Dmitry Bivol apologized to Eddie Hearn for delaying the long-awaited third fight between Canelo Alvarez and Gennady Golovkin moments after defeating the Mexican star.
Bivol retained his WBA Light Heavyweight title and remained undefeated with a unanimous decision victory over Alvarez. Following the announcement of the decision, the Russian expressed his delight at defeating boxing’s biggest draw.
“I’m proud I prove myself today, I am the best. Thank you Eddie Hearn, and sorry, I broke your plans with Gennadiy Golovkin.”
The highly anticipated trilogy fight between Canelo and ‘GGG’ was scheduled for September. The pair fought at middleweight in 2017 and 2018. Canelo won the rematch by majority decision after their first fight ended in a controversial draw.
But, with Canelo’s loss, the long-awaited third fight with his Kazakhstani opponent will have to wait a little longer, at least for now, as Canelo’s camp mentioned activating the rematch clause with Bivol during post-fight interviews.
Dmitry Bivol proved the underdog can still conquer glory
Bivol came in as a heavy underdog against Alvarez, but the 31-year-old proved why he is the king at 175 pounds.
Throughout the 12-round match, the Russian maintained his cool and stuck to his game plan. In the early rounds, he was the aggressor, landing the heavier shots that left Canelo bruised and visibly frustrated.
The Undisputed Super Middleweight Champion attempted to reclaim control, but Bivol remained undeterred, mixing up his attack and taking advantage of his size and reach advantage.
Despite a dominant performance, Bivol won the fight 115-113 on all three judges’ scores, the closest the fight could get without being declared a draw.
It was Canelo’s first defeat since losing to Floyd Mayweather Jr. in 2013. The defeat ended his 16-fight winning streak.
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