Physics has limits even for the best pound-for-pound boxer in the world. Saúl ‘Canelo’ Álvarez ran into a barrier that surpassed him in strength, height and speed, called Dmitry Bivol, who did not allow him to keep a new belt, this time in the light heavyweight category. It was a challenge that beforehand had many factors against it and they ended up fulfilling it.
This was Alvarez’s attempt to retake the top spot at light heavyweight, something he accomplished in 2019 against Sergey Kovalev. In total, during his career, the man from Jalisco has participated in five different categories: welterweight, super welterweight, middleweight, super middleweight and light heavyweight, suffering his only defeats (2) in super welterweight and light heavyweight.
Against the Russian Bivol, ‘Canelo’ lost the second fight of his career (57-2-2; 39 knockouts). The defeat was by unanimous decision and with a valuation of cards of 115-113. The first and until then only time that the Mexican had lost was in 2013 against Floyd Mayweather Jr. in the super welterweight category. As for championship battles between the Russians and the Mexicans, the former lead with a 5-2 record.
Alvarez knew he was facing a different situation against Bivol. After four fights between 2020 and 2021 in which he ratified his power as number 1 in the super middleweight category, winning the belts of the World Boxing Council (WBC), the Association (WBA), the Organization (WBO) and the Federation International (IBF), decided to start 2022 with a capital test by going from 168 pounds to 175.
“I like challenges, they make me feel alive. I have a great fighter in front of me and I know that it will not be an easy fight”, Álvarez had said in the previous one against Bivol, who from the first moment showed that his physique would be an advantage against the Mexican.
Bivol is 10 centimeters taller than ‘Canelo’ (1.83 meters against 1.73), but it is not only the number, but also the use he gives him combined with his constant leg movements, which do not make him seem like a light heavyweight fighter. The Russian took advantage of this circumstance to intimidate the Mexican from the first rounds.
“He doesn’t usually fight like a light heavyweight but his style is more like a lightweight, although his punch is powerful. He usually controls the distance and space with his right hand”, defined the newspaper As about Bivol, who has been 10 times world champion in his category, although two of them on an interim basis.
Although according to the judges’ cards ‘Canelo’ took the first four rounds (and the nine; Bivol won from 5 to 8 and from 10 to 12), his speed was diminishing and he ended up as the lowest exhibition in terms of to punches landed from the 61 fights he has had in his entire professional career since 2005 with only 84, less than the 117 he managed to land against Mayweather Jr. in 2013, which was his lowest figure until 2022.
The jab figures also showed a huge difference between the Russian and the Mexican. According to CompuBox records, Bivol landed 46 of the 418 jabs he threw, that is, having an 11% effectiveness, while ‘Canelo’ could only achieve it in 10 of his 229 attempts, which means a 4% effectiveness. effectiveness in jabs, 7% less than his opponent.
As for power shots, the figures also showed Bivol’s leadership with 106 connected from 292 against 74 from 266 by ‘Canelo’. In percentage translation, the Russian’s throws had more power by 36% compared to 28% of the boxer from Guadalajara, Jalisco.
Bivol reached 20 wins in his career still without defeat (11 knockouts) and retained the WBA light heavyweight belt. Although ‘Canelo’ had already stormed a title in this category in 2019, against Sergey Kovalev, on that occasion the circumstances were different: Kovalev is seven years older than the Mexican, in addition to coming from two exhausting fights against Eleider Álvarez and Anthony Yard.
Bivol, meanwhile, is the same age as Saúl Álvarez and came into the May 7 matchup with the backing of eight battles defending his light heavyweight title, in addition to constant preparation with his team in the United States.
Just in that preparation, the Russian admitted having used sparring partners physically similar to ‘Canelo’, which helped him so that at the time of the fight he felt the strength and speed of the Mexican, but not his power: “Not everyone is born with power, I can throw a power fist, although other fighters can do the same and in ‘Canelo’ I didn’t feel like I had that light heavyweight power.”
Finally, in economic matters, the stock market did not change. ‘Canelo’ already had 15 million dollars insured just for getting into the ring, while for Bivol it was only two, while in the distribution of PPV income the balance was 70-30% with an advantage for the Mexican.
“I just beat a guy who wanted my belt, that’s what’s on my mind and he was a super middleweight. Yes, he had the light heavyweight belt (in 2019 after the victory against Kovalev), but I don’t consider myself the king, I just beat ‘Canelo,'” Bivol detailed at the end of the fight, showing that physics and preparation were your best allies to stop the best pound for pound.