Posted on 01/01/2023
By: Sean Crose
“It might not go down as an all time nice mild heavyweight battle,” I wrote after the struggle. “This wasn’t Spinks-Qawi, or Greb-Tunney. What it was nevertheless was a struggle that despatched the world of boxing reeling.” Positive sufficient, WBA mild heavyweight titlist Dmitry Bivol had simply defeated the good Canelo Alvarez. “Issues weren’t presupposed to work out this manner in fact,” I went on. “Canelo was anticipated to win a difficult but manageable bout earlier than transferring on to face arch rival Gennady Golovkin within the fall. Expectations die in boxing, nevertheless. Your entire sport might be an expectation graveyard.”
Obligatory Credit score: Melina Pizano/Matchroom.
Whereas Canelo did certainly go on to face and dominate Golovkin in a 3rd struggle in September, his spring defeat on the gloved arms of Bivol remains to be resonating on the daybreak of 2023. Though Canelo had been defeated by Floyd Mayweather in 2013 and had obtained some questionable determination wins in opposition to Erislandy Lara and Golovkin respectively, the purple haired star in his absolute prime earlier than heading in direction of the ring to reply the bell in opposition to Bivol that Las Vegas evening final Could. He had beforehand crushed Caleb Plan and earlier than that Billy Joe Saunders. Good competitors would come Canelo’s approach, and that competitors would fall. That was not, nevertheless, to be the case with Bivol.
Whereas it’s true that Bivol entered the struggle the naturally greater man it was additionally true that the 19-0 Russian had a easy but sensible plan with which to cope with the formidable Canelo. For starters, Bivol put a robust jab to make use of, successfully preserving Canelo from getting in vary. Bivol additionally tossed off stinging mixtures, making it appear at instances as if Canelo may really be harm (one thing followers had by no means seen). Equally telling was the truth that Canelo merely couldn’t break his man down as he usually did in opposition to opponents. Finally, Bivol was too large, too sturdy, too sharp, and had too good a plan to permit the legendary Canelo to get the very best of him.
Whereas the 57-1-2 Canelo was identified to be a choose’s darling, he couldn’t persuade the judges that night that he had defeated and even drawn with Bivol. The defending titlist walked out of the ring that evening with the WBA title nonetheless in his possession. And Canelo? Effectively, it’s exhausting to fault a person for failing at an formidable quest from which he clearly gave his all. Different fighters ought to be extra like him.