By Jim Calfa: Promoter Eddie Hearn says unless Canelo Alvarez says otherwise, the rematch with WBA light heavyweight champion Dmitry Bivol will be taking place on September 17th.
That’s the date that was originally scheduled for Canelo (57-2-2, 39 KOs) to face Gennadiy Golovkin in their trilogy match, but the Mexican star’s loss to Bivol last Saturday night has altered those plans.
Hearn says Canelo still needs to “trigger” the rematch clause in his contract with Bivol (20-0, 11 KOs) for the second fight to be made a reality for September 17th, but he already told the media last Saturday that’s the fight he’ll be taking next.
Despite Canelo being a 4:1 favorite, Bivol rather easily defeated him by a 12-round unanimous decision in the main event at the T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas.
The scores were 115-113, 115-113, and 115-113. However, next to nobody agreed with the scores handed down by the Nevada judging crew, believing the fight deserving of a more one-sided score of 118-110 or 119-109.
Most fans agree that Canelo looked tired, sluggish & incapable of matching Bivol’s work rate.
Canelo vs. Bivol rematch on September 17th
“It’s up to Saul to trigger the rematch if he wants to do it,” said Eddie Hearn to iFL TV. “I said before the fight that Saul is handicapping himself to be in tough fights. It’s quite weird. He has no right to be at 175, but he’s doing it to have tough challenges.
“The question is now, do you want to rematch with Dmitry Bivol or move and defend your 168 titles?” said Hearn about Canelo. “I think he’s going to want to rematch him because I know how he’s personally like, and it’s a huge fight.
“We’ll see what happens, and if he wants to activate that rematch clause, we’ll make that happen for September 17th.
“I think that’s too disrespectful of Dmitry Bivol,” Hearn said when asked if he was ‘underwhelmed by Canelo’s performance.’ “At times, Canelo looked a bit tired and flat. Was that because he’s up at 175 or for another reason. But let’s not take away from what Dmitry Bivol did.
“He was punch-perfect, perfect feet; the engine was incredible. So rather than talk about whether Saul boxed well or not, you have to give all the credit to Dmitry. He was unbelievable,” said Hearn.
Bivol open to rematch
“First of all, my dream is to be the undisputed champion. I had this opportunity to fight the best guy,” said Dmitry Bivol when asked about his thoughts on Canelo Alvarez wanting a rematch with him.
“I took this fight on terms of getting the opportunity, that’s all I care about, and I appreciate the opportunity that was given to me,” continued Bivol.
“Now, my goal is to receive what I deserve. If the rematch is going to happen, then I want to get what I deserve because I don’t think that in my fight as a champion, that I got what I deserved,” said Bivol.
