Sports blog information from USA TODAY.
Canelo Alvarez vs. Dmitry Bivol: live round-by-round analysis, results, full coverage.
Canelo Alvarez is scheduled to challenge light heavyweight titleholder Dmitry Bivol on pay-per-view Saturday from Las Vegas.
Boxing Junkie will post live round-by-round analysis and then the final result. Simply come back to this post after each round and at the end of the fight.
And, finally, full coverage – a fight story, photo gallery and more analysis – will follow on separate posts the night of the fight and the following day.
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Canelo Alvarez vs. Dmitry Bivol: date, time, how to watch, background.
Mexican star Canelo Alvarez returns to the ring against light heavyweight titleholder Dmitry Bivol this Saturday in Las Vegas on pay-per-view.
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Canelo Alvarez vs. Dmitry Bivol: date, time, how to watch, background.
Mexican star Canelo Alvarez returns to the ring against light heavyweight titleholder Dmitry Bivol this Saturday in Las Vegas on pay-per-view.
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Light heavyweight titleholder Dmitry Bivol has a legitimate chance to beat Canelo Alvarez on Saturday in Las Vegas.
Is light heavyweight titleholder Dmitry Bivol a legitimate threat to Canelo Alvarez?
That’s the most pressing question going into Bivol’s pay-per-view defense against the undisputed and celebrated super middleweight champion Saturday night at T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas.
And the answer is yes.
That doesn’t mean Bivol will necessarily win the fight. He probably won’t. Alvarez is around a 4-1 favorite and No. 1 on most pound-for-pound lists – No. 2 on Boxing Junkie’s – for a reason: He’s one of the best fighters of his generation.
It does mean that Bivol has a better chance of beating Alvarez than any other opponent since the Mexican star’s other fight at 175 pounds, an 11th-round knockout of a stubborn Sergey Kovalev in 2019.
Since then, Alvarez has recorded one-sided victories over Callum Smith, Avni Yildirim, Billy Joe Saunders and Caleb Plant, the first and latter two of whom are solid fighters.
Bivol (19-0, 11 KOs) is simply better, at least on paper.
The WBA beltholder has a strong fundamental foundation, having compiled a reported record of 268-15 as part of the Russian amateur program. And he has been impressive since turning professional in 2014, having built a strong resume.
Most notably, in 2018 and 2019, he easily defeated in succession Sullivan Barrera, Isaac Chilemba, Jean Pascal and Joe Smith Jr. That run of victories over seasoned contenders left no doubt about Bivol’s ability.
His last three victims – Lenin Castillo, Craig Richards and Umar Salamov – weren’t as formidable as the four mentioned above but perhaps that’s a result of his rivals’ reluctance to face him even though he holds a major world title.
Cynics will point out the fact that Bivol failed to stop his last six opponents, an indication that he has limited punching power. That probably is one reason Alvarez chose to fight Bivol as opposed to, say, knockout artist Artur Beterbiev.
That said, Bivol is no weakling. He doesn’t have concussive power, as Beterbiev does, but he doesn’t slap. His punches are heavy. Watch the video of his fight against veteran Jean Pascal (embedded here), who was stopped in his tracks by solid shots over and over again.
And it should be pointed out that he did stop 11 of his first 13 opponents.
He also will have a natural size advantage on Saturday. He’s 6-feet tall, compared to the 5-8 Alvarez. He has a reported reach of 72 inches, Alvarez 70½. And, most important, he fought much of his amateur career and all of his pro fights as a light heavyweight.
The only other fighter who could make the same claim was Kovalev, another good boxer who fought Alvarez on roughly even terms until he was finally stopped late in the fight.
What about Bivol’s lack of knockouts in recent fights?
That’s in part the result of his style. He’s a polished technician who focuses more on baffling opponents than hurting them, although, again, he has enough power to keep anyone honest.
He’s a particularly good defensive fighter, which has confounded one opponent after another. He has a knack for avoiding clean punches. Alvarez could have the same experience, at least in the first half of the fight and maybe longer.
One could say Bivol’s a bigger, better version of the capable Saunders, who gave a good account of himself against Alvarez until a punch caused his eye to swell and he couldn’t continue after eight rounds.
