By Huck Allen: Dmitry Bivol’s manager Vadim Kornilov says they may choose to face the winner of the June 18th unification fight between 175-lb champions Artur Beterbiev & Joe Smith Jr. if Canelo Alvarez decides against taking the rematch.
Canelo is the first option for WBA light heavyweight champion Bivol (20-0, 11 KOs), and he’d like nothing better than to have the chance to show that his victory wasn’t a fluke last Saturday.
After the fight, a fired-up Canelo said he wanted a rematch with Bivol, but it’s possible that he could change his mind after he talks with his management team & reviews the contest. Bivol acknowledges the possibility that Canelo could change his mind.
You can’t blame Canelo if he decides not to trigger the rematch clause to fight Bivol again. Canelo has excellent options for a September fight against Gennadiy Golovkin at 168 or defending against his WBA mandatory John Ryder.
If Canelo is feeling brave, he can face David Benavidez. That would be a fight that would be as risky for the former four-division world champion Canelo as a rematch with Bivol would.
IBF/WBC light heavyweight champion Artur Beterbiev (17-0, 17 KOs) fights WBO champion Joe Smith Jr. (28-3, 22 KOs) on June 18th on ESPN at Madison Square Garden in New York.
If Bivol can fight the winner of Beterbiev vs. Smith, he’d have the chance to become the undisputed champion at 175.
However, it’s a much different kettle of fish for Bivol to fight a dangerous puncher like the two-time Olympian Beterbiev, as he’s got more size, power, and a far better gas tank than Canelo.
It would be more problematic for Bivol to try and box his way to a decision against a pressure fighter like Beterbiev because he would stay on top of him for the complete 12 rounds, forcing a phonebooth type of war on the inside.
“There’s no deadline. Right now, it’s just vacation,” said Dmitry Bivol’s manager Vadim Kornilov to Fighthype when asked if Canelo Alvarez has a deadline for when he must trigger his rematch clause in the contract.
“Our goal is to get some rest, all of us. It’s been a stressful month for us. There are a lot of things to go through. He can make his plans and figure out what he [Canelo] wants to do.
“He needs some time as well, from what I understand,” Kornilov said about Canelo needing time. “There’s absolutely no rush. Obviously, Dmitry, as he said, he dreamed from the beginning when we started working; we were always talking about him becoming an undisputed champion at 175.
“Right now, there’s a big opportunity to make that happen. That’s not an easy fight to make either. If that can happen, that’s another option. We’ll see.
“I plan on coming to the fight as well,” Kornilov said about the June 18th unification clash between 175-lb champions Artur Beterbiev and Joe Smith Jr. That’ll be an exciting fight as well, Smith & Beterbiev,” said Kornilov.
