*** HIGHGLIGHTS! Watch Canelo Vs. Bivol Full Fight Video Highlights Here! ***
Boxing’s premier superstar faces one of one of its top technicians tonight (Sat., May 7, 2022) when undisputed Super Middleweight champion, Saul “Canelo” Alvarez, returns to the Light Heavyweight division to challenge unbeaten WBA titlist, Dmitry Bivol.
MMAmania.com will deliver LIVE coverage of the Canelo vs. Bivol main event below. The main card broadcast kicks off on DAZN pay-per-view (PPV) at 8 p.m. ET, while Canelo and Bivol are expected to make their ring walks around 11 p.m. ET.
Russia’s Bivol has firmly established himself as one of the two best at 175 pounds with more than a half-dozen successful defenses of his belt. On paper, he’s far above the faded Sergey Kovalev, whom Alvarez leveled in his one (and only) appearance at the weight back in 2019.
If Canelo wants a lucrative third fight with Gennadiy Golovkin this September, he’ll have to earn it.
The card will also see undefeated Heavyweight, Zhilei Zhang, square off with late replacement, Scott Alexander, while fast-rising Super Lightweight, Montana Love, takes on Gabriel Valenzuela and top Uzbek prospect, Shakhram Giyasov, open the show against knockout artist, Christian Gomez.
Canelo Vs. Bivol Quick Results:
Canelo Alvarez vs. Dmitry Bivol — Bivol def. Alvarez by unanimous decision (115-113 x3) — WATCH HIGHLIGHTS!
Montana Love vs. Gabriel Valenzuela — Love def. Valenzuela by unanimous decision (114-112 x3)
Shakhram Giyasov vs. Christian Gomez — Giyasov def. Gomez by unanimous decision (98-89, 99-88 x2)
Zhang Zhilei vs. Scott Alexander — Zhang def. Alexander by KO at 1:54 of Round One
Canelo Vs. Bivol Round-By-Round Updates:
WBA Light Heavyweight Championship: Canelo Alvarez vs. Dmitry Bivol
Round one: Bivol firing the jab. Canelo 1-2 blocked. Bivol avoids more fire and pumps the jab. Continuing to work. Canelo tries a right downstairs. Halfway through. 1-2 to the body. Good range management from Bivol so far. Combination, more jabs. Canelo body shot falls short. Nice combo by BIvol, eats a 2-1 on the ropes and tries to answer back. 10-9 Bivol.
Round two: BIvol keeping that jab in Canelo’s face. Canelo tries an uppercut inside. Bivol jabs, 1-2. Canelo tries an uppercut on the ropes. Slick combos from Bivol. Canelo to the body. Clash of heads. Bivol 1-2 halfway through. Bivol’s owning the range right now, slipping out of reach of most of Canelo’s efforts. There’s a nice overhand right and body shot from Canelo. 1-2-3 from Bivol in response. More 1s and 2s landing for Bivol as he potshots. Cuffing overhand by Canelo and a body shot soon after. 10-9, 20-18 Bivol.
Round three: Early volley from Bivol. Canelo splits the guard with an uppercut, follows to the body, eats a combo on the ropes. Hard body shot. Bivol 1-2. Halfway through. Canelo backs him to the ropes and swings big. Clinch. Canelo doing a much better job of getting inside this round. Heavy uppercut on the ropes. Bivol comes on strong with a combo on the ropes. 10-9 Canelo, 29-28 Bivol.
Round four: Bivol back on the jab. Canelo backs him up, can’t get through the guard. Bivol jabs the body. Solid body shot by Bivol, long combo upstairs. Canelo overhand rights appear to get around the guard. Right to the body, 1-2 upstairs. Halfway through. Canelo left hook. Bivol 1-2, long combo on the ropes. Canelo sitting with his back against them for a long stretch. Sharp counter right from Bivol. Canelo’s attack hits forearm. Nice uppercut. 10-9, 39-37 Bivol.
