Canelo Alvarez’s lofty ambition finally caught up with him on Saturday, as the Pound King met in the form of undefeated WBA Light Heavyweight Champion Dmitry Bivol.
Alvarez (57-2-2, 39 KOs), the four-division champion, hit 84 punches in 12 rounds overall as Pivol (20-0, 11 KOs) relied on his defensive and accurate punching. The decision was made unanimously at the T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas. All three referees scored 115-113 for Pivot, as CBS Sports scored 119-109 in favor of Pivol.
“Sorry I ruined your plans [for a fall trilogy fight against] Gen. Golovkin, perhaps, “said Bevol.” Congratulations [Alvarez], He is a great champion and I respect him. But if you do not trust yourself, what will you do? You will not achieve anything. I believe, my team believes. ”
Can’t get enough boxing and MMA? Get the latest in the world of war games from two of the best in the business. Join the Morning Combat with Luke Thomas and Brian Campbell For better analysis and in-depth news, below is an immediate analysis of Bivol’s shocking victory over Alvarez on Saturday night.
Six months after becoming the first undisputed super middleweight champion of the four belt era, Alvarez advanced to 175 pounds for the first time since winning the WBC title in 2019 by knocking out Sergei Kovalov. But that same week he made fun of what was possible. Future move to heavyweight, Alvarez could not break the technical strength of a former Russian amateur star Pivol, whose strength is paralyzing the guilt of his opponents.
Bivol’s jab was on point throughout and he consistently responded with a clean mix to any punches Alvarez scored. Biol allowed Alvarez to stand at a close distance in front of him, but did not provide him with a clean strike zone sufficient to land.
Most of the damage Alvarez attached was to Pivol’s left shoulder and arms, which he was firmly behind behind his high defense.
“I felt his power. As you can see from my hand, he hit my hand, but not my head,” Bivol said. “It’s good. He had good speed and strength. Maybe his mistake was just throwing hard punches.
“I feel good. It was the biggest fight of my career and I enjoyed this fight. People shouted at me and it gave me more energy.”
CompareBox reports that Alvarez, who suffered the only defeat against Floyd Mayweather in 2013, combined with his 17% punches against Pivol to go 152 for 84.
“He’s a great champion. Sometimes in boxing, you win or lose. I lost today, he won,” Alvarez said. “He’s a really good fighter. He’s a fighter coming in and out. I felt his power too. It was a good win for him.”
After the fight, Alvarez shared hope for the rematch, for which Pivol seemed ready.
“A rematch? No problem. Let’s talk about the remake,” Bivol said. “I took this fight because I loved this opportunity and appreciate the opportunity. I’m ready for rematch, I want to make sure I win, and now I’m considered a champion.”
Elsewhere on the cover, Montana Love got a unanimous decision on Gabriel Colas, where the two were knocked out in the first few rounds. However, the remaining matches did not reach the same excitement. Shakram Kiyasov also got a decision on Christian Gomez, while Marc Castro continued his growth with a win over Pedro Vincent.
CBS Sports will be with you overnight in Las Vegas, so follow the live results and highlights below.
Bivol fight card against Alvarez, results
- Dmitry Bivol (c) Def. Saul “Canolo” Alvarez unanimously decided (115-113, 115-113, 115-113)
- Montana Love Def. Gabriel Colas unanimously decided (114-112, 114-112, 114-112)
- Shakram Kiyasov Def. Christian Gomez unanimously decided (99-88, 99-88, 98-89)
- Marc Castro Def. Pedro Vicente unanimously decided (60-54, 60-54, 60-54)
- Zhilei Zhang Def. Scott Alexander via first round knockout
Biol scorecard against Alvarez
| Alvarez | 9 | 9 | 9 | 9 | 9 | 9 | 9 | 9 | 10 | 9 | 9 | 9 | 109 |
| Bivol (c) | 10 | 10 | 10 | 10 | 10 | 10 | 10 | 10 | 9 | 10 | 10 | 10 | 119 |
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