Is Canelo Finished At The Top Level?

Canelo Alvarez has confirmed that while a rematch with Dmitry Bivol remains a possibility, it is no longer a high priority, but questions remain if he is able to compete at the top level.

Since their 2022 encounter which Bivol won via a unanimous decision, the two fighters have found themselves on different paths. Bivol recently became undisputed at 175 after beating Artur Beterbiev in February 2025. Bivol then vacated his WBC belt, as he is preparing for a return against his IBF mandatory challenger Michael Eifert following back surgery.

Meanwhile, Alvarez is coming off a September 2025 loss to Terence Crawford, which cost him his super middleweight title. Canelo’s focus has shifted towards reclaiming his status at 168 pounds rather than chasing the Bivol rematch, but he did not rule it out, if it ‘made sense.’

Canelo’s main desire was to run things back with Terence Crawford. However, Bud retired from the sport after the Canelo win, meaning the Mexican has to explore his options. Canelo’s only other defeat aside from Bivol and Crawford was against Floyd Mayweather. The failure to run things back with Mayweather and Crawford means the Bivol fight is all the more important. However, there are doubts over whether Canelo is the same fighter. Alvarez revealed that his body was not at its peak when he faced Crawford. 

Canelo Reacts

“A lot of things [went wrong]. My body didn’t respond the way I really wanted,” he said. “I wanted to move faster, and this and that, and I didn’t recuperate the way that I needed. My legs felt a little bit tired, too. But Crawford deserves all the credit. He had a better strategy than me.

“But, I think I did well, even when my body wasn’t feeling well. Eddy Reynoso was telling me everything I needed to do, and I tried. But my body wasn’t responding. I had cramps in my legs. I know what mistakes I made in the fight and in the training camp. In boxing, being a winner doesn’t mean you need to win every time. You need to take the losses and learn from them and move forward,” Canelo stated