Again, Bivol faces an uphill battle against Alvarez. The pound-for-pounder is a master at dissecting and then methodically breaking down his opponents, which generally leads to wide unanimous-decision victories or brutal knockouts.
The point of this column is that fans can expect a competitive fight. Bivol has the ability, he has the size, he has the motivation. An upset would change his life forever.
And I, for one, wouldn’t be shocked to see that happen.
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Light heavyweight titleholder Dmitry Bivol has a legitimate chance to beat Canelo Alvarez on Saturday in Las Vegas.
Is light heavyweight titleholder Dmitry Bivol a legitimate threat to Canelo Alvarez?
That’s the most pressing question going into Bivol’s pay-per-view defense against the undisputed and celebrated super middleweight champion Saturday night at T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas.
And the answer is yes.
That doesn’t mean Bivol will necessarily win the fight. He probably won’t. Alvarez is around a 4-1 favorite and No. 1 on most pound-for-pound lists – No. 2 on Boxing Junkie’s – for a reason: He’s one of the best fighters of his generation.
It does mean that Bivol has a better chance of beating Alvarez than any other opponent since the Mexican star’s other fight at 175 pounds, an 11th-round knockout of a stubborn Sergey Kovalev in 2019.
Since then, Alvarez has recorded one-sided victories over Callum Smith, Avni Yildirim, Billy Joe Saunders and Caleb Plant, the first and latter two of whom are solid fighters.
Bivol (19-0, 11 KOs) is simply better, at least on paper.
The WBA beltholder has a strong fundamental foundation, having compiled a reported record of 268-15 as part of the Russian amateur program. And he has been impressive since turning professional in 2014, having built a strong resume.
Most notably, in 2018 and 2019, he easily defeated in succession Sullivan Barrera, Isaac Chilemba, Jean Pascal and Joe Smith Jr. That run of victories over seasoned contenders left no doubt about Bivol’s ability.
His last three victims – Lenin Castillo, Craig Richards and Umar Salamov – weren’t as formidable as the four mentioned above but perhaps that’s a result of his rivals’ reluctance to face him even though he holds a major world title.
Cynics will point out the fact that Bivol failed to stop his last six opponents, an indication that he has limited punching power. That probably is one reason Alvarez chose to fight Bivol as opposed to, say, knockout artist Artur Beterbiev.
That said, Bivol is no weakling. He doesn’t have concussive power, as Beterbiev does, but he doesn’t slap. His punches are heavy. Watch the video of his fight against veteran Jean Pascal (embedded here), who was stopped in his tracks by solid shots over and over again.
And it should be pointed out that he did stop 11 of his first 13 opponents.
He also will have a natural size advantage on Saturday. He’s 6-feet tall, compared to the 5-8 Alvarez. He has a reported reach of 72 inches, Alvarez 70½. And, most important, he fought much of his amateur career and all of his pro fights as a light heavyweight.
The only other fighter who could make the same claim was Kovalev, another good boxer who fought Alvarez on roughly even terms until he was finally stopped late in the fight.
What about Bivol’s lack of knockouts in recent fights?
That’s in part the result of his style. He’s a polished technician who focuses more on baffling opponents than hurting them, although, again, he has enough power to keep anyone honest.
He’s a particularly good defensive fighter, which has confounded one opponent after another. He has a knack for avoiding clean punches. Alvarez could have the same experience, at least in the first half of the fight and maybe longer.
One could say Bivol’s a bigger, better version of the capable Saunders, who gave a good account of himself against Alvarez until a punch caused his eye to swell and he couldn’t continue after eight rounds.
Again, Bivol faces an uphill battle against Alvarez. The pound-for-pounder is a master at dissecting and then methodically breaking down his opponents, which generally leads to wide unanimous-decision victories or brutal knockouts.
The point of this column is that fans can expect a competitive fight. Bivol has the ability, he has the size, he has the motivation. An upset would change his life forever.
And I, for one, wouldn’t be shocked to see that happen.
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Fight Week: It’s Cinco de Canelo time once again in Las Vegas.
Undisputed super middleweight champion Canelo Alvarez returns to the ring against light heavyweight titleholder Dmitry Bivol this Saturday in Las Vegas on pay-per-view.