Round five: Bivol keeping his distance, landing the jab. Canelo tries a 1-1-1-2. Bivol’s defense has been stout so far. Halfway through. Heavy combination work from Bivol and Canelo waves him on. Canelo advancing, lands a glancing right. Late combo by Bivol. 10-9, 49-46 Bivol.
Round six: Canelo on the advance but still struggling to get through Bivol’s guard. Bivol with a nice volley upstairs. Canelo tries to smash through the guard against the ropes. Bivol 1-2. Body jab. Halfway through. Right to the body lands for Canelo, who eats a left hook in return. Bivol backs him to the ropes and picks away. Lengthy string of jabs, solid right cross. More work against the ropes. 10-9, 59-55 Bivol.
Round seven: Solid counters from Bivol. Canelo backing up as Bivol peppers him with jabs. Another long combo by Bivol. Canelo’s throwing but Bivol’s defense has been impenetrable so far. Solid combo by Bivol in the corner. Straight right appears to land for Canelo halfway through. Jabs continuing to pile up for BIvol. Canelo to the body. Bivol left hook after starting to the body. They exchange on the ropes. Counter three-piece from BIvol. Bivol ends the round with 1-2s. 10-9, 69-64 Bivol.
Round eight: Both men warned to mind their heads. More jabs from Bivol, slick uppercut in combination. Overhand right by Canelo, a rare shot that gets through BIvol’s guard. Lengthy combo from Bivol in return. Teeing off on the ropes. Canelo not doing much to get off of them. Bivol staying patient, setting things up with the jab. 1-2-3 by Bivol. Canelo tries to come back to the body, lands a 1-2. Bivol warned for pushing Canelo down. Late flurry by Bivol, warned again. 10-9, 79-73 Bivol.
Round nine: Canelo advances early. Uppercut misses, as does a 3-2. He’s not got anywhere near as much steam on his punches as before. Bivol not super active this round, though. There’s a stiff jab. Canelo avoids a long combo, gets backed to the corner. Halfway through. Canelo backs him to the ropes in return. Nice uppercut. Overhand right, body shot, overhand right. Canelo doing better than he has in a long time. Body shots. Swatting hook from Bivol in return. Another left hook, snapping left on the ropes. 10-9 Canelo, 88-83 Bivol.
Round ten: Early body shot from Canelo. Combinations from Bivol in return. Good body work. More jabs. He’s picking things back up. Canelo lands to the body, eats a three-piece in return. Bivol backs him to the ropes and picks away halfway through. More jabs piling up. Cross counter. More combinations. Stalking Canelo, lands a cuffing right. Canelo lands a body shot, eats a chopping right. 10-9, 98-92 Bivol.
Round eleven: Canelo on the advance. Solid work inside, much of it blocked. Rapid-fire combos from Bivol in return. Low-high 2-3. 1-3, 1-2 downstairs. Another combo upstairs. Halfway through. Canelo looks for body shots inside. Hard left hook by Bivol in response and a combo on the exit. Bivol pushes Canelo down and Canelo lifts him out of frustration. Bivol responds by teeing off on him. Canelo tries a low blow while he’s clinched. Decent body shot. 1-2-3 by Bivol, 1-2-1 by Canelo. 10-9, 108-101 Bivol.
Round twelve: Canelo still pressing forward, still unable to land consistently as Bivol intercepts everything coming his way. Decent body work against the ropes. Hard shots from Bivol in return. Tight combinations. Piling up clean head and body blows. More good shots. Halfway through. Stabbing jabs piling up. Canelo giving ground, eating shots. Bivol in total control. There’s a solid 1-2 by Canelo, who tries an uppercut behind it. Four-piece by Bivol. 10-9, 118-110 Bivol. There is no universe in which Canelo won this fight. 120-108 Bivol would be more justifiable than Canelo winning.
Final result: Bivol def. Canelo by unanimous decision
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