Via Sam Volz: Eddie Hearn still says Dmitry Bivol wants to drop 168th for his rematch with Canelo Alvarez in September so he has a chance to become undisputed at super-middleweight and then drop back to 175th to try to repeat. that feat in that weight class.
It can be a fatal mistake for Bivol (21-0, 11 KOs) to drop to 168 because to do that he will need to sacrifice muscle weight that he won’t quickly regain.
We saw what happened to Chris Eubank Jr. when he dropped from 168 to 160 and was knocked out by Liam Smith, who averaged 154 pounds.
If Bivol doesn’t have to take on Canelo at 168 for a rematch, he shouldn’t because it’s not worth the risk what it could mean for his career when he returns to 175. lb.
Hearn said that Canelo wants the rematch to be at 175, so Bivol should agree to that and not do something unnecessary by going down to 168.
Bivol could hurt his career
There are many examples of boxers who are never the same when they lose weight and then go back to the old weight class. Chad Dawson and Roy Jones are two boxers who have seen their careers disappear overnight after they moved down for the sake of fighting for money.
Dawson was king of the 175 lb class in 2012 when he dropped to 168 to challenge Andre Ward for his WBA & WBC super middleweight title in September 2012, and he was stopped in the second round. ten.
Dawson then returned to 175 lb and was knocked out by Adonis Stevenson in the first round. Additionally, Dawson later lost to Tommy Karpency, a boxer he was never defeated before moving down to 168th.
Canelo doesn’t ask Bivol to fight at 168
“Canelo wants that fight at 175 because that’s how he feels; he lost first. Dmitry Bivol wants legacy,” Eddie Hearn told media when asked what weight Canelo Alvarez will fight Dmitry Bivol in a rematch in September.
“He wants the legacy and the belt and can safely make 168, which they say he can do; then maybe we can fight at 168 to give Dmitry Bivol an undisputed chance.
“If you ask Canelo Alvarez, he will probably say 175 because ‘That’s where I lose. I don’t want people to think I brought him down.’ This is not Canelo Alvarez saying, ‘Take him down to 168.’
Hearn said: “This is just one way to make the fight to give Dmitry Bivol more chances for the legacy.
