What should Canelo do next? I have the answer and an explanation
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With Canelo Alvarez, the undisputed super middleweight champion and boxing’s biggest star, having dispatched gutsy John Ryder — knocking him down once, having the referee miss a second knockdown and winning a bloody one-sided decision on Saturday night — there wasn’t much to talk about in terms of the fight.
The real question after the expected victory was simply what’s next for the four-division champion, future first-ballot Hall of Famer and one of the best Mexican fighters of all time?
Canelo was vocal before and after the fight that the only bout he has eyes for is a rematch with light heavyweight titlist Dmitry Bivol, the unbeaten pound-for-pound talent, who hung a clear upset decision loss on him last May, when Canelo moved up in weight looking to win his second title at 175 pounds.
Canelo wants revenge. I understand that. Everybody should understand that. He feels he was hampered by a bum left wrist/hand going into the fight that prevented him from training or fighting at his best. It was an injury that continued to give him problems in his win in September in his trilogy fight with rival Gennadiy Golovkin, after which he finally had surgery.
Canelo not only wants Bivol again, he insists they do it again at 175 pounds for Bivol’s title when Bivol has said repeatedly that his interest in a rematch is to drop to 168 to challenge for Canelo’s undisputed crown, which would more motivate him to fight a man he already beat convincingly.
Matchroom Boxing promoter Eddie Hearn will have to be at his negotiating and convincing best to overcome the issue.
If I was managing or advising Canelo, here’s what my suggestion would be: