Dmitry Bivol has been mostly blasé about defending his light heavyweight title against Canelo Alvarez again, but fighting him at 168 is apparently a different story.

In a recent interview, Bivol, the WBA light heavyweight champion from Russia, offered a glimmer of enthusiasm toward the idea of fighting Alvarez at the super middleweight limit, where Alvarez owns all four belts.

The prospect of becoming an undisputed champion in a different weight class is apparently one surefire way for BoxingScene.com’s 2022 Fighter of the Year to become more receptive toward an Alvarez rematch.

“Of course it will be enough motivation for me to make 168,” Bivol told Boxing Social. “But I need to think about it more. I wasn’t 168 for many years. I didn’t make this weight. But if this fight is possible, OK , let’s talk about it. Let’s do it. I think I would be ready.”

Bivol has fought at light heavyweight for his entire professional career, but he competed closer to the 168-pound mark in the amateur ranks, where he competed in nearly 300 bouts.

Bivol’s remarks echo his promoter Eddie Hearn’s recent statement that he is deliberating with Alvarez’s team about which weight class to consider for the rematch, saying Alvarez prefers the fight to take place at 175. Hearn, however, added that Bivol has already informed him that he could make the 168-pound limit.  

Bivol, 32, has long poured water over an Alvarez rematch in part because of the comprehensive way he defeated the Mexican superstar in their meeting last May in Las Vegas. Bivol bucked the odds to win a unanimous decision that, while close on the scorecards, was largely free of any dispute.

Alvarez (58-2-2, 39 KOs), who underwent surgery for his left wrist recently, is expected to return to the ring in May, possibly against London’s John Ryder. A Bivol rematch then could occur in the fall. Alvarez followed up his loss to Bivol with a dominant victory over sworn rival Gennadiy Golovkin in their trilogy in September.

As for Bivol (21-0, 11 KOs), he is coming off a dominant points win over Gilberto Ramirez in October.