Canelo Alvarez was supposed to complete his trilogy with Gennady “GGG” Golovkin in the second half of 2022 after taking care of Dmitry Bivol in a light heavyweight championship fight. Those plans were thrown into disarray Saturday when Bivol pulled off the upset, handing Alvarez his first loss in nine years.

Alvarez has a couple of options for his next fight. The star boxer could still take on Golovkin in September, but that bout has lost some of its luster with Alvarez coming off a loss. Alvarez also has the option of triggering his rematch clause to face Bivol for a second straight bout.

Following the unexpected loss, Alvarez indicated that he wanted to fight Bivol. His reluctance to compete at 175 pounds again could prevent a rematch from happening.

“My most natural weight, [where I’m] most comfortable, is 168,” Alvarez said after the loss. “And that’s where I feel best. So, we’re gonna go and see if we’re gonna take on this rematch [with Bivol].”

All three judges scored the fight 115-113 in favor of Bivol. Alvarez landed 84 punches compared to Bivol’s 152, according to CompuBox. Bivol had 106 power punches, while Alvarez only landed 74. There was no controversy in the unanimous decision victory for Bivol.

That wasn’t the case in Alvarez’s two fights with Golovkin. While the first meeting in 2017 was scored a draw, most viewers thought that Golovkin should’ve been named the winner. Alvarez performed much better when he won the rematch in 2018, though not everyone agreed it was a decisive victory.

There’s likely less risk in choosing to face Golovkin next. A feared knockout artist for much of his career, Golovkin is 40 years old and no longer in his prime. Bivol is 31 years old, like Alvarez, and a perfect 20-0 in his professional boxing career.

Golovkin beat Ryōta Murata by TKO on April 9 to improve his career record to 42-1-1.

Another fight with Golovkin was thought to be the biggest possible moneymaker for Alvarez. If a rematch with Bivol has moved to the top of that list, Alvarez could decide that it’s his best option for later this year.

"Canelo against Dmitry Bivol 2 is probably the biggest fight in boxing now," promoter Eddie Hearn said, via ESPN. "I can't see [Alvarez] not wanting to accept the challenge."

Canelo Alvarez lands a shot to the body of Caleb Plant during their unifciation bout on Nov. 7 at the MGM Grand Garden Arena in Nevada, USA.
Canelo Alvarez lands a shot to the body of Caleb Plant during their unifciation bout on Nov. 7 at the MGM Grand Garden Arena in Nevada, USA. Mikael Ona | IBTimes
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