Canelo opting for a trilogy against Gennadiy Golovkin ahead of Bivol rematch

At the post-fight press conference, boxing’s top star, Alvarez said he would invoke his rematch clause to face Bivol again in September. However, he changed his mind on Monday.

“We already had that contract [with Gennadiy Golovkin], that agreement, so we have to continue what we started, and I think those are the two biggest fights in boxing, the fight with Golovkin and the rematch with Bivol,” Alvarez said Monday at his golf tournament in Naucalpan, Mexico.

“Unfortunately, we lost, but that doesn’t mean I’m not going to try again. The important thing here is perseverance and we’re going to do it again. What is certain is that we are going to return in September. And in the coming days … we are going to announce the fight.”

In February, Alvarez agreed to a multi-fight deal with Eddie Hearn’s Matchroom Boxing. This also included a boxing match against GGG on Sept. 17.

In a 175-pound championship fight, Alvarez was a 4-1 favorite to beat Bivol, but he lost a unanimous decision. Alvarez had 30 days to choose between a rematch with Bivol or a third fight with Golovkin.

After making his decision, Alvarez will return to 168 lb, where he is the undisputed champion.

Alvarez has to defend all four super middleweight championships against Golovkin on Mexican Independence Day weekend. The venue has yet to be determined, but the first two fights were held in Las Vegas.

Since winning an Olympic silver medal in 2004, Golovkin, a unified middleweight champion, has been fighting at 160 pounds. Hearn feels Golovkin will profit from the additional eight pounds, and that the defeat to Bivol will make the bout even greater.

In March, Golovkin, ESPN’s No. 2 middleweight, said, “I am comfortable knowing I won those fights.”

“I do not look back at the decisions. … I thought I won the first two, so winning the third one would be the same to me.”

Both bouts between the two were spectacular contests at the highest level. There’s still a lot of bad blood between the two fighters after Alvarez tested positive for a PED ahead of their rematch in May 2018.

Despite his claims that the negative test was due to contaminated meat ingested in Mexico, he was banned for six months. The rematch was delayed for September 2018 — but not before Golovkin threw many obscenities at Alvarez.