[Canelo Alvarez: Beyond the Kovalev Victory, Is Beterbiev a Suitable Opponent?]
Sergio Mora argues that Canelo Alvarez is simply too small for Dmitry Bivol or Artur Beterbiev, but that claim collides with Canelo’s track record. Moving up to light heavyweight did not stop Canelo from taking on Sergey Kovalev, so physical scale alone should not close the book on either matchup.
When Chris Mannix asked what should happen if Bivol gets past Callum Smith, Mora chose a third meeting between Bivol and Beterbiev over a Canelo rematch. He dismissed Canelo’s prospects, pointing to edges that reach beyond the 175-pound limit.
“Bivol’s bigger, he has faster feet, and he has one of the best jabs in boxing that gives Canelo issues. And Beterbiev is just way too big, way too strong, and he has smart footwork as well. Not in and out like Bivol, but it’s smart fundamentally. No, both of those guys are too big for him,” Mora told DAZN Boxing.
The technical points Mora raises hold far more substance than simple scale. Canelo climbed to 175 in November 2019, stopping the 36-year-old Kovalev in the eleventh round to capture the WBO belt. That victory remains a cornerstone of his four-division resume, keeping any future venture at light heavyweight open to legitimate discussion.
If Canelo truly cleaned out 168 and sits on a throne where nobody at super middleweight is worthy, then stepping up to fight Artur Beterbiev is the exact test he should take.
The critics who instantly rule out a Beterbiev clash point to size, power, and danger. Yet those same excuses vanish whenever people praise Canelo for jumping straight to light heavyweight in 2019 to take out Sergey Kovalev. If handling the physical jump to 175 was good enough to claim a belt back then, using size as a shield today doesn’t work. Canelo already established that he will willingly step into the ring against a light heavyweight champion when an opportunity presents itself.
The timing makes the matchup entirely fair game. Beterbiev is past 40, carrying the heavy mileage, wear, and physical toll of a brutal, extended career. When Canelo moved up to dethrone Kovalev, he targeted a 36-year-old champion with clear vulnerabilities. Facing a 41-year-old Beterbiev fits the identical blueprint. If Canelo’s supporters argue that Beterbiev’s age is catching up to him, then Canelo has zero excuses to avoid testing those waters.
Ruling the fight out gives Canelo a convenient pass to linger in safe territory. Instead of entertaining another slow, uneventful outing against Terence Crawford or settling for predictable matchups at super middleweight, Canelo ought to prove his greatness where the stakes are genuine. If he were brave enough to hunt Kovalev at 175, ruling out an aging Beterbiev looks less like caution and more like dodging a fight that would truly test his limits.
