Eddie Hearn hopes their inverted insistence on different weight limits for their rematch doesn’t prevent Dmitry Bivol and Canelo Alvarez from fighting again next.
Bivol thus far has demanded that their second fight take place at the super middleweight maximum of 168 pounds because it would afford him an opportunity to become boxing’s undisputed champion in that division. Alvarez, conversely, has pushed for challenging the unbeaten Bivol for his WBA light heavyweight title for a second time because he feels critics wouldn’t give him credit for beating Bivol and avenging his loss in a super middleweight match.
Russia’s Bivol (21-0, 11 KOs) has never boxed in a super middleweight fight. He would need to drop down seven pounds to fight for Alvarez’s 168-pound crowns.
Mexico’s Alvarez (59-2-2, 39 KOs) is 1-1 in light heavyweight title bouts. He knocked out Russia’s Sergey Kovalev in the 11th round to win the WBO 175-pound championship in November 2019 at MGM Grand Garden Arena in Las Vegas.
Hearn – whose promotional company, Matchroom Boxing, works with Alvarez and Bivol – explained the stalemate in negotiations with DAZN’s Chris Mannix after Alvarez defeated England’s John Ryder by unanimous decision in their 12-round, 168-pound title fight Saturday night at a sold-out Akron Stadium in Zapopan, Mexico.
“We’re speaking non-stop,” Hearn told Mannix. “You know, I think, look, I understand everybody’s position. Dmitry Bivol would like to challenge for the 168-pound championships. But at the same time, Canelo Alvarez has only interest in defeating Dmitry Bivol on the same terms, because he believes he’ll only get credit on those terms. And I agree with him as well. But I understand Dmitry’s point of view, but the fact is with the Beterbiev fight not possible, that is the biggest fight by a mile for Dmitry Bivol. I hope that he accepts the challenge.
“You know, Canelo Alvarez gave him the opportunity. This time, it’s almost Dmitry Bivol giving Canelo the opportunity. He’s desperate for revenge. He’s the ultimate competitor. Most people think Canelo is crazy. And, you know, it was a solid performance [Saturday night], but people will make him a big [underdog] in a fight with Dmitry Bivol at 175 pounds.”
The target date for the Bivol-Alvarez rematch is September 16.
Bivol had hoped to battle Beterbiev (19-0, 19 KOs) in a fascinating fight that would determine the sport’s undisputed light heavyweight champion. The Russian-born, Montreal-based Beterbiev owns the IBF, WBC and WBO light heavyweight titles.
Their fight for four 175-pound crowns hasn’t been made in part because WBC president Mauricio Sulaiman has publicly stated that the WBC won’t sanction a Beterbiev-Bivol bout because Russia remains at war with Ukraine. The WBC wouldn’t strip Beterbiev if he boxes Bivol, but the Mexico City-based sanctioning organization wouldn’t allow them to fight for the WBC belt, which would prohibit Bivol from attempting to become boxing’s fully unified 175-pound champion.
The 32-year-old Bivol was born in Kyrgyzstan, but he has resided in Russia for many years. Beterbiev was born and raised in Russia, but he has lived in Montreal since soon after he represented Russia at the 2012 Summer Olympics in London.
Alvarez was a 4-1 favorite to beat Bivol last May 7 at T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas. Bivol won their 12-round, 175-pound title bout by the same score, 115-113, according to all three judges.
The 32-year-old Alvarez has since beaten rival Gennadiy Golovkin (42-2-1, 37 KOs) and Ryder (32-6, 18 KOs) by unanimous decision in 12-round fights for his IBF, WBA, WBC and WBO super middleweight titles.
Keith Idec is a senior writer/columnist for BoxingScene.com. He can be reached on Twitter @Idecboxing.