say, the big, the-world-wants-to-see-it unification clash with countryman and rival champion Artur Beterbiev will happen. Speaking with Ring TV.com, Bivol and his manager, Vadim Kornilov, said the big return fight with Canelo Alvarez is also a possibility.
However, Bivol and his team believe Canelo’s team will “try to avoid” the return fight. Bivol has made it clear: his main goal is to unify the 175 pound belts.
“I have been telling my team, I want to face Beterbiev next,” Bivol said via Kornilov. “My goal is unification fights this year.”
It’s highly unlikely Bivol and Beterbiev will fight next, what with WBC/WBO/IBF light heavyweight champ Beterbiev heading to a WBC mandatory defence against Callum Smith. Kornilov, though, says a fight between Bivol and Beterbiev is “the biggest matchup out there right now.”
“We are focused on getting Dmitry back in the ring in June and there are a couple of opponent options,” Kornilov said. “After that, we will hope that everything aligns for the Beterbiev fight. That is the biggest matchup out there right now, two undefeated boxers, both on the pound-for-pound list.”
Agreed. Who doesn’t want to see Bivol, 21-0(11) and Beterbiev, 19-0(19) go at it! But what about that rematch between Bivol and Canelo?
“I do believe that Eddie [Hearn], the fans and DAZN want the rematch,” Kornilov said. “There is no doubt this fight is attractive, as this is a fight Canelo clearly lost by majority of the rounds. I am sure Canelo personally wants revenge as well. At the same time, I don’t think Canelo’s team wants this fight and everything will be done to try to avoid this rematch and I don’t blame them.”
It will be interesting to see who Canelo calls for after his upcoming fight with John Ryder (assuming of course Canelo wins). If it’s Bivol, and Canelo demands the fight, it will perhaps be tough for Bivol to turn down the huge payday that would go with the rematch. But it is that Beterbiev unification fight Bivol really wants.
As for we fans, we’re greedy and we want both fights! But first Bivol, inactive since his November shutout win over Gilberto Ramirez, has to get that June fight out of the way. But does anyone aside from the likes of Beterbiev and Canelo want to fight Bivol? Reportedly, Jaime Munguia and Joshua Buatsi were both unable, or unwilling, to come to a deal to fight Bivol.
This is what can happen when a fighter is as good as Bivol is. If anyone is capable of defeating Bivol, it might be Beterbiev. This is another reason we want to see that unification fight; to see Bivol show his very best stuff. It’s crazy to think how Bivol may not have done so thus far in his career.