_1651990243.jpg?fit=1024%2C1024&ssl=1)
LAS VEGAS – Canelo Alvarez’s perspective on his decisive loss to Dmitry Bivol has changed dramatically since his post-fight press conference.
The four-division champion apparently conceded defeat on Tuesday, four months after Alvarez curiously claimed he did enough to beat Bivol in their 12-round, 175-pound title fight. Alvarez claimed immediately after his first loss in 8 1/2 years that he didn’t lose more than “four or five rounds” against the undefeated WBA light heavyweight champion on May 7 at T-Mobile Arena.
“It is what it is,” Alvarez told a small group of reporters after his “grand arrival” at the MGM Grand. “As I said before, you are in a sport, you can also lose. So, you have to move on. And I think my mind is very strong, so I need to follow [moving] and I have in front [of me] Golovkin. Dangerous fighter, too, good fighter. And that is. And, like I said, when you win, you celebrate and [you’re] happy and all. And when you lose, you must also accept it to keep [moving] Forward.”
Judges Tim Cheatham, Dave Moretti and Steve Weisfeld scored Bivol 115-113 over Alvarez. Bivol (20-0, 11 KOs) appeared to win over seven rounds against Alvarez (57-2-2, 39 KOs), but the Guadalajara native suffered his first loss since undefeated five-division champion Floyd Mayweather beat him. won by majority. decision in their 12-round junior middleweight title fight in September 2013 at the MGM Grand Garden Arena.
Kazakhstan’s Golovkin will take on a highly motivated Alvarez on Saturday night at T-Mobile Arena in the Mexican icon’s first fight since Bivol outboxed him. Alvarez not only wants to regain some of the momentum that he had established as the pound-for-pound king of the sport, but he also wants to achieve a much more convincing victory over his rival than the 12-round majority decision victory he was handed. in their rematch for the middleweight championship nearly four years ago at T-Mobile Arena.
“No one likes to lose, right?” Alvarez asked. “But it is what it is. It is boxing I continue [moving] Go ahead, train hard and that’s it. Next move.”
Álvarez chose this grudge match as his next move rather than an immediate rematch with the Russian Bivol, who would have owed Álvarez a second fight had Álvarez exercised that contractual right.
Golovkin (42-1-1, 37 KOs) has lost only the aforementioned majority decision to Alvarez. However, the IBF/IBO/WBA middleweight champion is 40 years old and will make his debut at the 168-pound super-middleweight limit when he meets Alvarez for the third time.
Those factors have helped Alvarez become at least a 5-1 favorite against Golovkin, according to most sportsbooks. DAZN will distribute his third fight as the main event of a pay-per-view card that will cost subscribers $64.99 and non-subscribers $84.99.
Keith Idec is a senior writer/columnist for BoxingScene.com. He can be reached on Twitter @Idecboxing.