Also fighting this week:
THURSDAY
SATURDAY
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Fight Week: It’s Cinco de Canelo time once again in Las Vegas.
Undisputed super middleweight champion Canelo Alvarez returns to the ring against light heavyweight titleholder Dmitry Bivol this Saturday in Las Vegas on pay-per-view.
Also fighting this week:
THURSDAY
SATURDAY
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Canelo Alvarez says he wants “to be undisputed (champion)at 175” pounds.
Editor’s note: This article was originally published at DAZN.com.
Canelo Alvarez could be about to launch a campaign to dominate another division.
The 31-year-old Mexican star is already in possession of all four belts at 168 pounds. And he’s set to challenger WBA 175-pound titleholder Dmitry Bivol on May 7 in Las Vegas (DAZN).
Were he to secure the strap, Alvarez would need to face the winner of the June 18 fight between WBC and IBF beltholder Artur Beterbiev and WBO champ Joe Smith Jr. to become undisputed light heavyweight champion.
That would probably take place late this year or next year because Alvarez is expected to face Gennadiy Golovkin a third time before the end of this year.
Speaking to TMZ, Canelo said he had no plans to slow down despite his success.
“I hope [I continue to stay in boxing for] a long time, because I’m gonna miss boxing when I’m retired. Right now, [I have] six years more, seven, five, I don’t know,” he said.
“I love boxing. I love a challenge. I love that adrenaline. I need to accomplish everything to be in the books of history of boxing. That’s why I’m here and I love what I do.
“When you see the best fighter go up and down a weight class and beat all the champions? I think nobody, and I try to do my best. For boxing, for me, for my legacy.”
Alvarez added that Bivol is no pushover.
“[Dmitry’s] a really good boxer,” he said. “He’s a solid champion at 175. It’s a dangerous fight. I like it, I love that kind of challenge. I really like it. But, I believe in my abilities, and I’m strong too. So, I’m confident in that, but it’s gonna be a really good fight.
“I like the idea to be undisputed at 175. That’s what I like, but you never know.”
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Canelo Alvarez says he wants “to be undisputed (champion)at 175” pounds.
Editor’s note: This article was originally published at DAZN.com.
Canelo Alvarez could be about to launch a campaign to dominate another division.
The 31-year-old Mexican star is already in possession of all four belts at 168 pounds. And he’s set to challenger WBA 175-pound titleholder Dmitry Bivol on May 7 in Las Vegas (DAZN).
Were he to secure the strap, Alvarez would need to face the winner of the June 18 fight between WBC and IBF beltholder Artur Beterbiev and WBO champ Joe Smith Jr. to become undisputed light heavyweight champion.
That would probably take place late this year or next year because Alvarez is expected to face Gennadiy Golovkin a third time before the end of this year.
Speaking to TMZ, Canelo said he had no plans to slow down despite his success.
“I hope [I continue to stay in boxing for] a long time, because I’m gonna miss boxing when I’m retired. Right now, [I have] six years more, seven, five, I don’t know,” he said.
“I love boxing. I love a challenge. I love that adrenaline. I need to accomplish everything to be in the books of history of boxing. That’s why I’m here and I love what I do.
“When you see the best fighter go up and down a weight class and beat all the champions? I think nobody, and I try to do my best. For boxing, for me, for my legacy.”
Alvarez added that Bivol is no pushover.
“[Dmitry’s] a really good boxer,” he said. “He’s a solid champion at 175. It’s a dangerous fight. I like it, I love that kind of challenge. I really like it. But, I believe in my abilities, and I’m strong too. So, I’m confident in that, but it’s gonna be a really good fight.
“I like the idea to be undisputed at 175. That’s what I like, but you never know.”
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Good, bad, worse: Leigh Wood’s KO of Michael Conlan won’t soon be forgotten.
GOOD
Knockouts like the one Leigh Wood delivered on Saturday stay with us for the rest our lives.
No, his 12th-round stoppage of two-time Olympian Michael Conlan doesn’t rise to the level of George Foreman’s knockout of Michael Moorer to complete his remarkable comeback or even Carl Froch’s one-punch KO of George Groves before 80,000 at Wembley Stadium.
