By Jim Calfa: Canelo Alvarez (57-2-2, 39 KOs) surprisingly said that he felt he deserved the decision over WBA light heavyweight champion Dmitry Bivol (20-0, 11 KOs) last Saturday night at the T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas.
Canelo seemed to be in denial about his loss, and it was more than a little troubling for him not to understand what happened to him.
The Mexican star Canelo insists that he felt that he did enough to get the victory in the fight, but unfortunately for him, the judges gave the win to Bivol by a 12-round unanimous decision.
The scores were more than generous for Canelo, with the judges turning in this set: 115-113, 115-113, and 115-113. Boxing fans on social media had the fight scored much wider in Bivol’s favor, scoring it 118-110 and 119-109.
Canelo says he wants a rematch with Bivol, so that’s what we’re going to see. Bivol looked like he had too much firepower for Canelo tonight in terms of his punch output. That was the main problem for Canelo.
It wasn’t the size of Bivol that was Canelo’s undoing. Canelo had the better power on his shots, but he wasn’t throwing enough punches.
Moreover, Bivol used great footwork to get in & back out after he’d throw his shots. If Canelo was faster, he would have followed Bivol and landed shots when he retreated to the outside. Unfortunately, Canelo lacked the footwork.
“You have to accept it’s boxing. He’s a great champion,” said Canelo Alvarez in giving his post-fight comments after losing to Dmitry Bivol.
“Sometimes, you lose. I’m not going to give any excuses. I lost today, and he won.
“He’s a really good fighter. He’s the type that comes in and goes out. I also felt his power. It was a good fight and a good victory for him. I did feel his power, but no excuses. I think that’s what happens in the sport. You win or lose in the sport, and that’s what happens.
“He’s a great fighter. He comes in & out and really manages his distance really well. I felt like I did enough to win the fight, but that’s boxing.
“Yes, of course, I do. This doesn’t end like this,” said Canelo when asked if he plans on using his rematch clause to force a second fight with Bivol.
“A rematch, no problem,” said Bivol. “A rematch, let’s talk about. I took this fight because I wanted to get the opportunity, and I appreciate the opportunity. I’m ready for the rematch. I just want to make sure that I can be treated like a champion now.
“I proved to my boxing fans that they believed in me, and it wasn’t a misjudge. They believed in me, and I appreciate that,” said Bivol.
