"I just wanted this fight" - Dmitry Bivol on being the b-side for his clash with Canelo Alvarez
Dmitry Bivol has claimed that he did not care about being the B-side against Canelo Alvarez following his upset victory. Bivol exceeded expectations by outboxing Canelo over 12 rounds to capture a unanimous decision to retain his WBA Light Heavyweight Championship.
Watch the fight highlights between Canelo and Bivol:
Last night was the first time Canelo officially lost a professional contest since his bout against Floyd Mayweather Jr. back in 2013. The Mexican superstar was on an incredible winning streak and is regarded by many as the face of boxing.
Here's what Bivol said at the post-fight press conference:
"For me it doesn't matter if I will enter the ring first or second. I just wanted this fight, I just needed this fighter against me. It doesn't matter which sound he has or which sound I have, how he went into the ring. I just wanted to fight him."
Despite being the challenger, Canelo Alvarez entered the ring second and had a more theatrical entrance. The Russian national anthem was also not sung prior to the fight.
Watch the full video posted by talkSPORT correspondent Michael Benson:
@MatchroomBoxing]Dmitry Bivol did not care about the A-side/B-side stuff against Canelo Alvarez, he just wanted to fight…
[🎥 @MatchroomBoxing] https://t.co/LRgxXqkZIV
Dmitry Bivol understands why Canelo Alvarez was the A-side
Bivol continued by expressing why it was no surprise that Canelo Alvarez was treated like the champion rather than the challenger:
"I understand why this happened, why I walked second because Canelo is the biggest name and all the rules are not for him. No problem, just give me the fight. He's first on the posters, no problem the rules not for him just give me the fight. I agree. I'm really happy I had the fight. Thank you Eddie [Hearn] for this fight and thank you everyone who made this fight."
Canelo's superstardom was arguably reflected in the judges' scorecards too, which many boxing experts believe were too close. All three judges scored the fight in favor of Bivol with an identical score of 115-113. The bout would have been scored a draw if the Russian had not won the final round.
Furthermore, the judges all had Canelo winning the first four rounds of the contest, which gave him a massive advantage going into the later stages.
All three judges had Canelo 40-36 up after four rounds 👀
How did you score the fight? 🤔
#CaneloBivol https://t.co/wlA2Ed3O5L