Artur Beterbiev says he is not interested in a fight against Canelo Alvarez unless he held one of the light heavyweight belts. Unified 175-lb champion Beterbiev (20-0, 20 KOs) says he won’t fight Canelo just to fight him without him holding a belt.
(Photo credit: Leigh Dawney/Queensberry Promotions)
Beterbiev would be a nightmare for Canelo because of his power, aggression and his high work rate. The grappling ability of Beterbiev would be too much for Canelo, who has never fought anyone like that in his career. He’s usually the one better on the inside, but is on a different level.
Canelo has never shown any interest in facing Beterbiev and is unlikely to move up to 175 to challenge him for the undisputed championship if he prevails against WBA champion Dmitry Bivol on Saturday night. Two years ago, Bivol defeated Canelo in Las Vegas by a close 12-round unanimous decision on May 7, 2022.
Canelo blamed his loss on an injured hand, but fans saw it as a case of Bivol being too skilled, too big and too conditioned for him. The Mexican star came across as a poor loser, unwilling to admit that he was out of sorts against Bivol.
The guy Canelo wants is Bivol (23-0, 12 KOs). However, it is unknown if he will want to fight him if Beterbiev knocks him out on Saturday night. Canelo wants the four belts at 175 on the line when he faces Bivol in a rematch, and it won’t be as interesting if he enters the contest after Beterbiev is eliminated.
This Saturday, October 12, IBF, WBC and WBO light heavyweight champion Beterbiev will face WBA champion Bivol for the undisputed championship at the Kingdom Arena in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia. The winner of the fight will hold all four titles and be considered the King of the division.
“Canelo is a lower category. I don’t want to go there,” said Artur Beterbiev iFL TV when asked if he would be interested in fighting Canelo Alvarez after his showdown against Dmitry Bivol on Saturday night. “If he comes to my category and he has some belts in my category, yes, I have some interest. But I’m just not interested in anything.”
