LAS VEGAS -- Sometimes, there are mountains that are too tall for even the greatest to climb. And that's what happened to Canelo Alvarez as Dmitry Bivol's size, skill, activity and tight defense turned back the Mexican superstar's attempt to collect more world titles with a brilliant performance that ended with a unanimous decision victory at T-Mobile Arena.
Bivol retained his WBA (Super) light heavyweight championship as he refused to bow down to Canelo's pressure and was technically sound enough to prevent making mistakes for Canelo to capitalize upon. Instead of being in awe of Canelo, Bivol (20-0) used a stiff jab and kept busy whenever Canelo became aggressive. Canelo's power was evident but Bivol made sure very few punches landed clean as Canelo bounced power shots off his arms and gloves throughout.
Early on, Canelo (57-2-2) attempted to walk down Bivol but the Russian sniffed out the strategy and would shoot the jab and carry a right hand behind it to keep Canelo from settling in with his power. As the rounds wore on, Canelo was unable to break down his opponent and found himself in a real fight by the middle rounds. Whenever he did land a big power shot, Bivol would tighten his defense up and ensure he wouldn't absorb another shot.
Bivol fought like he had the judges against him and keep throwing into the championship rounds. He caught Canelo flush several times but never seemed to have the 31-year-old in any real trouble. However, the points were piling up and Canelo couldn't get the knockout or definitive rounds he needed.
With scores of 115-113 across the board, Bivol pulled off the big upset as a 5 1/2 to 1 underdog. Not only that, he dashed the possibility of Canelo-GGG in September as Canelo stated he wanted an immediate rematch.
Here's how it all went down.
Canelo Alvarez vs. Dmitry Bivol round-by-round results, highlights
All times ET
Round One: Bivol throwing the jab and Canelo loading up big shots. Bivol is on the stick and Canelo sneaks in with a left to the body. Bivol continues to jab at a high rate. Canelo lands to the body. Canelo applying a lot of pressure as Bivol continues to prod with the jab. Hook to the body by Canelo. Combination by Bivol. Bivol isn’t landing but he’s busy as hell. Canelo lands an uppercut to close the round.
SN unofficial scorecard: 10-9 Canelo
Round Two: Canelo is moving forward and forcing Bivol to try to fight him off. Short uppercut for Canelo. Big uppercut by Canelo lands. Bivol takes it well. Bivol is active but can’t land clean. Canelo wraps a right hook around Bivol’s gloves and another. That moves Bivol backward. Bivol opens up but Canelo steers clear of danger. Right hand for Bivol gets in. A combination follows. Canelo right back with hard hooks to the head and body. Canelo is throwing heat out there. Bivol fighting well but he’s going to have to get Canelo off his square.
SN unofficial scorecard: 10-9 Canelo (20-18 Canelo)
Round Three: Canelo sneaks and uppercut in and Bivol lands a hard right hand. Things are heating up and Bivol ain’t going away. Canelo lands a right hand. Bivol’s jab is sharp and steady. Canelo backs Bivol into the ropes and lands a right hand, Bivol returns with a flush one of his own. These rounds are close. Hard left hook to the body for Canelo and Bivol backs off for a second. Bivol fires a combo and misses everything. Good fight with rounds that can go either way.
SN unofficial scorecard: 10-9 Canelo (30-27 Canelo)
Round Four: Bivol’s defense is tight. He’s not leaving himself open and making Canelo work to land. Bivol lands a combination. Canelo misses with a hook to the body but lands a hard right hand. Canelo’s pressure being a smaller fighter is insane. Bivol fires a five punch combo and Canelo avoids it all. Canelo keeps his back on the ropes looking to counter. Canelo pushes off the ropes and lands a combo and a left hook. HARD uppercut by Canelo.
SN unofficial scorecard: 10-9 Canelo (40-36 Canelo)
Round Five: Bivol busy with the jab and looking to open up but Canelo is making it tough. Canelo sneaks a right hand through the guard. Big combination by Bivol lands and Canelo shakes it off like it’s nothing. Wow. That’s disheartening for Bivol. That was a big combination and Canelo looked at him like “nah.” Still, a strong round for Bivol.
SN unofficial scorecard: 10-9 Bivol (49-46 Canelo)
Round Six: Bivol blocks Canelo’s advances and lands a right hand and follows with a one two. Canelo advances but Bivol blocks the straight right. Bivol’s defense is tight. He’s keeping Canelo from landing the big shot when he advances and not making a lot of mistakes. Very tight and sound. Bivol lands a one two. Great round for Bivol.
SN unofficial scorecard: 10-9 Bivol (58-56 Canelo)
Round Seven: Nice left hand by Bivol. Bivol is firing but Canelo picking off those shots with his gloves. Canelo misses an uppercut. Bivol keeping Canelo from getting off and sneaks a few shots in. Another round for Bivol.
SN unofficial scorecard: 10-9 Bivol (67-66 Canelo)
Round Eight: Bivol very busy and Canelo looking to pick his spots. He’s gonna have to pick it up because Bivol won’t give him anything. Bivol lands a combination. Bivol misses a huge left hook. Canelo lands a straight right but he needs to pick it up. Bivol won’t just sit there and let Canelo throw. Another round for Bivol.
SN unofficial scorecard: 10-9 Bivol (76-76)
Round Nine: Canelo throwing hands to open the ninth and landing. Bivol comes right back. Loving what Bivol is doing here. He’s not letting Canelo settle in. But the pace is picking up. Canelo lands a hook and sneaks in a right hand. Bivol firing and Canelo has fantastic upper body movement. Canelo pounding away on Bivol now. Big shots. He’s lighting Bivol up. Bivol won’t go away though. He’s taking everything Canelo has and stepping to him. Big Canelo round.
