By Sean Jones: Eddie Hearn says Canelo Alvarez will keep a close eye on the Dmitry Bivol vs. Gilberto ‘Zurdo’ Ramirez fight this weekend.
Hearn states that Canelo (58-2-2, 39 KOs) still wants a rematch with Bivol (20-0, 11 KOs), even though he’ll be supporting Ramirez (44-0, 30 KOs) due to him being from his home country of Mexico.
Obviously, Canelo is annoyed about what Bivol did to him last May when he took him to school, thrashing him in front of his own fans at one of his favorite venues at the T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas.
Hearn says Canelo told him that he’d be able to punch in two months, and he believes he’ll be ready to return to the ring in May.
Canelo had his cast removed earlier this week from his surgically repaired left hand, which he had operated on recently. If Canelo is able to fight in May, there’s a chance that he could face Bivol in a revenge match.
According to Hearn, Bivol is “definitely interested” in fighting Canelo next, but he also wants to battle for the undisputed championship against IBF/WBC/WBO light heavyweight champion Artur Beterbiev.
Hearn says the problem with that fight is that Beterbiev will defend against his WBO mandatory Anthony Yarde in February. Also, Beterbiev is dealing with injuries, so it’s unclear when he’ll be free to fight Bivol.
That’s good for Canelo and the fans because we could see the Bivol rematch with the Mexican star next May. Of course, Bivol still needs to win on Saturday night against Ramirez for him to have a shot at fighting Beterbiev or Canelo.
“When he says he’s not interested, I think he’s definitely interested, but I think he’s got his eye on undisputed at the same time,” said Eddie Hearn to Fight Hub TV, reacting to Dmitry Bivol saying he’s not interested in fighting Canelo Alvarez next.
“Dmitry Bivol, he’s all about legacy, really, and for him, legacy comes from the belts and becoming undisputed. Canelo Alvarez had his [left hand] operation. Him and Eddy Reynoso will be keeping an eye on this fight over the weekend.
“From a Mexican point of view, I’m sure they want Zurdo to win, but from their point of view, I think they want to avenge their defeat to Dmitry Bivol. We’ll see what happens this weekend, but it’s a very important fight.
“I spoke to Saul the other day, and he said he can punch in two months. There’s no reason why he wouldn’t be fighting in May, in my opinion, but it depends on who that’ll be against.
“The Bivol fight will be a very difficult fight for Canelo Alvarez, but he definitely wants to try and avenge that defeat,” said Hearn.
Well, Canelo has got to make it through training camp without having a setback with his surgically repaired left hand. Anything is possible. If Canelo can make it through training camp, a rematch with Bivol is a real possibility, as long as Beterbiev isn’t available because that’s the fight that Dmitry wants.
“The problem is, he’s agreed to fight [Anthony] Yarde in February, and he’s also been injured,” Hearn said about IBF, WBC & WBO light heavyweight champion Artur Beterbiev.
“I don’t think that fight will come around until mid to late summer, but that’s a great fight. I believe Bivol is the best 175-pounder in the world, but Beterbiev is a tremendous fighter. So that’s a great fight.
“We’d love to work with Dmitry as well, but he’s got to get past Zurdo. That’s a very, very tough fight. Actually, before the Canelo Alvarez fight, it was perceived to be a 50-50, but after his victory over Canelo, I think Bivol starts as the favorite,” said Hearn.
