Canelo Alvarez, Saul, is at a stage in his legendary career when he can make strategic decisions, putting his legacy first and focusing on fights with big payoffs. Undisputed super-middleweight status was recently relinquished by the 34-year-old Mexican superstar, one of boxing’s most decorated fighters, when he refused to confront his mandatory opponent for the IBF title.
Alvarez made it plain in his reaction to the ruling:
“I intend to do as I please. For the simple reason that my actions merit it.
Now that he is without the IBF belt, Alvarez is concentrating on big matches that may earn him a lot of money or help him cement his legacy. Following his recent points triumph over Edgar Berlanga, Alvarez plans to face Dmitry Bivol again. Bivol is one of only two fighters in Alvarez’s 66 professional fights to defeat him. But before Bivol can challenge Artur Beterbiev for the unified light heavyweight title, he must win their forthcoming bout.
After their first fight in 2022, in which Bivol defeated Canelo, the Mexican suffered his second professional loss, Canelo is interested in fighting Bivol again. Canelo plans to get revenge for that defeat if Bivol beats Beterbiev this coming weekend in a light-heavyweight bout in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia.
Will Beterbiev emerge victorious? Is the knockout artist, who has the only perfect record among world champions, someone that Alvarez could be interested in fighting?
The notion of Canelo taking up the intimidating Beterbiev was shot down by Hall of Fame boxer Andre Ward in an unearthed tape from Max on Boxing:
“He will never challenge Beterbiev.”
Any boxer would be wise to fear Beterbiev due to his devastating knockout power. Alvarez has since put an end to fan speculation over a Canelo vs. Beterbiev fight by stating his intention to fight Bivol. Even though long-time rival David Benavidez has stepped up in weight class in the hopes of facing the Mexican icon, Alvarez has demonstrated zero enthusiasm in any future fights at the light-heavyweight division.
Many anticipate that the hard-hitting Russian, Beterbiev, would seek even tougher challenges after his triumph against Bivol. Speculation has it that he is planning to move up to cruiserweight, where he will face more competition for more titles. Nevertheless, before Canelo can repeat his failure from their 2022 bout, Beterbiev must defeat Bivol.
Canelo Alvarez is now concentrating on battles with large stakes that provide more than simply defending his belt. Canelo would rather not face the knockout machine Artur Beterbiev, even though a rematch with Bivol is his number one objective.
No matter what happens in Bivol vs. Beterbiev, one thing is certain: Canelo wants a rematch with Bivol badly enough to return to light-heavyweight on his own terms. Will Bivol win and give Alvarez a second chance, or will Beterbiev’s influence change everything?
What do you think? Should Canelo take on Benavidez, Bivol, or Beterbiev next?