Eddie Hearn says Canelo vs. Bivol possible for September 18th
Eddie Hearn revealed on Wednesday that WBA light heavyweight champion Dimitry Bivol is the “frontrunner” as the replacement opponent to fight Canelo Alvarez on September 18th in case the negotiations with Caleb Plant fail to be revived.
Most fans would agree that Bivol is a much better fight for Canelo than Plant, but it’s far riskier. Bivol has excellent technical skills, and more importantly, his conditioning is one of his strong suits.
In contrast, Plant has shown stamina problems, gassing out against Jose Uzcategui and Caleb Truax in the second half of those fights.
Hearn promotes Bivol (18-0, 11 KOs), and he’s already started discussions with him to replace Plant. It’s a difficult fight for Canelo, but it’s one that he can do if he puts together the perfect game plan.
Bivol isn’t someone that Canelo will beat with the low work rate that we saw from him in his last fight against Billy Joe Saunders.
For Canelo to beat Bivol, he’s going to need to increase his punch output, and he can’t assume that he will knock this guy out.
Bivol can take a punch, as seen in his wins over Joe Smith Jr and Jean Pascal. Smith hits harder than Canelo and has a higher punch output. Bivol had no issues dealing with his shots.
The Canelo vs. Plant negotiations is currently dead after the two sides reached an impasse over contractual disagreements.
Plant unhappy with Canelo’s sickness clause
IBF super middleweight belt-holder Plant (21-0, 12 KOs) is unhappy about the injury & sickness clause that Canelo wants in the contract, which would involve him getting the same money if Caleb pulls out of the fight for one of those reasons.
With Plant having injury problems involving his left hand, which he complained about after his recent fight against Caleb Truax, Canelo isn’t taking any chances.
Dimity Bivol talks have begun
“There have been some discussions with Dmitry Bivol. Over the last few weeks, that’s a good fight. 175 pounds, you know, there are other options,” said Eddie Hearn to the DAZN Boxing Show on a potential replacement opponent for Canelo to fight on September 18th.
“He’s constantly for the champions, and you’re 175lbs. Joe Smith, you got Beterbiev, but I think Bivol would be that front runner. You know, he was certainly a guy that I put forward again.”
“I want to spend just one day in the world, the planet of Oscar De La Hoya. It’ll be a fun place!”
It’s a win-win for Hearn if Canelo fights Bivol, as he’s had problems trying to find big-name fighters to face the talented Russian. Hearn is looking forward to Bivol eventually facing IBF/WBA 175-lb champion Artur Beterbiev, but that fight likely won’t happen until 2022, if at all.
It would be a huge plus for Bivol’s career if he were to defeat Canelo, as it would bring a lot of attention to him. Whether Canelo would want a rematch, Bivol could wind up making a great deal of money in two fights against him.
If a fighter like Plant can get a $10 million payday against Canelo, Bivol is worth at least that if not, given that he’s arguably more talented.
You couldn’t put Plant in with Bivol in a fight and assume that he would do anything but lose to the Russian fighter. But at the same time, Bivol’s talent might keep him from getting the fight with Canelo. This isn’t the type of fighter that you face on seven weeks’ notice.
To have a decent chance of beating Bivol, Canelo will need to training for at least three months, and even then, he might be over his head.
Hearn was quiet about what the major disagreement is between Canelo and Plant. Still, he already let the cat out of the bag a couple of weeks ago by saying that PBC wanted Alvarez to agree to a three-fight deal in exchange for them letting him fight Caleb.
Canelo isn’t going to sign away a year of his career to fight the IBF belt holder Plant.
Canelo vs. Plant isn’t any different from the Mexican star’s recent fights against Billy Joe Saunders, Callum Smith, and Rocky Fielding in terms of fan interest. Plant brings anything more than those guys did.
Plant is more popular than Avni Yildirim, but he’s not a bigger name than Canelo’s opponents Daniel Jacobs or Sergey Kovalev.
