Via Jim Calfa: Jose Benavidez Sr predicts that Dmitry Bivol will take down the physically aging, exhausted Canelo Alvarez and get him out of his misery when or if they go head to head next September.
Canelo hasn’t looked the same since his match with Caleb Plant, and it’s possible that the punishment he received in that contest took the best part of him, leaving a shell that Bivol easily defeated and Gennadiy 40-year-old Golovkin came close to defeat.
If Canelo loses the rematch against Bivol, he may choose to retire instead of staying to face David Benavidez or David Morrell. Fans expect Canelo to take on both of them after the rematch against Bivol.
Jose Jr, the father of undefeated interim WBC super-middleweight champion David Benavidez, said Canelo (58-2-2, 39 KOs) has shown signs of deterioration since his grueling bout with ‘ Sweethands’ Plant last November, and he hasn’t been noticed in two of his matches since against Bivol and Gennadiy Golovkin.
Canelo says he wants to take part in a tune-up in May and then face WBA lightweight champion Bivol (21-0, 11 KOs) in a rematch in September 2023.
Boxing fans want Canelo to face the winner of the Benavidez vs. Plant than to witness him being defeated by Bivol again; he loves to try and avenge his loss from last May.
Retirement is not far away
“I believe that if Canelo accepts to fight 175-pound Bivol, I dare say that Bivol can stop him”, Jose Benavidez Sr told Izquierdazo. “We haven’t seen Canelo like this since the battle with Plant.
“Canelo has fallen little by little. I believe Canelo is exhausted. Ever since the fight with Plant, I’ve seen him fall.”
If Bivol is empty-handed to win the knockout, he will most likely KO Canelo next September. Bivol fought like he was going easy on Canelo last May, and it looks like he could have done a lot of damage if he switched to first item.
In the fifth round, Bivol hit Canelo at will as he unleashed a seven-punch combo, but to his surprise, he backed off later and chose to hit him for the rest of the run.
“His body didn’t react the same way. I said maybe his retirement could be something very close. His reflexes aren’t what they used to be,” Benavidez Sr said of Canelo.
It will be difficult for Canelo to accept a second loss to Bivol, especially if it is a knockout loss. He’s never been thwarted before in his career, and it’s hard for him to handle losing that way.
Canelo’s goal is to rematch Bivol
“The plan is to return in May. I plan to start hitting the bag in January and see how it feels,” Canelo told VMC. “I’ll be back in May for a tune-up, just to see how the hand feels, and then in September, a rematch against Bivol.”
Adjusting in May could be risky for Canelo because the way he has performed in his last two games, he will have to struggle against even smaller opponents at 168th. .
“It’s the only thing I really want now in my career. Let’s see what happens in that game,” Canelo said of David Benavidez vs. Caleb Plant in March.
“But like I said, my main goal is to fight Bivol again. My injury is a lot better than I thought it would be. Now I feel really good. I expected to be back in May, but I don’t know,” Canelo said.
