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By Dan Ambrose: Oscar De La Hoya says he thinks WBA light heavyweight champion Dmitry Bivol is a dangerous fighter for Canelo Alvarez to be facing in his next fight on May 7th.
Although promoter De La Hoya likes the fight for Canelo, he believes it’s a tough one that he might lose. Canelo (57-1-2, 39 KOs) wants to become the undisputed champion at 175, and Bivol, 31, will be the first step for him to achieve that goal.
If Canelo successfully defeats Bivol, we could see him fight IBF/WBC 175-lb champion Artur Beterbiev and WBO champion Joe Smith Jr. in 2023.
The only reason Canelo wouldn’t go after Beterbiev and Smith this year is that he plans on fighting Gennadiy Golovkin on September 17th, and then either Ilunga Makabu or John Ryder in December.
De La Hoya worries that Bivol (19-0, 11 KOs), who is Russian and lives in Saint Petersburg, Russia my have problems getting into the United States to fight Canelo.
We’re assuming that Bivol’s promoter Eddie Hearn will find a way for Bivol to travel to the States by going to a different country, and then flying from there.
“I love the match-up, and I love the fact that he’s a dangerous guy, and he [Canelo] chose him,” said Oscar De La Hoya to Fighthype. “I just hope the U.S allows him into our country because he is from Russia and is training in Russia.
“I sure hope he can fly over and that fight happens,” said De La Hoya about the Canelo Alvarez vs. Dmitry Bivol fight. “Now that I think about it, Bivol being Russian, it does worry me whether he can get into the States. That’s going to be the problem.
“I haven’t studied Bivol that much, but I’m actually excited that fight is taking place. Bivol is one of the dangerous ones. So either a fight with Charlo or the rest of the guys, it’s a great choice. So, I think Canelo made the right choice
“I think Bivol is a perfect choice. He’s a dangerous fighter and can derail Canelo at any time,” said De La Hoya.
Bivol has an excellent chance of beating Canelo if he’s fighting at 100%, and showing the same form that he had in his wins over Joe Smith Jr. and Sullivan Barrera.
“We’re proud of what we built, and we’re proud of the foundation that we’ve laid for him. Now, we’re excited to be working with the next superstar Ryan Garcia.
“It never stops with us. We know how to build champions, and that’s what we do best.
“Either route is great, as long as he fights everybody it’s great for boxing,” said De La Hoya when asked whether Canelo should have agreed to PBC’s two-fight deal to fight Jermall Charlo and David Benavidez.
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