Dmitry Bivol focusing on Beterbiev, not Canelo rematch in 2023

By Boxing News - 12/27/2022 - Comments

By Sean Jones: WBA light heavyweight champion Dmitry Bivol let Canelo Alvarez know on Monday that he’s not a priority for him because he wants to fight for the undisputed championship at 175 against IBF/WBC/WBO champ Artur Beterbiev.

If you’re Canelo, he’s probably not too upset hearing the news of Bivol saying he’s not interested in fighting him. Canelo doesn’t have to worry about getting beaten again.

The unbeaten knockout artist Beterbiev (18-0, 18 KOs) is tied up with a low-level fight against Anthony Yarde on January 28th. Once Beterbiev beats Yarde, he’s got Ramadan that will keep him out of action until perhaps mid to late 2023.

Fighting Canelo again would put Bivol in a position where he could lose a controversial decision because you’ve got to imagine that the Mexican star will stage the fight in one of his favorite venues.

Bivol might need a knockout to win, which is why it’s in his best interest not to entertain the idea of a rematch. Why do it if there’s a chance of a robbery?

Canelo has nothing that Bivol (21-0, 11 KOs) wants right now, as he got beaten already by him at 175.

Whatever chance that Canelo (58-2-2, 39 KOs) had of getting a rematch with his former conqueror Bivol went down the drain when he made it clear that a second fight with him would take place at 175, not 168.

In other words, Bivol wouldn’t be fighting for Canelo’s undisputed championship at super middleweight because the Mexican star wants the rematch to take place at 175.

Bivol already whipped Canelo last May in a one-sided fight that should have been scored 11-1 in Dmitry’s favor. The judges that worked the Canelo-Bivol fight unbelievably scored it to Bivol 115-113, 115-113, and 115-113.

“I’m happy. Thank you, guys,” said Dmitry Bivol to Fight Hub TV about his sudden increase in popularity.

“I want to be undisputed. That’s my goal,” Bivol continued. “My priority is to fight for another belts,” said Bivol.

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“Of course, it’s a great fight. I would like to fight for his belts, and I know he wants to fight too. It’ll be a great fight. He’s a tough opponent,” said Bivol.

“It just looks easy, but it was hard fight,” said Bivol said about Gilberto Ramirez.

Assuming Bivol defeats Beterbiev, he can go after the winner of the Caleb Plant vs. David Benavidez fight. Since Canelo probably won’t want anything to do with Benavidez if he comes out victorious against Plant, Bivol can face him.