By Sean Jones: Dmitry Bivol says he’s had “zero talks” with Canelo Alvarez about a rematch in September, and there’s “zero percent chance” of that fight happening.
Mike Coppinger reports that WBA light heavyweight champion Bivol (21-0, 11 KOs) has had no contact from Canelo, and he says he’s going to focus on setting up the undisputed 175-lb championship fight with IBF/WBC/WBO champ Artur Beterbiev.
What this means is Bivol’s name has been thrown out there by Canelo as a smokescreen to show fans that he wants to avenge his loss from a year ago, but in reality, he’s going to fight Edgar Berlanga next.
Berlanga is arguably a big step down from Canelo’s last fight against John Ryder, and it’s easy money.
Hearn recently signed Berlanga, and he’s not even tried to hide his desire to match him with Canelo after his fight against Jason Quigley on June 24th.
Interestingly, Canelo and his promoter Eddie Hearn have talked of wanting a rematch with Bivol, but that clearly isn’t the case.
For there to be “zero talks” between Canelo & Bivol, it means Alvarez was never serious about wanting to fight him, which is pathetic because Hearn has been talking about this rematch nonstop since last year.
Max Kellerman: “Canelo Alvarez, what’s what’s the status? I know
you spoke to Bivol recently.”
Mike Coppinger: “Yeah, spoke to Bivol this morning actually, and he said he’d had zero talks with Canelo Alvarez, and he says there’s a zero percent chance that he’s fighting Canelo Alvarez in September.
“I said, ‘Why do you think Canelo Alvarez has kept calling you out then?’ He said he thinks Canelo wants to write the wrong and wants to
dangle it out there, but he doesn’t know what’s going to happen basically.
“He said that he is now looking at fighting Artur Beterbiev. But first, he’s [Beterbiev] got to get past Callum Smith on August 19th.”
Kellerman: “Bivol & Beterbiev, since Andre Ward retired, it’s up here it comes. You could see it building for like five years, Bivol and Beterbiev.”
Mark Kriegel: “Bivol & Beterbiev, it’s a boxer and a puncher. They go back a lot of years you know Bivol was like the little kid and Beterbiev
was the Grand presence on that amateur circuit. It’s a really interesting fight and I commend Bivol for wanting it instead of staying fixated on Canelo.
“There’s too many guys clustered in the middleweights who think that in lieu of a career, ‘I’m just going to spend the next five years calling out Canelo to get paid.’ I’m tired of it.”
Kellerman: “Bivol is like the fly in the ointment because it’s easy to say that as the boxer, he has an awkward style. Why because he can beat everybody? Bivol may just beat everybody. He’s beaten Canelo already.
“Maybe he beats Beterbiev but any combination, any permutation of better of Bivol, Benavidez, Canelo. Like you have some incredible action fights like the heavyweights. If they actually get in the ring.”
https://youtu.be/di32oT3YQOU?t=924