On May 7th, we witnessed Canelo Alvarez being dealt his second pro defeat, as WBA light heavyweight champion Dmitry Bivol pulled off a monumental upset.
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It was one of boxing's worst kept secrets that if Canelo was to come through his bout on top against Bivol, that the huge trilogy showdown with Gennady 'GGG' Golovkin was going to be the next time we saw Canelo in the ring. GGG had completed his side of the deal as he defeated Ryota Murata in April.
GGG stops Murata in the 9th ????#GGGMuratapic.twitter.com/5WpaRf3sOd
— DAZN Boxing (@DAZNBoxing) April 9, 2022
However, Bivol produced a huge stumbling block as he defeated Canelo, and even referenced the Golovkin plans post fight by simply saying; "Eddie Hearn, Sorry I broke your plans with Gennady Golovkin."
"Thank you @EddieHearn, sorry I broke your plans with Gennady Golovkin" ????#CaneloBivolpic.twitter.com/HBIKLJK8fi
— DAZN Boxing (@DAZNBoxing) May 8, 2022
Canelo expressed his desire for a rematch with Bivol, and Bivol gladly accepted, meaning that that is likely the next bout we see Canelo take.
Both Canelo and Dmitry Bivol are in for a rematch ????
Watch #CaneloBivol on demand on https://t.co/FoiaUtUyQV worldwide, excl. Latin America & Mexico | DAZN PPV in US & Canada pic.twitter.com/N8EpWQfhB8
— DAZN Boxing (@DAZNBoxing) May 8, 2022
Other news that broke in the boxing world on May 7th was that former welterweight world champion Kell Brook has made the decision to retire from boxing. Brook settled his bitter rivalry with Amir Khan earlier this year and was given many options following that victory, but Brook ultimately opted to retire.
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One of those options was to have a massive domestic clash with Chris Eubank Jr. Negotiations opened after the pair produced big victories in February and talks were ongoing. However, Eubank Jr's promoter Kalle Sauerland told Boxing Social that talks had gone cold for Brook vs Eubank Jr, and all has now become apparent as to why.
? Kalle @SauerlandBros says talks have 'gone cold' for a potential all-British clash between @ChrisEubankJr and @SpecialKBrook. ????????
???? @Betfred Canelo Boost: https://t.co/XgczTzoawD
#Boxingpic.twitter.com/WGxdTVRzfZ— Boxing Social (@boxing_social) May 6, 2022
GGG and Eubank Jr very nearly crossed paths all the way back in 2016. GGG had just defended his WBA, IBF and WBC world middleweight titles against Dominic Wade and expressed a desire to fight in the UK. Eubank Jr had just defended his British title against Tom Doran and called out GGG.
Chris Eubank calls out @GGGBoxing and says if he can get a fight with Golovkin, he wants the paper champ Saunders pic.twitter.com/yDift5DFVQ
— BoxingHypeStore.com (@BoxingHype) June 25, 2016
Negotiations infamously fell through, with Eddie Hearn claiming that Eubank Jr priced himself out of the fight. GGG went on to fight Kell Brook in the UK instead, where he won via fifth round stoppage.
Fast forward to 2022, both GGG and Eubank Jr's planned fights have all but fallen through. Eubank Jr has called out GGG even more over the years.
Eubank has also taken to Twitter to present the challenge to Golovkin.
Well @GGGBoxing looks like your going to need a new dance partner now that Canelo has been dethroned. I’m ready to tango baby let’s get it on this summer ????????????
— Chris Eubank Jr (@ChrisEubankJr) May 8, 2022
Have the stars finally aligned for Eubank Jr to get his shot at middleweight world title glory against GGG?