The boxing world was stunned when WBA light heavyweight champion Dmitry Bivol defeated Canelo Alvarez in May 2022. The career-long 175-pounder Bivol insisted a second fight should take place at 168 pounds, Alvarez’s natural weight class and the division for which he held the undisputed champion title. On-and-off discussions for a rematch took place for around a year before both parties moved on.
Canelo and Bivol first fought on May 7, 2022, and the latter shocked the boxing world with a one-sided unanimous decision victory to retain the WBA light heavyweight title. Bivol's boxing and size advantage gave Canelo fits, as the now undisputed light heavyweight champion won more handily in the eyes of most compared to the three 115-113 scorecards the judges rendered.
Dmitry Bivol vs Canelo Alvarez Rematch?
- WBA (Super) Light Heavyweight Champion
- TBRBNo. 1 Ranked Light Heavyweight
- The RingNo.
- WBA (Super), WBC, IBF, WBO, The Ring and TBRB undisputedSuper Middleweight Champion
- The Ring No.
Canelo Álvarez vs. Dmitry Bivol, billed as Legacy is Earned, was a professional boxing match between 4-division world champion, Canelo Álvarez, and defending WBA (Super) light heavyweight champion, Dmitry Bivol.
The First Fight: A Breakdown
Bivol controlled the bout from the opening bell, using his size and his jab to keep Álvarez at range. At the end of 12 rounds all three judges scored the bout 115-113 in favour of Bivol. Bivol won the final 3 rounds on all three judges scorecards to avoid anything other than a deserved win. Interestingly, all three judges scored the first four rounds unanimously for Álvarez.
Read also: Alvarez vs. Bivol Breakdown
Bivol fought behind the jab in the opening round whilst Álvarez attacked his body. Álvarez gained Bivol's attention when he landed a clean right uppercut on his chin to close the fourth round.
Bivol used his excellent foot movements and took control of the fight during the mid rounds. Bivol was warned by referee Russell Mora in the seventh round for pushing Álvarez down. He was not deducted any points.
Bivol's arms were bruised due to Álvarez's tactics, the same tactic he had used in his win over Callum Smith where he targeted his arms. Bivol said, "He beat my arm up but not my head. He kept hitting me in the arms, and I kept hitting him in the face ... I expect that. I watched the fight against Callum Smith."
Aftermath and Rematch Negotiations
Speaking after the fight, Álvarez planned to activate the rematch clause in the contract. He said, "It doesn't end like this. No excuses, I lost today; he is a great boxer ... I felt his power. He comes in and he goes out. He manages his distance really well." This was also Álvarez's first professional loss since 2013 and was on a 16-fight unbeaten streak.
Despite the widespread public opinion that Bivol was the deserved winner, Álvarez initially disagreed with this notion, stating in his post-fight interview: "I don't feel like I lost the fight... Personally, I felt he [Bivol] only won four or five rounds." He later acknowledged defeat and alluded to an issue hampering his training regimen, "It’s another reason, but I don’t want to say anything and make any excuses. I lost and that’s it. I got tired and that’s it.
Read also: Canelo vs. Bivol: A Comprehensive Review
According to Dan Rafael, the PPV did 520,000 buys worldwide generating between $35 million to $40 million in revenue. The PPV numbers were much lower than the 1 million they had forecasted. According to reports, Álvarez was to take home a $15 million base up, rising up to $53 million.
The Mexican star ultimately punted on fighting Bivol (22-0, 11 KOs) and said the Russian made negotiations hard. “How can I make [negotiations] difficult? We didn't even discuss it, to be honest. Nothing. He had his dates already and then I saw in the news that the problem was me. It was funny. I beat him once. I'm good,” Bivol told BoxingScene.com in an interview.
“I'm not a big light heavyweight fighter. I can make 168, but only for belts. Canelo has the belts, and that is why I wanted to fight him. But now we have other plans and we will follow our plans, and then we will see. Maybe in the future. I don't know when. But now I am focused on being the undisputed champion in the light heavyweight division. That's more realistic than another fight … I hope I will fight for undisputed in my weight class because the subject with Canelo is now closed.”
