Canelo Alvarez claims he was only operating at ’50 per cent’ when he fought Dmitry Bivol due to an injury to his left hand.
The Mexican superstar is itching to get one back over his old rival after he was thoroughly beaten in May 2022.
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Canelo’s last defeat in the paid ranks came to BivolCredit: Getty
Canelo dared to be great by moving up to 175lbs to challenge for Bivol’s WBA light heavyweight crown, but he was outworked and forced onto his heels by the bigger man.
All three judges scored the fight 115-113 in Bivol’s favour, although most experts had the Russian technician winning by a wider margin.
The CompuBox stats revealed that Bivol landed almost double the number of punches that Canelo (152 to 84) over the 12-round distance.
Yet the face of boxing is confident that things will turn out differently in a rematch with a clean bill of health.
“I would like to have that opportunity to have that rematch with Bivol,” Canelo told Ring Magazine.
“That’s the only fight at 175 that I would really take, but we’ll see.
“Not bothers me, but I want to tell myself, ‘You learned something from that fight.
“What things you don’t need to do again’ I have that thing in myself, ‘You need to show you’re a better fighter than him…
“I have 50% of my abilities right there.
“No condition, no nothing, because I can’t run and I can’t throw like I do or do pads and do sparring.
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The Russian bested Canelo on points to retain his WBA light heavyweight beltCredit: Ed Mulholland/Matchroom
“You can ask Alex Gvodzyk (Canelo’s sparring partner). He was there helping me for that fight.
“I have like one month with no sparring because of my [injured] hand.
“I did a good fight, a very good fight, but not enough…
“Oh, he’s good. He’s a very good fighter. You can see, and everybody says, ‘Oh, he’s nothing. He chose the fighter.’
“He’s a good fighter; he’s one of the best fighters out there.”
Asked whether the fight can happen in 2026, Canelo replied: “Let’s see.”
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Canelo is fighting Scull on May 3, and a Bivol rematch is a possibility in 2026Credit: Ed Mullholland / Queensberry Promotions
Canelo returns to action on May 3 in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, against IBF super middleweight champion William Scull in the first bout of his four-fight deal with Riyadh Season.
Providing he comes through the undisputed showdown unscathed, then an agreement is in place for a Las Vegas super fight with Terence Crawford in September.
His next two steps are less clear, however, reports suggest that he will return to Riyadh again next year in February and October to complete his deal.
Chris Eubank Jr, Hamzah Sheeraz and a rematch with Bivol are all said to be options for February 2026.
