Unified super middleweight champion Canelo Alvarez has revealed that he is open to a rematch against former WBA light heavyweight champion Dmitry Bivol.
The pair initially clashed back in May 2022, which ended in a major upset with Bivol emerging victorious with a unanimous decision win. A rematch was previously discussed, but nothing came out of it.
Today, Canelo is reportedly close to finalizing a fight deal with former undisputed welterweight champion Terence Crawford. Meanwhile, Bivol is slated to go toe-to-toe in a rematch against undisputed light heavyweight champion Artur Beterbiev on February 22nd. Amid all this, ‘Cinnamon’ appeared in the Ring Magazine podcast recently, sharing his thoughts on the long overdue rematch with Dmitry Bivol.
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“Yeah, why not?” he said when asked about the fight in the future. “I always have it in my mind. Always have that idea in my mind.” The Mexican superstar went as far as to reveal that he hopes Bivol wins his upcoming fight against Beterbiev, adding, “Maybe they have the three fights,” which according to him, makes their potential rematch “a difficult situation.”
However, he is hopeful that they will dance in the ring one more time, “We’ll see in the future. But I have it in my mind. Always have that little thing.” Despite Canelo’s willingness, things are indeed much more complicated than they seem. You see, Bivol is unlikely to come down to super middleweight anytime soon, a win against Beterbiev can’t change that.
It’s also unlikely that Canelo would climb back to 175 lbs following his last loss to Bivol in the division. But, more importantly, because of his potential fight against Crawford, Canelo is likely to remain at 168 lbs, at least for the time being. What’s even worse is that Dmitry Bivol had previously claimed he couldn’t come down to 168 because of his agreement with the Saudis.
Dmitry Bivol has cast doubt on the possibility of a rematch with Canelo Alvarez in the near future. “I don’t have him [Canelo] on my agenda… my mind is elsewhere right now. I have another route. Maybe in the future, we can face each other again, but not in the short term,” Bivol told Fight Hub last year in September.
Bivol revealed past efforts to arrange a rematch, even offering to fight at 168 pounds, but negotiations fell through. “We had the possibility of doing it for a couple of years, but his team and my team couldn’t come to an agreement,” he explained. Now, Bivol is prioritizing his commitments with Saudi Arabia and Matchroom Boxing.
I can still give 168 pounds, but… I see my future with the Saudis, and with the options I have in my contract with them, and it is not in the plans to go down to 168 pounds,” he concluded.
That said, it appears the weight class difference between Canelo Alvarez and Dmitry Bivol has become an obstacle in making their rematch.
