Via Sean Jones: Canelo Alvarez couldn’t ignore WBA light heavyweight champion Dmitry Bivol in his three-part bout with Gennadiy Golovkin in September as it could be the most brutal bout since losing to Floyd Mayweather Jr.
Boxing Matchroom promoter Eddie Hearn says that he doesn’t even want to start discussing the triple fight between Golovkin (42-1-1, 37 KOs) and Canelo (57-1-2, 39 KOs) for until the Mexican star went undefeated at 175-lb WBA Champion Bivol (19-0, 11 KOs) on May 7.
In terms of boxing skills, Bivol is the best boxer Canelo has faced since his 2012 loss to Mayweather.
To be sure, Canelo has fought some brilliant boxers since his fight with Mayweather, but none quite his talent. Bivol comes closest to Mayweather.
A defeat to Bivol, 31, would derail Canelo & Hearn’s plans for a big battle with Golovkin over the Mexican Independence Day weekend on September 17 on the DAZN PPV.
Interestingly, a lot of boxing fans are dismissing Bivol, placing him in the same category as recent rivals Canelo, Caleb Plant, Billy Joe Saunders and Callum Smith.
Bivol is a completely different animal from those warriors. Those people are said to be the champions on paper who have won their titles against mediocre opponents.
“I’m not even talking about Canelo Alvarez vs GGG until this Bivol war is over,” said Eddie Hearn DAZN Boxing Show. “I watched clips of Bivol; he looks sensational on the cushions. “
It would be a huge mistake if Hearn assumed that Canelo beat Bivol because his style was completely wrong for him.
Every part of the Bivol game feels like kryptonite to Canelo, who has slowed down and no longer unleashes synergies like earlier in his career.
Since switching to the 168-lb weight class in 2018, Canelo has become a shooter and is no longer able to throw multiple punches at once.
“This is possible The hardest fight of Canelo Alvarez’s career besides Floyd Mayweather. This is a really tough fight. If he makes it through, the GGG fight will happen, no doubt. But that was all eyes on May 7.”
Canelo has become predictable with the way he slowly descends his opponent behind a high protective barrier and then delivers his unique knockdowns.
In contrast, Bivol roamed the ring, carpet-bombing his opponents with 2 to 4 beautiful punch combinations before retreating with his pull. Bivol is like a bigger, stronger version of Shakur Stevenson, and man, he’s a nightmare for flat-legged, one-punch boxers.
Canelo is not physically affected to fight at 175th against a boxer with Bivol’s talent, and he will feel shame on May 7th. Of all the fighters in the 175th division- lb, Canelo chose the hardest fighter for his style.
Canelo would have been better off if he’d picked WBO light heavyweight champion Joe Smith Jr because he’s as much of a slow plodder as he is, and it would be a more indecisive fight than Bivol.
“Beterbiev is old. There are signs against Callum Johnson, against these guys. When did you see Dmitry Bivol injured in a fight??
“Have you ever seen Dmitry Bivol really look like he could lose a fight? Never. How good is Dmitry Bivol? We’ll find out,” Hearn said.
Sean Jones wouldn’t call IBF/WBC light heavyweight champion Artur Beterbiev (17-0, 17 KOs) an “old” boxer like Hearn here.
Beterbiev is 37 years old now, but he is still a giant puncher who constantly puts pressure on his opponent and can do body shots. Beterbiev would be a nightmare for Canelo if that fight were to happen in 2022 or 2023.
Of course, if Canelo waits for Beterbiev to come out until he’s 40, he has a good chance of beating him. But if that bout happens now, Canelo will be annihilated by Beterbiev punching him in the body in the same way that talented two-time Olympic runner Russia defeated recent challenger Marcus Browne.
“I think if you’re talking about destruction and power, then Beterbiev is a man,” Hearn said. “If you are talking about mixed engineering capabilities with a bit of punch power, wit and freshness, you’re talking about Dmitry Bivol.
Mayweather studied Canelo, making him look like a ranked amateur player in that bout. Bivol has similar tools to do the same thing with Canelo, but worse because he has the size, strength, and mobility to reveal.
Mayweather was in his late 30s when he fought Canelo, and he lost his mobility at 35.
When facing Canelo, Mayweather prevailed against him by using stances and defensive moves. When Mayweather moved, it straightened again, and Canelo was too slow to chase fast enough to land.
Canelo vs. Bivol will be shown on DAZN pay-per-view at the T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas, Nevada. This is also the location where Canelo fought Golovkin twice, and many fans have considered this to be a pair of robbers.
Why did Canelo return to the same location that saw him allegedly lose twice but saved by questionable decisions?
