Dmitry Bivol thinks Canelo Alvarez will beat Jermell Charlo, and still wants the undisputed fight at 168.
Dmitry Bivol is picking Canelo Alvarez to beat Jermell Charlo tonight, but still has a potential move down to 168 lbs on his mind, and says he’d want to do it no matter who comes out on top.
“It’s going to be an interesting fight. I think Canelo should win,” Bivol posted on social media. “But I will be happy if Charlo wins. I am interested in (an undisputed) fight at 168.”
Bivol, who beat Canelo in May 2022 and successfully defended his light heavyweight title, wanted to move down to 168 and face Canelo for a rematch, this time for Canelo’s undisputed super middleweight championship.
Canelo, however, wanted a Bivol rematch at 175, to attempt to avenge the loss on the same terms as before. Bivol didn’t see enough reason to fight Canelo again at 175, and Canelo didn’t see much to gain from fighting Bivol at 168. A rare situation where both had a reasonable point and that’s why a fight didn’t happen, and a catchweight would have satisfied neither man’s chief concern.
The 32-year-old Bivol (21-0, 11 KO) has not fought since routing Gilberto “Zurdo” Ramirez in Nov. 2022 in Dubai, where he again successfully defended his WBA light heavyweight title. His stated desires have been the fight at 168 for all the marbles, or a full undisputed clash with Artur Beterbiev at 175, neither of which have come to fruition, and may not any time soon. As stands now, he simply may not fight in 2023,
