So, who the heck is this Moldavian-Korean light-heavy weight champion, who scored a unanimous decision over the best pound-for-pound boxer, Canelo Alvarez on Saturday?
When I first checked into the fight in the third round, I wasn't sure it was actually the champion Canelo. He looked somewhat older, a bit fuller in his upper body maybe, and was moving backwards and on the ropes more than in any Canelo fight I'd ever seen. Or maybe it was just his haircut making him look like a middle-aged red-haired Irishman. It was just something that looked different about him.
At first, I thought maybe it was a Canelo strategy to either move around to tire out his opponent or catch him with an uppercut coming in. But by the fifth round it was evident that Canelo was having trouble fighting this bigger opponent. His timing and power seemed negated by the opponent's consistent jabbing and pressure combinations.
When I saw the opponent eat one of Canelo's booming uppercuts without even a pause in his forward aggression, I knew Canelo's Cinco de Mayo battle was not going to end as Mexico's did over France on May 5, 1862.
Victory would be decisive and deserving for this unknown opponent. For Canelo, it would end in a loss that rocked the expectations of boxing oddsmakers, experts and fans. For the first time since a 2013, bout with Floyd Mayweather, Jr., Canelo Alvarez would leave the boxing ring without raising his arms in victory.
Instead, we fans watched in stunned amazement as an eastern-European with Asiatic features, unknown to many, jubilantly celebrated a dominating WBA championship fight. His name is Dmitry Bivol. Light Heavyweight Champion DMITRY BIVOL!
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