There's a good chance Canelo will beat Bivol at 168

Bustajay · Nov 29, 2022

AngryBirds said: ↑

Most people want to see Bivol destroy Canelo probably due to Canelo's ego, but I don't think thats going to happen. Whatever weight they rematch at Canelo will do better than the first time around and I think he has a good shot to win at 168 because Canelo holds the most cards there.

How can I say that with confidence? Well simply put, look at the facts. Canelo largely lost the first fight because he underestimated Bivol, made no adjustments, as Mike Tyson said he completely abandoned his jab which is a fundamental tool in keeping the bigger guy off you and tried to fight him in a weight class that was out of his league. Bivol was content to play it safe and despite winning, he nearly got a draw because of it.

So what makes me think 168 is where Canelo could make a real difference?

First and foremost, Canelo is used to 168 whereas Bivol is not. Bivol couldn't do serious damage to Canelo the first time around. Bivol at a lower weight will be less of a threat in the power and chin department. His speed might be better though, but then so will Canelo's. His tactic of relying on a jab-style approach wont be nearly as effective this time because Canelo not only knows what to expect, but he also has a pretty solid jab himself as we know from the GGG fights which he'll almost be certain to use to control ring pace and keep Bivol off him. That will also minimize issues with stamina because the sooner Canelo controls the pace, that's the less effort he has to spend trying to set the pace.

As far as the argument goes of Canelo not being the right style to handle Bivol....I disagree.

That was a case of Bivol being the smarter fighter who knew when to engage Canelo, specifically to avoid his counters. As far as physical attributes go, they're in Bivol's favor but not by that much. This isn't a Foreman vs Frazier type fight where there was a true style disadvantage on Frazier's behalf. This is a situation where Canelo could potentially overcome things as he knows what to do to take away Bivol's advantages. Bivol's other big advantage was making use of the jab. It was highly effective the first time because Canelo didn't jab back, but he will this time and he wont be as effective with it.

There are also those who think Bivol will just go 2nd gear and demolish Canelo like Ramirez. Yeah it might seem like he could do that, but the thing is....he won't.

How do we know? Ramirez isn't a counter puncher. Thats why Bivol rushed him because there was no fear of return fire. Ramirez is a volume puncher who can be dangerous when on the offense. Thats why Bivol forced him to play defense. He took away that advantage. Canelo however is a counter puncher and its evident Bivol was wary of that because he refused any prolonged firefight with Canelo so he couldn't get off any counters. He's not going to rush Canelo like with Ramirez because doing that will open him up to big counters which then gives Canelo the advantage.

I think this is going to be a close battle of who is the smarter/more experienced fighter and who simply wants it more. That looks like Canelo to me.
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rodney · Nov 29, 2022

No Chance

m.s. · Nov 29, 2022

weepaul said: ↑

Agree 100%.
Before the first fight, I thought Bivol would win at 175 but Canelo would win at 168 as he seems really strong at that weight and has better stamina at that weight.
After the last GGG fight I now think Canelo is getting fu*ked up no matter the weight…
Canelo looked like complete and utter shite in the GGG fight.
It’s the first Canelo fight were I’ve thought all the fights from a really young age are starting to catch up.
I was stunned at how awful he looked.
He better hope Bivol has a real struggle with the weight or he will get battered worse than the first fight.
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The 3rd GGG vs Canelo fight is definitely one GGG could have won if he layed it all on the line. But for some reason he didn't.

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There's a good chance Canelo will beat Bivol at 168

Bustajay Feel the Steel/Balls Deep Full Member

rodney Boxing Junkie Full Member

m.s. Boxing Junkie Full Member

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There's a good chance Canelo will beat Bivol at 168

Bustajay Feel the Steel/Balls Deep Full Member

rodney Boxing Junkie Full Member

m.s. Boxing Junkie Full Member