Canelo vs Bivol LIVE result: Alvarez suffers first defeat in almost nine years in WBA light-heavyweight title fight
Relive all the action from the T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas
Canelo Alvarez has been defeated in a unanimous points decision which allowed Dmitry Bivol to retain his WBA light-heavyweight title and maintain his unbeaten record.
Alvarez moved up a divison to the heaviest weight of his career to endure 12 rounds in Las Vegas with the Russian, who joined Floyd Mayweather as the only people to beat the 31-year-old.
Bivol, also 31, landed cleaner and harder shots throughout the night, with Alvarez’s night summed up when he resorted to lifting his opponent during a clinch in the 11th round.
After three tight opening rounds, the Kyrgyz-born boxer began to use his superior height and reach to pepper Alvarez with jabs and largely kept him at bay for the rest of the encounter.
The three judges all handed down scores of 115-113 in favour of Bivol (20-0, 11 KOs).
Alvarez, whose last loss came via majority decision against Mayweather in 2013, said “of course” he wanted a rematch following the defeat, adding: “This doesn’t end like this.” Relive all the action below:
Canelo vs Bivol
Valenzuela goes hunting for the knockout in the final round to no avail. Love landed the cleaner shots throughout the fight but it was scrappy and somewhat of an underwhelming spectacle for the audience.
Canelo vs Bivol
After exchanging knockdowns in the early rounds, this fight has become a rather messy clash of styles and has failed to catch fire. The majority seem to think Love’s sharper and clearer work has him ahead on the scorecards with two rounds remaining of this co-featured bout.
Canelo vs Bivol
A stronger eighth round for Valenzuela who is able to catch Love a little more as his reflexes slow. The Mexican still can’t quite land that deadly right hand but the pressure is starting to have an effect.
Canelo vs Bivol
Love is edging the rounds with his cleaner work but Valenzuela is still dangerous and seems to be the stronger of the pair. He tries to pin down Love by switching between head and body with the right hand.
Canelo vs Bivol
Valenzuela is cutting off the ring better now and keeping the pressure on Love, who is having to move a lot. The American has never been past eight rounds before and it will be interesting to see if his sharpness holds up later on in the bout. Both fighters land potshots in the third and fourth but they seem to have steadied themselves after trading those early knockdowns.
Canelo vs Bivol
Love hits the canvas in the second round! He lunged in over a lazy jab and was caught with a right hook. He gets back to his feet and uses his sharp reflexes to avoid being trapped on the ropes by Valenzuela, who’s looking to unload hard and spiteful single shots.
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