Saul “Canelo” Alvarez has traveled to Saudi Arabia with a clear goal in mind: to reclaim the undisputed super middleweight title for the second time in his illustrious career. On May 3, he will face the dangerous William Scull in a highly anticipated showdown. While the unification of the belts remains a major motivation for the Mexican champion, there’s an added layer of personal stakes in this fight.

In 2024, Canelo lost his undisputed champion status when the International Boxing Federation (IBF) stripped him of his 168-pound title after he refused to fight Scull. The Cuban fighter took advantage of this opportunity, winning the IBF title and joining the WBC and WBO titles that Canelo still holds. This sets the stage for a compelling confrontation, with personal revenge now factoring into Canelo’s motivations.

However, there’s one name that continues to drive Canelo even more: Dmitry Bivol. Over his 15-year professional career, only two fighters have defeated the Mexican icon: the now-retired Floyd Mayweather in 2011 and Bivol, who bested him in 2022.

Canelo’s focus on a rematch with Dmitry Bivol

Canelo’s loss to Bivol is the only blemish on his otherwise stellar career, and it left a lasting mark on his pride. Despite the setback, Canelo is determined to prove himself in a rematch. “I hope to have the opportunity for that rematch with Bivol; it’s the only fight at 175 that I really want,” Canelo stated, expressing his ambition to challenge the Russian champion again.

Dmitrii Bivol celebrates victory with the title belts and his team after the Undisputed IBF, IBO, WBC and WBO World Light Heavyweight Titles’ fight between Artur Beterbiev and Dmitrii Bivol as part of Beterbiev v Bivol 2. (Photo by Richard Pelham/Getty Images)

Canelo’s reflection on the Bivol defeat

Although the loss to Bivol stung, Canelo maintains a growth-oriented mindset, seeing it as an opportunity to learn. “It doesn’t bother me (the defeat). I tell myself, ‘Hey, you learned something from that fight—what things you shouldn’t do again,’” he shared in an interview with Ring Magazine, showing his resilient mentality and constant desire for self-improvement.

Canelo also pointed out that he wasn’t at his best during the fight against Bivol. He was physically compromised due to injuries to his hand and knee, which prevented him from competing at full capacity. “I was 50% of my skills there (against Bivol), without conditioning, nothing. I couldn’t run, I couldn’t spar because of my hand injury. I also couldn’t run due to my knee injury, so I was fighting with those two injuries. Despite that, I had a good fight, but I know it wasn’t enough.”