Canelo next move - Dmitry Bivol rematch or GGG 3?

Few predicted that unbeaten Russian fighter Dmitry Bivol, despite an impressive amateur pedigree and long reign as WBA light-heavyweight champion, would prove good enough to defeat the legendary Canelo Alvarez, consensus pound-for-pound No. 1, in Las Vegas on Saturday night. Those within the fight game knew that Bivol was good, but Alvarez was the clear favorite when it came to the Vegas Odds and he was widely expected to win the bout.

Alvarez doesn’t believe that he lost the fight, although he is very much in the minority, and there will be plenty of money on the table for a rematch somewhere down the line. The scorecards did not suggest a convincing defeat for Canelo, with Bivol winning by unanimous decision but only by 115-113 for all three judges. These tallies failed to reflect the majority view of a dominant Bivol victory but their closeness, plus Dmitri’s stated intention to face Canelo at the Mexican’s more familiar 168lbs next time around, make a rematch sellable, as of course does Alvarez’s undiminished status as boxing’s biggest attraction.

Canelo said in his press conference post-fight that while he could see Bivol having won four or five of the 12 rounds, the rest should have been scored in his favor. The stats, however, do not back up the four-division champion. Bivol landed 68 more punches than his Mexican opponent. This included more power punches (106 to 74) and more jabs (46 to 10), plus outlanding Canelo in every individual round.

Bivol was expected to be determined and outwork Canelo for the most part. Less widely anticipated was the skill with which he went about his work. The Russian moved to 20-0 as a pro as he retained his WBA light-heavyweight title in the fight.

The obvious next fight for Canelo, certainly in terms of financial gain, is a rematch. What he should do though is drop back to a more comfortable weight regardless of his next opponent. Talk of him continuing to add pounds to eventually fight heavyweight champion Oleksandr Usyk needs to cool down. His punching power at 168 pounds is the best in the game, but as he adds mass that advantage dissipates. There is abundant money for Canelo over the next two years. The trilogy bout against GGG needs to happen. There is super-middleweight money on the table against David Benavidez.

Whatever choice is made within camp, Canelo will no doubt be as popular as ever the next time he steps into the ring.