01:07 ET
-
Mike Coppinger ESPN
LAS VEGAS – Dmitry Bivol, in one of the biggest boxing upheavals in recent times, unanimously ruled over top sports star Canelo Alvarez on Saturday at the T-Mobile Arena.
All three judges marked the battle 115-113, but the match was not so close. However, Buffalo had to win the final rounds with all three cards to avoid a draw. Equally puzzling: All three judges scored the first four rounds for Alvarez.
Leaving aside the judges’ opinion, Bivol (20-0, 11 KOs) controlled from the start as he used his superb size, range and punch to retain his light heavyweight title in his ninth defense.
“Today I proved myself, I am the best [in my division]”Said Bivol, who lives in St. Petersburg, Russia, but did not play his national anthem at a time when many of his compatriots are banned from major sporting events due to the war in Ukraine. “Eddie Hearn, I’m sorry I ruined your plans with Gennady Golovkin.”
The long-awaited trilogical battle between Alvarez and Golovkin, the biggest event boxing can provide, has already been signed for September 17th. Instead, Alvarez said he plans to exercise his contractual right to an immediate rematch.
Strike statistics
HitsAlvarezBivolTotal hits84152Total throws 495710Percent17% 21% Hit blows1046Ejected blows229418Percent4% 11% Power 74106Ejected power266292Percent28% 36% – Courtesy of Compuu
“It doesn’t end there,” said Alvarez, who entered ESPN’s No. 1 pound ring.
“No apologies, I lost today; he’s a great boxer … I felt his strength. He comes in and out. He manages his distance really well.”
As Buffalo said, “Revenge? No problem.”
The 31-year-old Bivol used beautiful footwork to circumvent Alvarez’s power strikes and stay out of danger in the early rounds, but Bivol also held on and fired three- and four-shot combinations that hit the target.
Alvarez (57-2-2, 39 KO) smashed the opposition with 168 pounds in the last 16 months and collected all four world titles to win the undisputed title in the super middleweight category, but the attempt to regain the title of 175 pounds proved too much .
The defeat is Alvarez’s first since 2013, when he was just 23 and outscored Floyd Mayweather. And as the greatest of all time, Bivol uses expert counterattacks created by the blow to accumulate ammunition.
The 31-year-old Mexican boxer put a lot of pressure and achieved some success from the inside, especially with the right uppercut, which from time to time tore Buffalo’s guard. But Alvarez could not withstand the attack.
2 Related
Buffalo, ESPN’s No. 2 light heavyweight, was by far the cleanest hit throughout the match. He caught many of Alvarez’s powerful blows to his gloves and hands, his left biceps swollen and red when he struck the last bell.
“He hit my hand, but not my head,” said Bivol, who was a 4-1 outsider, according to Caesars Sportsbook. “He kept hitting me on the hands, and I kept hitting him in the face … I expect that. I watched the battle against Callum Smith.
Alvarez had targeted Smith’s arm in an attempt to take the blow and left the Englishman with a torn biceps in their battle in December 2020. The strategy against Buffalo did not work.
Buffalo made a surprising number of flush shots – 152 connects to 84 – and Alvarez’s face was already flushed at the end of Round 1. Alvarez was used to control, but often looked frustrated, especially down the stretch, as the seconds went by in his incredible run. on top of the sport.
“I know how people love Canello, and that’s normal, he’s the greatest fighter in the world,” Bivol admitted. “He is a champion in four weight categories and has four belts. People are on his side. No problem for me.”
Alvarez marched forward and pressed to strike a changing battle, but it never materialized. He managed to strike a few solid blows in the 9th round and the audience roared, hoping that he could gather down the section, but Alvarez admitted that he was tired.
“I don’t feel like I’ve lost the battle,” Alvarez said. “… Personally, I felt that he won only four or five rounds … Maybe the weight was a slight problem and made me feel less than 100 percent … We want a rematch and we will do better in revenge.
“I was looking for greatness tonight. I have many years ahead of me and I will return stronger.”
Add Comment