By Sam Volz: Eddie Hearn is still saying that Dmitry Bivol wants to come down to 168 for the rematch against Canelo Alvarez in September so that he can have the opportunity to become undisputed at super middleweight and then return to 175 to try and repeat that feat in that weight class.
It could be a significant mistake for Bivol (21-0, 11 KOs) to drop down to 168 because to do that, he’ll need to sacrifice muscle weight, which he won’t quickly put back on.
We saw what happened with Chris Eubank Jr when he moved down from 168 to 160 and was knocked out by an average 154-pounder, Liam Smith.
If Bivol doesn’t have to fight Canelo at 168 to get the rematch, he shouldn’t because it’s not worth the risk of what it could do to his career when he returns to the 175-lb division.
Hearn says that Canelo would prefer the rematch take place at 175, so Bivol should agree to that and not do something needless by moving down to 168.
Bivol could hurt his career
There are many examples of fighters that were never the same when they moved down in weight and then returned to their former weight class. Chad Dawson and Roy Jones are two fighters that saw their careers disappear overnight after they moved down for the sake of money fights.
Dawson was the king of the 175-lb division in 2012 when he moved down to 168 to challenge Andre Ward for his WBA & WBC super middleweight titles in September 2012, and he was stopped in the tenth round.
Afterward, Dawson returned to the 175-lb division and was knocked out in the first round by Adonis Stevenson. On top of that, Dawson then lost to Tommy Karpency, a fighter that he would have never been beaten by before he moved down to 168.
Canelo not asking Bivol to fight at 168
“Canelo would like that fight at 175 because that’s what he feels; he lost before. Dmitry Bivol wants legacy,” said Eddie Hearn to the media when asked what weight Canelo Alvarez will fight Dmitry Bivol for their rematch in September.
“He wants legacy and belts and can make 168 safely, which they say he can; then maybe we can make that fight at 168 to provide an undisputed opportunity for Dmitry Bivol.
“If you ask Canelo Alvarez, he would say probably 175 because ‘That’s where I lost. I don’t want people to think I brought him down.’ This is not Canelo Alvarez saying, ‘Bring him down to 168.’
“This is just a way to make the fight to give Dmitry Bivol more of an opportunity for legacy,” said Hearn.
