Canelo Alvarez has made it clear that his rivalry with Dmitry Bivol may not be finished after all. Speaking on The Ring’s Mr. Verzace Podcast, Alvarez rejected the idea that a second meeting with the man who beat him in 2022 is off the table. When asked if the door was closed, Alvarez’s answer was simple: “No.”
Bivol handed Alvarez his first defeat in more than eight years with a clear decision win in their 175-pound clash, retaining his WBA title before the pair went their separate ways. Since then, Bivol has gone on to reach the top of the light heavyweight division, while Alvarez returned to 168 pounds.
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The timing of any rematch remains uncertain. Bivol is coming off back-to-back fights with Artur Beterbiev, losing their first encounter by split decision before avenging that defeat via majority decision to achieve undisputed status. He has since undergone back surgery and is still recovering, with plans to face IBF mandatory challenger Michael Eifert in the spring.
After that, Bivol’s options could include a trilogy bout with Beterbiev, a renewed pursuit of Alvarez, or another direction entirely. Alvarez, meanwhile, is plotting his own comeback after a unanimous decision loss to Terence Crawford that stripped him of his super middleweight titles last September.
While a Bivol rematch won’t be next for Alvarez, he clearly sees it as a possibility down the road. “Why not? We’ll see in the future. If it makes sense, why not? I always like challenges,” he said. “So why not? Maybe.”
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