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

Dmitry Bivol celebrates his victory (AFP via Getty Images)

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

• Bivol wins 115-113 on all three scorecards
• Canelo confirms he wants rematch

[8 May 2022 02:48 · Tom Kershaw]

Canelo vs Bivol

[8 May 2022 02:44 · Tom Kershaw]

Canelo vs Bivol

Giyasov knocks Gomez down in the fourth as a right to the body is followed by a left hook that lands clean on the chin. Gomez is back on his feet to beat the count and sees out the round, despite Giyasov pushing for the finish.

[8 May 2022 02:37 · Tom Kershaw]

Canelo vs Bivol

Another sharp round from Giyasov who is throwing his right hand now, too. Gomez isn’t wilting by any means but he’s struggling to get in close and land anything of note.

[8 May 2022 02:31 · Tom Kershaw]

Canelo vs Bivol

Giyasov has excellent technique, owing to his extensive amateur experience, and is calm and unfazed during the opening round, peppering Gomez with a stiff jab.

[8 May 2022 02:29 · Tom Kershaw]

Canelo vs Bivol

[8 May 2022 02:26 · Tom Kershaw]

Canelo vs Bivol

Next up on the undercard, Shakhram Giyasov takes on Christian Gomez for the IBF North America welterweight title.

Giyasov, a silver medalist at the 2016 Olympics, has won all twelve of his professional contests so far.

[8 May 2022 02:22 · Tom Kershaw]

Canelo vs Bivol

[8 May 2022 02:18 · Tom Kershaw]

Canelo vs Bivol

Canelo is set to face Gennady Golovkin in a trilogy fight in September, so long as he is successful tonight.

Golovkin made his much-anticipated return to the ring last month when stopped Ryota Murata in Japan, however, there were early signs that the 40-year-old’s age was catching up to him.

Both of their two previous fights were thrilling contests, with a controversial draw that many thought Golovkin had won followed by another close bout that the judges ruled in Canelo’s favour.

This time, Eddie Hearn believes the fighters won’t hear the final bell.

“I think it’s a different fight this time,” he said. “I don’t think it goes eight or nine rounds. I think both guys – I think Triple-G will say, ‘This is probably my last fight, if I lose. And I’m gonna go out there and’ … And by the way, I think he will be so much better at 168 than 160. How long has he been at 160, fighting [at] championship weight? Fourteen years at 160. I mean, he will be so much better and so much stronger at 168. He will be very aggressive in that fight. He’s a slow starter, and when he was out for 440 days or whatever he was, he started really slow in Japan [against Ryota Murata].

“He also went to the champion’s backyard, having not boxed for 440 days, had a bad opening few rounds, and then went through the gears and beat him up. I actually didn’t mind the performance. He will be very aggressive against Canelo because he ain’t gonna try and fiddle around for 12 rounds. And Saul will wanna take his head off. I promise you that fight won’t go the distance because Saul, not speaking out of turn, will wanna hurt him.”

[8 May 2022 02:10 · Tom Kershaw]

Canelo vs Bivol

Canelo has enjoyed a spectacular last 18 months in the ring that have cemented him as boxing’s pound-for-pound superstar. Callum Smith, Billy Joe Saunders and Caleb Plant were all unbeaten champions at 168lbs but were comprehensively defeated by the Mexican as he became undisputed champion at super-middleweight.

[8 May 2022 02:07 · Tom Kershaw]

Canelo vs Bivol

Marc Castro wins a shutout decision. It’s another useful learning fight for the American, however, there are certainly vulnerabilities in his defence that will need to be corrected before he attempts a considerable step up in level.