Editor’s word: That is the final of 4 year-end awards.
***
Who else?
Dmitry Bivol dominated consensus pound-for-pound king Canelo Alvarez on Could 7 after which simply outpointed beforehand unbeaten Gilberto Ramirez on Nov. 5, making the 32-year-old Russian the apparent selection for 2022 Fighter of the Yr.
Bivol’s victory over Alvarez in Las Vegas turned the game the wrong way up. The Mexican star hadn’t misplaced since means again in 2013, when he was outclassed by Floyd Mayweather. It appeared he couldn’t be overwhelmed. Then Bivol did it … convincingly.
We shouldn’t have been shocked. Bivol had a robust monitor document, together with a collection of victories over elite opponents over the previous half decade. He had common respect. And the 175-pound titleholder had a pure dimension benefit over Alvarez, the undisputed 168-pound champ.
Nonetheless, it was troublesome to imaging anybody topping the good Canelo. Till we witnessed it.
Bivol not solely was greater, he was significantly better. Backside line: He outboxed among the finest boxers of the technology, utilizing his jab and well-timed mixtures to select Alvarez aside from a distance and taking surprisingly few punches himself.
By mid-fight, Alvarez was annoyed and starting to tire. By the championship rounds, it appeared his solely hope was an enormous shot that by no means got here.
All three judges had the identical rating, 115-113 for Bivol, seven rounds to 5. These with their eyes open had Bivol successful a wider determination. Boxing Junkie scored it 117-111, 9 rounds to a few.
Bivol had completed what some have been starting to imagine was inconceivable. And he wasn’t completed.
Ramirez wasn’t practically as achieved as Alvarez however he was unbeaten (44-0 on the time) and a former 168-pound titleholder with numerous high quality victories. But he was overmatched in opposition to Bivol in his first shot at a 175-pound belt.
Bivol was higher than Ramirez in each means en path to a unanimous determination victory, though his impenetrable protection stood out most. Ramirez landed just one in 10 punches he threw, in keeping with CompuBox., clear proof of the winner’s superiority.
Bivol was two for 2 in ’22: two fights, two dominating victories.
Dominating. That’s one of the best phrase to explain Bivol’s yr, one by which he made historical past by taking down the largest star within the sport in spectacular style after which outclassing a confirmed veteran who had by no means tasted defeat.
Not many have had a greater yr.