SN unofficial scorecard: 10-9 Canelo (86-85 Canelo)
Round Ten: Canelo lands to the body to open the 10th. Bivol back to letting his hands go. Canelo applies pressure again. Hard left hand by Bivol. Canelo avoids damage and lands a short left. Bivol continues to be busier. The slowest round of the fight goes to Bivol for activity.
SN unofficial scorecard: 10-9 Bivol (95-95)
Round Eleven: Canelo on the hunt and Bivol fights him off to make sure he doesn’t setting into a groove. Bivol lands a jab and a right hand. Canelo bangs away at the body but Bivol isn’t moving. Left hand lands by Bivol. Bivol opens up and lands a combination. Bivol’s size is a lot for Canelo to overcome.
SN unofficial scorecard: 10-9 Bivol (105-104 Bivol)
Round Twelve: Canelo is pounding on Bivol’s arms and body but it’s not wearing him down. Bivol with a massive combination in return. I think the fans can sense Canelo can’t overcome this mountain. Bivol is not giving Canelo anything and continues to fire away. The crowd is booing but Bivol has fought a perfect fight.
SN unofficial scorecard: 10-9 Bivol (115-113 Bivol)
Final Result: Dmitry Bivol def. Canelo Alvarez via unanimous decision. Scores were 115-113, 115-113 & 115-113.
Love wins uneventful decision over Gollaz
11:14 p.m.: This undercard hasn't been great. It hasn't been good. Honestly, it's been pretty bad. Love had a chance to put some life into this crowd but he's put together an uneven performance that consists of looking for the counter and circling. He's not having great success but will likely squeeze out a victory as they go the distance. The good news is that the main event is up next.
10:57 p.m.: Well, what started off as a good fight has ended up becoming a stinker. Love has become extremely cautious and doesn't want to get countered while Gollaz has a significant reach advantage but refuses to throw his jab.
10:38 p.m.: Love and Gollaz have exchanged knockdowns in the first two rounds and are setting the pace for what could be an exciting fight. Love scored the first knockdown when he caught Gollaz coming in and Gollaz returned the favor with a similar counter in the second.
10:27 p.m.: The co-main event is up now as Montana Love faces Gabriel Gollaz in light welterweight action. Love is seemingly on the cusp of stardom and being placed in the co-main will only help enhance his profile should he have a good outing here tonight.
Giyasov drops Gomez twice, pitches shutout
10:10 p.m.: Giyasov wasn't able to put Gomez away and Gomez did his best to get back into the fight but he was overmatched. The scores read 99-88, 99-88 and 98-89 for Giyasov as he remains unbeaten.
9:43 p.m.: Giyasov just put Gomez down in the fourth round of a fight he is in control of. Although Gomez wasn't hurt too bad by the left hook, Giyasov is stepping on the gas and it feels like he wants to put this one away sooner rather than later.
9:20 p.m.: Christian Gomez and Hakhram Giyasov are set to do battle in a ten-round welterweight bout next. The co-main event is after this and then Canelo-Bivol.
Castro schools Scharbaii with easy decision
9:07 p.m.: Marc Castro improved to 7-0 in his young career with an easy decision win over Pedro Vicente Scharbaii. Was it spectacular? Not really. But Castro is a good young prospect with impressive punch variety. One thing is for sure, if Castro is going to compete with the upper crust of a loaded lightweight division, he's going to have to tighten up that defense. Scharbaii touched him one too many times with punches that had no business connecting with someone like Castro.
8:39 p.m.: Up next is the talented Marc Castro squaring off with Pedro Vicente Scharbaai in lightweight action.
Zhang demolishes Alexander in one round
8:24 p.m.: Well, that was expected. Zhang Zhile didn't play with his food and made sure to make short work of Scott Alexander in the opening bout on the PPV. Alexander stepped in on short notice after Filip Hrgovic pulled out due to the passing of his father and his presence in front of Zhang was...short. A straight left hand obliterated Alexander and put an end to the fight at the 1:54 mark of round one.
How to watch Canelo Alvarez vs. Dmitry Bivol
- Live stream: DAZN
The Canelo vs. Bivol main card will air on DAZN, which will show the fight via a special pay-per-view format.
Click here to learn how to watch the fight on DAZN.
Canelo Alvarez vs. Dmitry Bivol PPV price: How much does the card cost?
- DAZN monthly subscription: $19.99 in the U.S., $20 in Canada, £7.99 in the U.K.
- DAZN annual subscription: $99.99 in the U.S., $150 in Canada
Because it is a pay-per-view event, the fight will cost $59.99 for current subscribers and $79.99 for new subscribers.
Customers in the U.K. can sign up for DAZN for £7.99 per month.
You can also order the event in the U.S. via iNDEMAND: PPV.com ($24.99).
What time does Canelo Alvarez vs. Dmitry Bivol start?
- Date: Saturday, May 7
- Main card: 10 p.m. ET
- Main event: Midnight ET (approx.)
Canelo Alvarez vs. Dmitry Bivol will take place Saturday, May 7. The main event is expected to begin around midnight ET, depending on how long the undercard fights last.
Canelo Alvarez vs. Dmitry Bivol fight card results
- Dmitry Bivol def. Canelo Alvarez via unanimous decision to retain WBA light heavyweight title (115-113, 115-113 & 115-113)
- Montana Love def. Gabriel Gollaz via unanimous decision (114-112, 114-112 & 114-112)
- Hakhram Giyasov def. Christian Gomez via unanimous decision (99-88, 99-88, 98-89)
- Marc Castro def. Pedro Vicente Scharbaai via unanimous decision (60-54, 60-54 & 60-54)
- Zhang Zhilei def. Scott Alexander via 1st round KO (1:59)