Saúl Canelo Álvarez restarted his millionaire machinery, this time against Russian Dmitry Bivol

Like the administrators of SSA Capitales, its investment company, or Canelo Store, its merchandising store, Saul Canelo Alvarez draw up an annual strategic plan for the millionaire corporation in which he changed his figure. His project for 2022 includes coverage in the medium heavyweight category and a third confrontation with Kazakh Gennady Golovkin. Work to achieve the first goal will begin this Saturday, when he will face the Russian at the T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas. Dmitry Bivol, World Boxing Association title holder at 175 pounds. The evening will be seen via ESPN from 7:00 pm, though the main course will begin after midnight.

The challenge will be difficult, although it is no longer new for the Mexican, who was previously the unified monarch of super middleweights. And in less than a year he had done it. In December 2020, he took the WBA and World Boxing Council belt from the British Callum Smith. In March 2021, he defended them against the Turkish Avni Yildirim and then he added the World Boxing Organization belt that beat English Billy Joe Saunders in May and the International Boxing Federation defeated the American Caleb’s plant in November.

In January of this year, cinnamon and his trainer and manager, Eddy Reynoso, set themselves a goal to jump into the cruiserweight division to challenge the WBC champion, Congolese Ilunga Makabu, and thus seek a title in the fifth category (the Mexican is already a super welterweight, middleweight, super middleweight and medium heavyweight champion). That idea was destroyedin Then there was speculation that there was an American cross Jermall Charlo, one of the highest -income men within the weight range in which the redhead born in San Agustín, outside of Guadalajara, manages. But that was also not fulfilled.

Those two declines made the most successful tandem today in the recalculation (the Boxing Writers Association of the United States chose Álvarez as best boxer of the year in 2021 and Reynoso as best trainer and best manager). They signed a contract for two against British promoter Matchroom Boxing in exchange for 85 million dollars and they went hunting for four 175-pound belts.

The Mexican could reach that goal in less than eight months and in just two games: this Saturday against Bivol and another in December against the winner of the match that will face the undefeated Russian face to face on June 18 Artur BeterbyevWBC and IBF champion, and American joe smith, WBO monarch. In the middle, the third tournament with Golovkin will take place in September (they tied in September 2017 and the guy from Guadalajara won points a year later).

“I like the idea of ​​being the undisputed champion in both categories. I feel at my best, strong and confident that I can beat anyone. The desire to continue making history is what motivates me the most. Challenges keep me alive ”, explained, on the eve of Saturday’s promise, the highest paid boxer on the planet and the 48th highest-earning athlete according to the latest ranking made by Forbes magazine in 2021. Everything is planned to fulfill this new challenge before the end of the year. Pero ….

“Everybody has a plan until they get punched in the mouth”Mike Tyson confirmed 35 years ago. That phrase has become a catchphrase in boxing. Who will try to make it true and be the blow to the castle’s collapse cinnamon It will be the invincible Bivol, who on the most profitable night of his career (he earned 5 million dollars, against 58 that his rival will receive) will be able to give pleasure to the beaten Russian sport.

The defending champion was born 31 years ago in Tokmak, Kyrgyzstan, but lived in Saint Petersburg at the age of 11 with his Moldovan father and South Korean mother. He started boxing at the age of six (although he also played ice hockey throughout his childhood and adolescence), fought in nearly 300 amateur fights (of which he only lost 15), and represented the Russian franchise (he was a citizen of that country.) in the AIBA World Boxing Series. Since making his professional debut in November 2014, he has won all 19 of his fights, 11 of them before the limit.

Bivol clinched the interim WBA middle heavyweight title on May 21, 2016, when he defeated the Dominican by points. Felix Valera in Moscow. During the leavened titles, the organization elevated him as regular champion in 2017 and super champion in 2021. Since his coronation, he has made 10 defenses (six in the United States) and all of them have ended. he had his arm raised. , some against well -known rivals in its division as the Cuban Sullivan Barrera, the Haitian Jean Pascal and the American Joe Smith. Of course, no one has reached the size of Álvarez.

“cinnamon He’s a great fighter, probably the best pound for pound fighter so far. He is someone who respects our sport and does it well. But I have the ability. We will see what happens on Saturday ”, warned the Russian, who in addition to having an advantage in height (1.83 meters against 1.73) and reach (1.83 meters against 1.80) has good speed and mobility, and a remarkable defense: According to the Compubox scoring system, he is the active fighter who receives the lowest percentage of blows thrown by his rivals (12.5%).

This Saturday’s match was announced on Feb. 25, Only 24 hours after the start of Russia’s occupation of Ukrainian territory. Since then, world sport a Witch hunter against Russian athletes, teams and national teams that led to exceptions with troche and moche. On board that penalty wave, Ukrainian brothers Vitaly and Wladimir Klitschko, former heavyweight world champions, demanded that Bivol not be allowed to face Alvarez.

In line with developments in other disciplines, the four ecumenical boxing governing bodies announced on February 26 that they would not allow world or regional title bouts on Russian land. The WBA went ahead and excluded Russian boxers from its ranks (the areas they occupied were left vacant), although it retained the status of Bivol, the only champion of that nationality.

Of course: in an unnecessarily excessive reaction, the Panama-based organization ordered that on Saturday its monarch could not join the ring with his country’s flag, that the Russian anthem would not be heard at the T-Mobile Arena and the country where it tried to become a planetary outcast. . For the WBA, Bivol and his 145 million countrymen are stateless.