NEWS: CANELO CLAIMS HE WASN'T 100% FOR BIVOL; CHRIS EUBANK BATTLES LIAM SMITH & MORE
CANELO ALVAREZ CLAIMS HE WASN'T 100% FOR DMITRY BIVOL FIGHT
As reported by BoxingScene.com, Canelo Alvarez recently conducted an interview with La Saga, and discussed his plans for 2023.
After a tremendous 2021 that saw the Mexican superstar unify the 168 pound division, Alvarez has had more of an up and down 2022. While he clearly defeated long-time foe Gennadiy Golovkin in his most recent outing in September, the year was not without defeat.
In May, in an attempt to capture a portion of the Light-Heavyweight title, Alvarez came up short against the talented Dmitry Bivol. While the Golovkin encounter was planned prior to the Bivol defeat, the expectation by most was that Canelo would look to run back the loss later down the road.
Now, while nothing has been finalized, it appears as though Alvarez' plan has been revealed. According to Canelo, he wants something of a tune-up at 168 pounds in May of 2023, before the return bout with Bivol later in the year.
While Canelo's desire for a rematch isn't a surprise, what might catch some off guard is that Alvarez has suggested a hand injury caused his performance against Dmitry to suffer.
"...I know how I went into that fight, I know what I can do, and what I will do," Canelo said. "I couldn't do things properly, because I didn't train as I wanted to. Because of my (injured) hand and all that.
"I lacked one or two rounds to win," Canelo continued, "I was highly competitive. Since I couldn't have a proper training camp, I won the early rounds and then began to get tired. At the end, I'm sure I didn't give my 100%, and he did. [Bivol] can't give anything more, and I can."
While Alvarez may have injured his hand, and that would surely impact both your preparation and performance, it remains to be seen if that will make up enough of the difference.
In their fight, Bivol seemed to have an answer to anything Alvarez, attempted, including in most of those earlier rounds Alvarez claimed to have won. What's more, an injured hand wouldn't really explain Alvarez' biggest issue in the Bivol defeat: He couldn't find the target.
Just for perspective: Canelo landed just 17% of his shots against Bivol, according to CompuBox. Alvarez landed at a higher clip against the defense master that is Floyd Mayweather (22%).
Still, these sort of statements are to be expected from top level athletes. Always competitive, fighters rarely are willing to admit they've been out-matched. While some fans might prefer it, or feel as though admitting defeat is the honorable thing to do, it's just not usually a part of the DNA.
They have to convince themselves that they can right those wrongs, or I would imagine it's pretty difficult to revisit those challenges.
Regardless, only time will tell what improvements the Mexican world champion can make.
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CHRIS EUBANK, JR. WILL BATTLE LIAM SMITH IN JANUARY
According to a press release via Wasserman Boxing, Middleweight contender Chris Eubank, Jr. and former world titlist Liam Smith will battle it out on January 21 and the AO Arena in Manchester, England.
For years, this bout between a pair of Brits seemed to make sense but never quite materialized for one reason or another. Now, with both looking to make another meaningful push in the sport, the fight has been made.
After an inactive 2020 -- for obvious reasons -- Smith has been a rather active fighters, having fought four times, with a record of 3-1, with all three times coming via stoppage. The biggest win in that group coming over former world titlist Jessie Vargas back in April, which was followed up by an odd but inevitably successful outing against Hassan Mwakinyo.
For Eubank, Jr., he has also been relatively active. However, he managed only one outing in 2022, a unanimous decision win over Liam Williams back in February. Eubank was scheduled to take on bitter rival Conor Benn in October, but the fight was ultimately canceled after it was revealed Benn had failed a pre-fight drug test.
"Eubank vs. Smith is a fight that has been talked about for a very long time," said Kalle Sauerland, the Head of Global Boxing for Wasserman. "It's an absolute banger of a boxing bonanza to kick off a huge year for the undisputed superstar of the Middleweights Chris Eubank, Jr., in a year in which we expect him to take over the division."
Despite that absurd "banger of a boxing bonanza" line, it certainly is a solid outing for both, especially to begin the new year. The loser may have a very difficult rebuild on their hands, but the winner certainly has a solid name on their resume and has put a good foot forward for the rest of 2023.
Whether or not defeating Liam Smith means Eubank will be well on his way to taking over the Middleweight division remains to be seen. Still, if successful, Eubank remains an interesting and bankable name at 160 pounds, a weight class that desperately needs some fresh and active blood.
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DAVID BENAVIDEZ KEEPING RIVALRY WITH CALEB PLANT GOING
If you've watched boxing for any period of time, you know that boxers go to great lengths to sell a fight. Everything from Twitter wars to fights at a press conference -- fighters will go above and beyond to move a few tickets or increase the pay-per-view buy rate.
However, when all is said and done, the pair will likely hug it out after the fight, feeling as though the job has been done. According to David Benavidez, who faces bitter foe Caleb Plant in early 2023, that won't be happening after his next outing.
"I'm not Caleb Plant's friend and I don't want to be his friend, even after the fight," Benavidez told BadLeftHook.com. "So I'm really looking to beat this shit out of him. That's the only thing I want, I don't care about anything else -- I don't care about fighting Canelo (Alvarez) after, I don't care about the belts, my main objective is going in there and beating the shit out of Caleb Plant."
Whether or not that holds up, it's somewhat refreshing to hear fighters that have animosity are actually looking to settle their issue in the ring. While it may not lead to friendship, which is none of my business anyway, it definitely helps lead to some clarity in the sport.
Besides, fighters don't need to like one another. They are called fighters, after all, not companions. Here's hoping this bad blood only increases the stakes and, thus, the performances of both men involved.
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