De La Hoya thinks Canelo shouldn’t fight Bivol again

By Boxing News - 05/13/2023 - Comments

By Sean Jones: Canelo Alvarez’s former promoter Oscar De La Hoya of Golden Boy, thinks it’s a bad idea for him to fight Dmitry Bivol in a rematch in September because he’s “never” going to defeat the talented light heavyweight champion.

De La Hoya prefers that Canelo fight David Benavidez rather than Bivol in his next bout, but the outcome of that contest would likely be just as poor for Alvarez as if he were to face Dmitry.

In boxing, you can never say never, meaning that if Canelo can stage the Bivol rematch in the right venue, he could win a decision.

When they fought last year in Las Vegas, Bivol squeaked by with a razor-close 12-round unanimous decision by the scores 115-113 x 3. While the fans may have thought it should have been a near-shutout win for Bivol at 11-1 or 10-2, it doesn’t matter. The judges have the final say so.

If Canelo chooses the right location for the rematch, he could unseat Bivol as the WBA light heavyweight champion and become a two-time 175-lb belt-holder.

Oscar feels that Bivol (21-0, 11 KOs) has a bad style for Canelo (59-2-2, 39 KOs), and he’d prefer that his brilliant promoter Eddie Hearn find him someone else to fight.

Canelo called out Bivol after his victory over John Ryder last weekend on May 6th, letting the WBA light heavyweight champion know that he wants the rematch under the same terms as the last time they fought in May 2022.

Call me crazy; he’ll [Canelo] NEVER beat Bivol at 175 lbs. That’s for sure,” Golden Boy Promotions boss De La Hoya said to ESNEWS.

De La Hoya is overlooking the possibility of Canelo getting good scoring for the rematch with Bivol. All you need to do is look at Canelo’s history of past fights in which he’s been involved in battles he easily could have lost. This writer is talking about these fights:

  • Gennadiy Golovkin – fight #1 & 2
  • Erislandy Lara
  • Austin Trout
  • Miguel Cotto
  • Jorge Juarez

At 168, it might be even more dangerous for him because I think Bivol will be even lighter on his feet. He’ll be faster. So, it’s a difficult situation that Canelo is in,” said Oscar.

Well, some boxing fans believe Canelo doesn’t wish for the rematch with Bivol to take place at 168 because if he loses, he’ll no longer have his four titles to validate him in the eyes of the fans. It’s pretty simple to understand.

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