Canelo Alvarez, Dmitry Bivol finalize deal for a May 7 light heavyweight title fight

According to sources, a deal for a May 7 fight between Bivol and Canelo was finalized on Friday. The pay-per-view will be announced soon.

The fight will be at 175 pounds for the super middleweight title. He scored a brutal 11th-round knockout of Sergey Kovalev in November of 2019.

Sources said that Eddie Hearn's Matchroom Boxing will be home to two fights. According to sources, the Mexican star will return to 168 pounds for the second fight if he defeats Bivol.

Sources said that GGG is in the process of making a deal. He will meet Ryoto Murata in Japan in April in a title unification. Sources said that if Golovkin wins, he will move up to 168 for the third meeting with his rival.

The package that was presented to him was from the PBC. Sources said that Al Haymon offered a one-fight deal worth up to 45 million dollars for a May 7 defense of his undisputed super middleweight championship against Jermall Charlo. Sources said that the offer for two fights and more than $100 million for a May fight with Charlo was extended to the boxer.

Instead, he chose to sign a deal with the streaming service, which will guarantee him more than $85 million and a financial windfall for his bout with GGG. Both of the bouts between Golovkin and Canelo were commercial bonanzas. Each produced over 20 million gate receipts and over 1 million pay-per-view buys.

There was a controversial draw in September of last year. One year later, Golovkin was defeated by a majority decision. They could meet a third time, but this time it would be for all the marbles at 168 pounds. They will have to triumph in their upcoming bouts. COVID-19 restrictions in Japan forced the postponement of the fight between Golovkin and Murata. In April, GGG will be 40 and hasn't competed since December 2020.

Against Bivol, the challenge will be formidable. The Russian fighter is a precise puncher and is good at controlling range with his jab. Bivol is the second rated wrestler at 175 pounds. He won the Fighter of the Year award from ESPN, after another banner campaign. He competed three times last year, winning two of them, including the undisputed super middleweight championship.