MEXICO CITY (Reuters) – Saul “Canelo” Alvarez said he was on schedule to return to the ring in May following surgery on a left wrist injury, the undisputed super middleweight champion said.
The Mexican beat Gennadiy Golovkin for the second time to complete their trilogy of bouts in September — after which he said he needed surgery — and could seek a rematch with WBA light-heavyweight champion Dmitry Bivol, to whom he lost in May.
“Right now my idea is to return in May. I’m going to start punching in January to see how I feel and then after that we’ll see,” Alvarez said on Wednesday.
“The idea is to come back in May with a not-so-tough fight to see how I feel and in September to seek a rematch with Bivol which is the only thing I want right now in my career.”
The World Boxing Council said this month that the winner of the bout between David Benavidez and Caleb Plant, to be held on March, would be the mandatory challenger for Alvarez.
“We’ll see what happens in the fight, it’s very competitive, I think Benavidez wins, but my focus is on the rematch with Bivol.”
(Reporting by Janina Nuno Rios in Mexico City; Editing by Toby Davis)