Canelo Alvarez reportedly has selected Dmitry Bivol as his next opponent, followed by rival Gennadiy Golovkin.
ESPN is reporting that Alvarez and Bivol have agreed to meet in a pay-per-view bout on May 7 for Bivol’s WBA light heavyweight title. If the Mexican star wins, he would then face Triple-G on Sept. 17, according to the outlet.
Golovkin, a middleweight titleholder who is approaching his 40th birthday, is expected to face Ryota Murata in a title-unification bout in April.
Alvarez (57-1-2, 39 KOs) had indicated that his intention was to fight cruiserweight titleholder Ilunga Makabu but backed off that idea, possibly because of criticism.
Matchroom Boxing offered him the two-fight deal to face Bivol (19-0, 11 KOs) at 175 and Golovkin at 168 for more than $85 million guaranteed, ESPN reported. He would also earn a percentage of pay-per-view revenue.
Premier Boxing Champions offered Alvarez 160-pound champ Jermall Charlo and then 168-pound contender David Benavidez for around $100 million but he opted to go with Matchroom.
Alvarez won a 175-pound title when he knocked out aging veteran Sergey Kovalev in the 11th round of a competitive fight in November 2019 and then moved back down to a more natural 168, at which he became undisputed champion.
A third fight with Golovkin probably would be well received given their history. They fought to a disputed draw in September 2017 and then Alvarez won a majority decision almost exactly a year later.