Canelo Alvarez still has a chance to fight for the undisputed light heavyweight championship against four-belt champion Artur Beterbiev after defeating Dmitry Bivol last Saturday night in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia.
If Canelo wants to show fans that he’s brave and not a guy who just handpicks certain fighters, he’ll call out Beterbiev to push him for a fight next. His Excellency Turki Alalshikh said last Saturday night that he wanted to make a rematch between Beterbiev and Bivol. However, Turki could change his mind if Canelo volunteers to face Beterbiev next.
The winner of that fight could then face Bivol or the winner of the January 25th showdown between David Morrell and David Benavidez. Ideally, there should be a semi-final type setup where Bivol pits the Morrell vs. Benavidez winner to then challenge King Beterbiev for the undisputed championship. Meanwhile, Canelo will fight Beterbiev next.
Will Canelo Want The Beterbiev Clash?
It will be a very different kind of fight for Canelo to face Beterbiev for the undisputed than if he fought the finesse-oriented Bivol, a pure boxer who occasionally shows aggression. Beterbiev would be a different story. He would be like a bigger, bolder and more powerful version of Gennadiy Golovkin.
Canelo has always preferred to fight sluggers who are in his face and attack him with power shots. This is the type of fighter that Canelo has thrived on. However, Beterbiev hits so hard that it would be pure trouble for Canelo if he got close and unloaded with shots like he did with Bivol last Saturday night.
Bivol won the early rounds against Beterbiev because he wasn’t under pressure on the inside and didn’t have to deal with his onslaught. But the fight changed hands once Beterbiev turned it on in the seventh round in response to an early barrage from Bivol. Bivol became very afraid to attack, and he was never the same. It was all Beterbiev from the seventh round.
Beterbiev foiled Canelo’s plans
Mexican star Canelo (62-2-2.39 KOs) had hoped to face Bivol (23-1, 12 KOs) in a rematch for all the gold at 175, but his 12-round majority decision loss to IBF , WBC, and WBO light heavyweight champion Beterbiev (21-0, 20 KOs) at the Kingdom Arena foiled those plans.
It’s not the end of the world for Canelo. He can fight for the four belts, but it just won’t be against Bivol unless he’s ready to fight for no belts and face a guy who just lost.