Those fights were far more significant than the Wood-Conlan fight, with only a secondary title at stake.
Could it have been more dramatic, though?
Wood seemed to be well behind on the scorecards with seconds to go in Round 11, when the fight took a dramatic turn. That’s when Conlan went down from what appeared to be a grazing punch, which gave Wood a 10-8 round and opened the door to a remarkable comeback.
That was nothing compared to what was to come. Halfway through the final round Wood unloaded a flurry of hard punches, one of which hurt Conlan and sent him crashing through the ropes and onto Nottingham Arena floor.
The spectators, Wood’s hometown fans, went nuts. And I know I wasn’t the only one watching on television who thought, “Did that just happen?”
It did. Wood’s perseverance allowed him to turn what was shaping up to the be a disappointing performance into one of the most-memorable stoppages in recent British boxing history, a distinction he will always have.
And, of course, it will lead to bigger fights in the immediate future. Wood (26-2, 16 KOs) sits directly below respected WBA featherweight titleholder Leo Santa Cruz, who Wood declared he would like to face in his next outing.
I don’t see him beating a fighter of Santa Cruz’s caliber, assuming the Mexican is near his best. However, I didn’t see Wood beating the talented Conlan, either.
A man who believes in himself and never stops trying can do special things. Wood reminded us of that once again.
BAD
Wood didn’t need a knockout to avoid defeat against Conlan, as it turned out.
Two of the three official judges had Conlan leading 104-103 after 11 rounds, meaning Wood would’ve walked away with a draw had he won the 12th round on those cards instead of ending matters by knockout.
That’s not how I saw the fight. I scored it 106-102 for Conlan going into the 12th and final round, eight rounds to three. From my perspective, all the two-time Olympian had to do to complete an excellent performance was remain on his feet until the final bell.
That’s how good Conlan was, in my opinion. I thought he frustrated Wood most of the fight, couldn’t miss with his overhand left and did a good job avoiding Wood’s biggest shots.
To me, the product of Belfast looked like the elite fighter many believed he would become.
And then, in a wild moment halfway through the final round, all of the above because irrelevant when Conlan was sent through the ropes and he was unable to continue.
He would’ve been in position to fight for a major 126-pound title had he won. Now his future seems sadly uncertain.
How does one bounce back from that?
Of course, the ability is there. We saw it throughout the fight. The question now is whether he has the mental toughness to put such a devastating setback behind him, to accept his unfortunate fate as “just a part of boxing.”
We won’t know the answer to that question until Conlan gets back into the ring with a capable opponent.
WORSE
Don’t be shocked if Canelo Alvarez doesn’t challenge light heavyweight titleholder Dmitry Bivol of Russia on May 7 in Las Vegas as planned.
Former heavyweight champ Wladimir Klitschko has called on the American boxing community to prevent Bivol from competing, following the lead of other sports that have banned Russian athletes as a way of pressuring Vladimir Putin to end his war in Ukraine.
And it seems pressure might be building for Alvarez to find another opponent. For example, the British Boxing Board of Control announced a few days ago that it would not allow Russian boxers to compete in the U.K.
The anticipating light heavyweight title-unification bout between Russian Artur Beterbiev and Joe Smith Jr. could also be in jeopardy, although promoter Bob Arum said that situation is different from Alvarez-Bivol because Beterbiev is a Canadian citizen.
Bivol was born in Kyrgyzstan but moved with his family to Russia as a child and still resides there.
I believe that both of those fights will happen. Boxing has often gone its own way, for better or worse. Alvarez wants Bivol. And promoter Eddie Hearn and DAZN stand to make a lot of money from that bout and a third meeting between Alvarez and Gennadiy Golovkin in September as part of a two-fight deal.
That’s powerful motivation for Hearn and Co. to ignore calls to jettison Bivol.
If Bivol ends up being pulled? Alvarez has plenty of options. He could fight David Benavidez or Jermall Charlo (whose negotiations to fight Jaime Munguia reportedly have collapsed) in May and stay with Triple-G for September.
Then he could return to Bivol next year, assuming the political climate will be different by then.
