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.
Several people of this writer’s acquaintance were present when Dimitry Bivol wrapped up his training for last Saturday’s match with Canelo Alvarez. These individuals, neutral observers, accorded Bivol scant chance of winning.
Here's a breakdown of the fight details, strategies, and aftermath:
HEAR EVERY SHOT! 🥊 Bivol's BIGGEST hits vs. Canelo
Bivol's Path to Victory
Bivol first won the WBA interim light heavyweight title in only his seventh professional bout in May 2016, making his first defense of the full WBA world title in 2017, before being designated as Super champion in 2019.
Indeed, Bivol’s last six fights had gone the full 12 rounds and his fight before that had lasted into the 12th before it was stopped. And it wasn’t as if this septet was a murderers’ row.
Read also: Alvarez vs. Bivol Breakdown
Bivol controlled the bout from the opening bell, using his size and his jab to keep Álvarez at range.
As one observer noted while watching the fight, "although Bivol had the higher work rate, his punches were not of the thudding variety."
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.
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.
Read also: Canelo's Challenge
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."
Bivol claimed he was the best in the division and apologised to his promoter Eddie Hearn, who had recently had the Álvarez-Golovkin trilogy fight signed for September 2022.
Canelo's Perspective and the Aftermath
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.
Read also: Potential Canelo Fight
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.
Financial and Broadcasting Aspects
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 bout was broadcast live by sports streaming service DAZN to existing subscribers worldwide excluding Latin America.
The Potential Rematch and Future Plans
Canelo vs. Bivol had a rematch clause which Canelo initially indicated that he would activate before pulling back to give it more thought. As of this writing, no major betting shop has posted odds on this tentative match-up, but all indications are that Bivol would open a small favorite.
Before fighting Bivol, Team Canelo provisionally agreed to the date of Sept. 17 (Mexican Independence Day weekend) for Canelo-GGG III. But they let the second do-over marinate beyond the “sell-by” date, waiting until GGG was an old man (he turned 40 last month) and now the fight has even less luster as the Mexican redhead is no longer viewed as a must-see attraction.
A common thread in post-fight stories was that Alvarez, going forward, needs to return to his best fighting weight: 168 pounds.
Pound-for-Pound Rankings
The Ring magazine fairly invented the “pound-for-pound” taxonomy and is the most widely cited source for this assessment. Usyk now leapfrogs Canelo Alvarez onto the top of the leaderboard. Few boxing writers aside from Phil Jay saw the irony in this.
Official Rankings:
- WBA (Super) Light Heavyweight Champion
- TBRB No. 1 Ranked Light Heavyweight
- The Ring No.
- WBA (Super), WBC, IBF, WBO, The Ring and TBRB undisputed Super Middleweight Champion
- The Ring No.
Canelo's Dietary Change
Canelo recently adopted a mainly vegan diet.
Comparison with Canelo's Previous Loss
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.
Comparison Table: Canelo Alvarez vs. Dmitry Bivol
| Characteristic | Canelo Álvarez | Dmitry Bivol |
|---|---|---|
| Weight Class | Super Middleweight (previous), Light Heavyweight (for this fight) | Light Heavyweight |
| Strategy | Body shots, power punches | Using size and jab to control distance |
| Result | Loss (Unanimous Decision) | Win (Unanimous Decision) |
| Post-Fight Reaction | Initially disagreed with decision, later acknowledged defeat | Claimed to be the best in the division |