Canelo to challenge Bivol for the semi-complete title

Mexican Saul ‘Canelo’ Alvarez will return next May 7 at 175 pounds, now to challenge World Boxing Association (WBA) champion Dmitry Bivol in his first bout of 2022 after sweeping 168 pounds in an intense 2021 that ended up being one of his best years.

Eddy Reynoso, Canelo’s manager and trainer, was negotiating the last weeks at least two official proposals. On one side, there was the idea of Bivol in May and then Gennadiy Golovkin in September from Matchroom’s Eddie Hearn, and in the other corner, there was Al Haymon of Premier Boxing Champions with the offer of Jermall Charlo.

Bivol, 31 and a record of 19-0 with 11 knockouts, has contested 11 world championship fights, three by interim, six by regular and two more by WBA Super Championship. He has four knockouts in headline fights, but has six consecutive wins by points.

Canelo (57-1-2, 39 KO’s) comes from being crowned fighter of the year in 2021, year in which he won the undisputed championship in the Super Middleweight division. In addition, his trainer, Eddy, was again recognized as the best in the world by achieving 10 wins from the corner of Alvarez and the rest of the Canelo Team.

Towards the end of 2021, Eddy surprised at the possibility of Canelo moving up to cruiserweight to challenge Ilunga Makabu; however, the priority was the undisputed championship at 175 pounds with rivals such as Dmitry Bivol, Artur Beterbiev and Joe Smith in his sights. Gennadiy Golovkin’s name was added along the way with Hearn’s proposal.

Canelo has already had previous activity at 175 pounds and a knockout in his favor against Russian Sergey Kovalev, whom he brutally knocked out to take away the World Boxing Organization belt and become a four-time world champion, only the fourth in the history of Mexican boxing.

As for Golovkin, he must beat Japan’s Ryota Murata in a middleweight unification fight, tentatively in April in the Land of the Rising Sun, and then go to the next higher category to face Canelo, with whom he had two great fights with a draw and a close win for the Jalisco native.