Canelo Alvarez won't fight Artur Beterbiev at 175lbs. The Mexican superstar says he'll only return to light heavyweight for a rematch with Dmitry Bivol.
Beterbiev recently defeated Bivol in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia. The majority decision win made him the first undisputed light heavyweight champion since Roy Jones Jr over 20 years ago. Beterbiev's victory ended Bivol's undefeated streak.
Before this fight, Canelo had talked about moving back up to 175lbs. He wanted to avenge his May 2022 loss to Bivol, who beat him by unanimous decision.
In an interview with Pound 4 Pound With Kamaru & Henry, Canelo made his intentions clear:
"Yeah, if it's possible one day, it's the only fight I make one more time at 175 with that rematch with Bivol. I think it's the only fight I will [move] up and fight with him."
Canelo's statement shows he's not interested in fighting Beterbiev, even though he's now the undisputed champion at 175lbs.
Right now, Canelo holds the WBC, WBA, and WBO super-middleweight titles. He recently lost his IBF belt after choosing to fight Edgar Berlanga in September instead of mandatory challenger William Scull.
Canelo's next fight is expected in May, but his opponent is unknown due to the recent Beterbiev-Bivol fight outcome.
Meanwhile, there's talk of a Beterbiev-Bivol rematch. Bivol has filed an official protest over the result. We're waiting to hear if Beterbiev wants to fight Bivol again.
