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Dmitry Bivol’s overall opinion of Canelo Alvarez hasn’t changed.
Bivol, the WBA light heavyweight champion from Russia, stunned the boxing world by outpointing Alvarez in their 12-round 175-pound title bout last Saturday night at T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas.
All three scorecards read 115-113 in favor of Bivol, whose size, speed, and technique was far too much for the sport’s box office and pound-for-pound star.
After the bout, a subdued Alvarez declared an interest in activating his rematch clause.
Asked if he thinks Alvarez is really interested in running it back, Bivol answered in the affirmative, pointing out that Alvarez’s track record speaks for itself. The Mexican superstar is the current undisputed 168-pound champion and has won titles across four divisions. Against Bivol, Alvarez was attempting to win a second light heavyweight title. Alvarez won his first one in the division when he knocked out Sergey Kovalev in the 11th round in 2019.
Given those accomplishments, Bivol believes it is within Alvarez’s character to push for a rematch.
“I think he wants [the rematch],” Bivol told IFL TV. “He’s a guy who loves challenge. We see it, he has belts in four divisions. I think a guy like him wants a rematch.”
Bivol (20-0, 11 KOs) added that he would also be interested in fighting Alvarez (57-2-2, 39 KOs) at the 168-pound limit, where Alvarez would gain a better advantage. Bivol, a career lightweight, has long expressed that he would be able to go down to 168 and he reiterated that point again after his win over Alvarez. However, Bivol seemed to suggest that he would need all four belts as incentive to do that.
“Maybe I could make [168, but] only for four belts,” Bivol said. “I have to think about it. I think we all have to think about it. Not only me. His team. We have [to have] negotiations.”
Bivol handed Alvarez, 31, only the second loss of his career. Alvarez’s first career loss was against Floyd Mayweather Jr. in a 154-pound title fight in 2013.