Canelo Alvarez has shed some light on the details of a potential rematch with Dmitry Bivol, which is expected to take place later this year.
Bivol handed Canelo his first loss in almost a decade last year, when he comprehensively outboxed the Mexican to retain the WBA light heavyweight world title.
There had been speculation that a second meeting could take place at super middleweight, giving Bivol a chance to win the four world titles currently held by Canelo at that weight.
However, the pound for pound star told Fight Hub TV that he feels like he “needs” to face Bivol at 175lbs again.
“Yes [175]. It will be the same terms. Because I feel like I need to do it in those terms.”
Canelo has more pressing concerns than a Bivol rematch however, with his fight against mandatory challenger John Ryder announced this week for May 6th.
The contest will take place at Akron Stadium in Guadalajara and will be the first time Canelo has fought in his native Mexico since 2011.
Although not well known by fans on the west side of the Atlantic, Ryder is a solid operator and recently scored a career best win over former Alvarez opponent Danny Jacobs.
That said, Canelo is a firm favourite to get past the Brit and set up a mouthwatering rematch with Bivol for the second half of 2023.
It remains unclear who the Russian will fight in the meantime, after touted opponent Joshua Buatsi reportedly turned down an offer of over £1 million for the fight.
The 32 year old followed up on the Canelo win with another impressive showing against Gilberto Ramírez in Abu Dhabi last November.