By Dan Ambrose: Canelo Alvarez says he wants a rematch with WBA light heavyweight champion Dmitry Bivol after losing a 12-round unanimous decision last Saturday night in front of a large crowd a the T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas.
Moments after losing by a 115-113 x 3 score to Bivol, Canelo (57-2-2, 39 KOs) denied losing the fight and then said he wanted a rematch.
Most boxing fans had Bivol winning the fight by a 118-110 score, as Canelo wasn’t throwing enough shots and was getting outboxed by the Russian fighter throughout the contest.
Even in the rounds that Canelo appeared to edge, Bivol calmly outworked & outboxed him.
Given how disappointed & possibly embarrassed Canelo was after being 100% dominated by the better technically sound Bivol (20-0, 11 KOs), it’s understandable why the Mexican star would want a rematch.
“This doesn’t end in this way. I’m a very competitive person,” said Canelo after his fight with Bivol last Saturday night. “I’ve got many years ahead of me, and I’m gonna come back stronger. We want the rematch, and we want to do much better in the rematch.”
Once Canelo and his trainer/manager Eddy Reynoso watch the fight at home, they may change their minds about taking the rematch with Bivol.
You hate to say it, but it’s painfully obvious that nothing will change if they battle again. Bivol is too big, talented, and superior in terms of his cardio.
One of Canelo’s most significant problems in his loss was his stamina. He looked tired after the first three rounds and was red in the face, incapable of throwing more than one punch at a time.
If Canelo goes back down to 168, he would need to fight David Benavidez.
After last night’s performance by Canelo, it’s a tough ask for him to try and beat the undefeated Benavidez (25-0, 22 KOs), who can throw nonstop power shots.
Each time Bivol would unload with combinations, Canelo would shell up without countering and ride out the storm. If Canelo fights Benavidez, it would be a nonstop bombardment and likely an even worse outcome for the Mexican superstar.
It might be better for Canelo to stay at 175, to fight the winner of the June 18th fight between IBF/WBC light heavyweight champion Artur Beterbiev and WBO champion Joe Smith Jr. At least if Canelo loses to one of them, he would look heroic, which is something he’s focused on.
“I told everyone how dangerous this fight was, but I didn’t expect that Dmitry Bivol would win, but I knew he was an outstanding elite fighter,” said Eddie Hearn to iFL TV, reacting to Canelo Alvarez’s loss to WBA 175-lb champion Dmitry Bivol.
“Tonight, he got it perfectly right, boxed the absolute perfect fight, and fully deserved the victory,” Hearn continued about Bivol. “I know some people felt that it was a close fight, but I just thought he was a better fighter on the night.
“Beautiful defense [by Bivol]. I know his arm will be sore tomorrow, but he blocked many on the gloves. He boxed beautifully, used his footwork, and his engine was incredible. It hardly looked like he broke a sweat.
“Early on in the fight, you felt that the power of Saul would catch up to Bivol, but his defense was outstanding, and he just boxed a perfect fight to beat Canelo.
“I didn’t have it as wide as some people, but I felt that the judges’ scorecards [115-113 x 3] were correct. It was two or three rounds [that Bivol won the fight by]. There were a lot of close rounds early on.
“Canelo was taking a lot of shots on the gloves as well, but as the fight progressed, he was taking more clean. Maybe he didn’t box with enough urgency at times.
