Editor’s Note: This is the last of the four year-end awards.
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Anyone else?
Dmitri Bivol dominate the consensus of pound-for-pound king Canelo Alvarez on May 7 and then easily overcome the previously undefeated Gilberto Ramirez on November 5, making the 32-year-old Russian the obvious choice for the 2022 Warrior of the Year title.
Bivol’s win over Alvarez in Las Vegas turned the sport upside down. The Mexican star hasn’t lost since 2013, when he was overtaken by Floyd Mayweather. Looks like he can’t be defeated. Then Bivol did it… convincingly.
We should not be shocked. Bivol has a long track record, including a string of victories over elite opponents over the past half-decade. He has universal respect. And the 175-pound champion has a natural size advantage over Alvarez, the undisputed 168-pound champion.
Still, it’s hard to picture anyone at the top of the great Canelo. Until we see.
The Bivol is not only bigger, but much better. The bottom line: He took down one of the best boxers of his generation, using his stabs and well-timed combos to knock Alvarez down from afar and get surprisingly few punches on his own course.
By the middle of the fight, Alvarez felt frustrated and began to tire. Coming to the championship rounds, it seemed his only hope of a big shot never came.
All three judges had the same score, 115-113 for Bivol, seven innings to five. Eyes wide open saw Bivol win decisively more widely. Boxing Junkie scored 117-111, nine rounds into three.
Bivol did what some were beginning to believe was impossible. And he didn’t finish.
Ramirez didn’t come close to reaching Alvarez but he was undefeated (44-0 at the time) and a former 168-pound belt holder with some quality wins. However, he overtook Bivol in his first hit at the 175-pound belt.
Bivol outperformed Ramirez in every way on his way to a decisive victory, although his impenetrable defense stood out the most. Ramirez only lands 1 in 10 punches he throws, according to CompuBox., clear evidence of the winner’s superiority.
Bivol was two to two in ’22: two skirmishes, two victories.
dominate. That’s the best word to describe a year for Bivol, a year in which he made history by taking down the sport’s biggest star in dramatic fashion and then overtaking a veteran proven to have never tasted failure.
Not many people have had a better year.
