Dmitry Bivol handed Saul 'Canelo' Alvarez only his second professional loss in May 2022. The Russian fighter outboxed the Mexican superstar in a light-heavyweight clash, winning by unanimous decision.
Canelo, typically a super-middleweight, moved up to 175 pounds for just the second time in his career. He'd previously beaten Sergey Kovalev at this weight three years earlier. But Bivol proved a tougher challenge.
Bivol used his stellar jab and size advantage to keep Canelo at bay. The Mexican star couldn't sustain any periods of success against the bigger man. All three judges scored the bout 115-113 in Bivol's favor.
After the fight, Bivol shared his thoughts on Canelo's power at light-heavyweight:
"He has really good power. He has good speed, good power, good sense, but some people are born with the power. I don't have that type of power. I can throw a power punch if I want to put the power into my punch, I can do it intentionally and some other boxers, they have power in every punch. They can just throw a punch and it's already powerful. To be honest, as a light-heavyweight, I didn't feel like he had that power that you get from birth, I felt like he was just putting everything he can into every punch and trying to make it powerful."
The loss marked only the second defeat for Canelo in 66 professional fights. It came after a streak of three stoppage wins. Since then, Canelo has bounced back with five victories as the unified champion at 168 pounds.
Bivol's success against Canelo didn't carry over to his next big fight. He recently lost on points to Artur Beterbiev in an undisputed light-heavyweight bout.
Canelo's next fight will take place in May 2025. He'll return to his usual weight class of 168 pounds, where he'll look to continue his dominance as super-middleweight champion.
