By Sean Jones: Bob Arum favors Canelo Alvarez to defeat WBA light heavyweight champion Dmitry Bivol next Saturday night, May 7th, at the T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas.
Sean Jones sees this fight as one in which Canelo, 31, will find it challenging to win rounds against the bigger and more mobile Bivol. Canelo’s anemic work rate will put him in an impossible position to win rounds.
Of course, that’s not to say that Canelo won’t win rounds. In his fights with Gennady Golovkin, he won rounds in both of their fights despite landing one or two shots.
It’s just that it will make the judges and Canelo look bad if he wins a decision that the vast majority of the boxing world sees him losing on May 7th.
Suppose Canelo defeats Bivol (19-0, 11 KOs), it works in Arum’s favor because the wise Top Rank promoter wants to match the Mexican star against the winner of the light heavyweight unification fight on June 18th between IBF/WBC champion Artur Beterbiev vs. WBO champion Joe Smith.
Arum says he will invite Canelo to New York to watch the Beterbiev – Smith fight next June at Madison Square Garden.
Whoever emerges as the winner of the Beterbiev vs. Smith unification fight, Arum plans on matching against Canelo in the first quarter of 2023 in May.
Before Canelo can face the winner of the 175-lb unification fight between Beterbiev & Smith, he’s got to defeat Bivol on May 7th and Gennadiy Golovkin on September 17th, and whoever he faces in December.
The fighters that are in the running for the December fight against Canelo are these guys: John Ryder, Craig Richards, and Joshua Buatsi.
Canelo will probably take the softest of those three in Ryder, and he would deserve an easy fight if he successfully defeats Bivol and Golovkin without controversy.
“I think Canelo is really special, and Bivol is a really good fighter, but I would favor Canelo in that fight,” said Bob Arum to Little Giant Boxing when asked about his view of next week’s match between Canelo Alvarez and Dmitry Bivol on May 7th.
“Canelo is a warrior and has a great coach in Eddy Reynoso and has too much for Bivol,” Arum continued. “But that’s not a knock on Bivol because Bivol is a competent guy with some good wins on his record,” said Arum.
Many boxing fans would disagree with Arum’s opinion of Canelo having “too much for Bivol,” but it’s understandable why he would be saying that. Again, it’s good for Arum if Canelo beats Bivol because it increases the chances of facing the Beterbiev vs. Smith winner next year in May 2023.
If Bivol does a number on Canelo, Arum can forget about the Mexican star fighting Beterbiev or Smith.
“My first thought is that even though I’ve never promoted a Canelo fight, Canelo and [trainer] Eddy Reynoso, I consider good friends of mine,” said Arum. “They’re using my gym next week to shake out for the fight with Bivol.
“So, one thing is doing business, and the other thing is being friends. I will certainly invite both of them [Canelo and Reynoso] to New York to see Joe Smith and Artur Beterbiev [on June 18th at Madison Square Garden].
“It would be really, really big, but Canelo has to take care of business first with Bivol, and we have to see how the Joe Smith vs. Beterbiev fight plays out,” said Arum when asked if Canelo vs. Beterbiev would be a big fight.
“I know for a fact that Joe Smith and Beterbiev want to fight Canelo if they win their fight, whoever wins their fight. Why wouldn’t they? But again, that’s a while away.
“I think Canelo has an obligation to fight Golovkin after the Bivol fight, so we’re talking about May of next year,” said Arum about when Canelo could potentially fight the Beterbiev vs. Smith winner.