Bivol believes his dominant decision win in which he outlanded Alvarez 152 to 84 across 12 rounds forced the four-division champion Alvarez to reconsider another run at 175 pounds. “I think at one moment he felt that he should respect this weight class. He respects, I think,” said Bivol.
Why is Dmitry Bivol's STYLE so hard to DEFEAT? - (Skillr Breakdown)
Canelo's Perspective and Future Plans
Alvarez had only fought once before at 175 pounds, a 2019 11th-round knockout win against Sergey Kovalev. After the Bivol fight, Alvarez scored wins against Gennadiy Golovkin, John Ryder, and Jermell Charlo at 168 pounds.
Read also: Potential Canelo Fight
With Saul "Canelo" Alvarez on the doorstep of becoming a two-time undisputed super middleweight champion with a win over William Scull on May 3, there isn't much else for him to accomplish in the weight class. Canelo commented on the possibility of moving back up to 175 pounds and attempting to avenge his loss to undisputed light heavyweight champion Dmitry Bivol and said he wouldn't rule anything out regarding his future. "Everything can happen," Canelo said. "Everything is a possibility.
Canelo has to get past Scull (23-0, 9 KOs), the IBF super middleweight champion, on May 3 and a potential bout against pound-for-pound great Terence Crawford (41-0, 31 KOs) in September.
Bivol's Potential Opponents
Bivol (24-1, 12 KOs) has two huge fights as possibilities for the next time he steps in the ring. He could opt for the trilogy against Artur Beterbiev (21-1, 20 KOs) after they split the first two bouts, with Bivol winning by majority decision in their last meeting on Feb. 22.
The WBC has also ordered Bivol to face WBC and WBA secondary titlist David Benavidez (29-0, 24 KOs), though, that would likely be put on the backburner if Bivol vs. Beterbiev 3 is made for later this year.
If Bivol and Canelo can handle their business, they could be on a collision course for a rematch, and a win for either pound-for-pound great in their second bout would go a long way toward cementing their legacy as one of the best of this generation.
Crawford's Challenge and Lessons from Bivol
Terence Crawford has only two losses in Canelo Alvarez’s career to study going into their fight, and they do not make good watching for the challenger. Canelo was the bigger man, but the incredible defensive movement of Mayweather proved unstoppable, as he handily beat Canelo in a twelve-round fight. The Mexican’s other loss came just three years ago, but it told a much different story that should worry Crawford ahead of their fight.
Almost a decade after he lost to Mayweather, Canelo made the mistake of jumping up one weight class too many in his chase to become a four-weight champion.Dmitry Bivol used his size advantage to neutralize Canelo Alvarez after his jump up in weight.
The Mexican jumped up to Light Heavyweight to challenge WBA Light Heavyweight champion Dmitry Bivol. The Russian was comfortable at that weight, while Canelo was a Welterweight who had excelled up to Super Middleweight, but it was clear that 175 lbs was a step too far for him.
While they weighed in at similar weights, Bivol had the height and reach advantage in the fight. Additionally, he carried the weight more naturally on his frame, as opposed to the bloat of muscle filling Canelo’s body.
Bivol expertly used the size to his advantage, keeping out of Canelo’s range by controlling the distance and not letting him inside, where he could do some real damage with his power punches.
It was an expert performance. Canelo landed more punches on Mayweather than he did on Bivol, landing just 17% of his punches throughout the fight. The bulk of them hit Bivol’s arms as he masterfully blocked nearly everything Canelo threw at him, taking home a win via a points decision that flattered Canelo.
Canelo’s loss to Bivol could prove prophetic of Crawford’s own step up in weight classes for the fight against the undisputed champion. Canelo has been a dominant champion at Super Middleweight over the past few years, while the #3 Pound-for-Pound Crawford has arguably been more impressive, but at a much lighter weight.
His last fight came at Light Middleweight, two weights below the 167.5 lbs he weighed in at the day before the clash with Canelo. Bud has packed on the muscle, weighing in much heavier than at any point in his career, and could face the same struggles to carry that weight in the ring as Canelo did against Bivol.
All the champion needs to do is follow the example set by Bivol, and he should have no issues beating Crawford.