Canelo Alvarez hadn’t lost since 2013 when Floyd Mayweather Jr. outclassed him.
Dmitry Bivol came in as the champion that wasn’t treated like a champion and walked out with a dominating unanimous decision win.
All three judges had the fight 115-113. It was shocking that all three of them had Canelo winning the first four rounds. MTC Media scored the fight 117-111.
Bivol fought the fight as his pace all night with his movement and effective combination punches. He reduced Canelo to being a one-trick pony. When the win trick didn’t work, Canelo was visibly frustrated as he had a look like “you’re not suppose to steal my night”.
Canelo’s most impactful punches came to Bivol’s arms. It was a strategy that he’s used before. Landing punches that eventually makes his opponent drop their arms. That allows Canelo to land his power punches as the fight goes on but last night was different.
Canelo didn’t have the benefit of a catch-weight or a rehydration clause. He fought a true 175 pound champion and it showed.
Bivol never lost his composure. He never strayed from the game plan. He was the better boxer last night. He broke down Canelo with his technical expertise which allowed him to keep the fight in the middle of the ring.
All of that allowed Bivol to walk out of the ring as the champion. In the negotiations for the rematch, Bivol will want the contract to reflect the fact that he’s the attraction.
