Bivol receives too much credit for beating Canelo

Not only was Canelo at a significant weight disadvantage, but he had an injured hand. He still pushed Bivol to the limit, winning 5 rounds on the cards. If it wasn't for his stamina issues, which were affected by moving up in weight to come in at 175, he could have won a decision, but he came up just short. Of course much of the boxing world saw it as a Bivol domination, and thought the cards were far too close, and I can understand that rationale, as 4 of the rounds Canelo "won" (the first four) were each extremely close. So seeing it as Bivol winning wide or easily is certainly a popular view. But there's no way you can have it a shutout as Canelo clearly won round 9.

Though however you scored it, Canelo did give Bivol a tough test, the match was entertaining and competitive, certainly in the early going, and with Canelo stepping it up in round 9. But the other rounds were clearly Bivol, and Canelo just couldn't keep up with the stamina and work rate of Bivol.

Bivol gets too much credit because people are acting like he dominated or it was an easy fight. I mean, sure he dominated in rounds 5-8 and 10-12, but it was a 12 round fight. He didn't dominate in rounds 1-4 or round 9, and that's more close rounds than Bivol has ever had. So for Canelo just to keep that many rounds close, even if you thought he lost 1-4, say something about how good Canelo is, and how different it was for Bivol to be fighting someone of Canelo's pedigree, especially considering Canelo was fighting out of his weight class.

One look at Bivol's bicep after the match shows that he took some damage. Of course it was very hard for Canelo to land clean, which is why he targeted the bicep. Both Canelo and Bivol have great defense, even in the rounds that Canelo was being outworked, Bivol was only occasionally landing clean, he won those rounds on just work rate and being more active, with Canelo's output dropping and being unable to land enough eye catching shots. That's how you beat Canelo, and Bivol certainly did that.

But there's no need to blow things out of proportion. It was a relatively close fight, but a fight that Bivol clearly won. It just bothers me that people act like Canelo didn't come to fight or wasn't competitive. He just gassed, had a hand injury which surely limited his ability to impose his will on Bivol. That's not to take anything away from Bivol or to make excuses for Canelo, those are just the facts. And whether you agree with the scoring or not, the rounds the judges gave to Canelo were good rounds for Canelo, tougher more competitive rounds than Bivol has ever seen in a boxing ring.

 

tl/dr Clenelo got schooled man. Accept it and move on.

 

I agree with those who say Canelo is not a LHW, but he’s still an elite boxer. And let’s not kid ourselves here, Bivol completely outclassed Canelo. It wasn’t even remotely competitive.

Beterbiev is a monster - we can all agree on that - and his power is streets above Canelo’s, but I think if the likes of Anthony Yarde can take Beterbiev into relatively deep waters, someone as clever as Bivol can get the nod over Beterbiev over 12 rounds.

 

I think Marcus Browne and Gvodyk were Beterbiev’s toughest opponents. Yarde is in that group but he got stopped a round or 2 earlier than those two.

 

You don't accept that it was a close fight, why would I accept that it was more one-sided than it was? Why can't you just accept the reality of the situation, that it was a close fight, that rounds 1-4 were extremely close and Canelo clearly won round 9. We have someone arguing Bivol won 12 rounds to nil, when we know at minimum Canelo won at least one round, round 9 clearly.

This is a common theme on here. Whether it was the Mayweather loss, whether it was the GGG fights. Even the Jacobs fights, a fight that was in fact a schooling and quite one-sided, certainly more one-sided than the scorecards would have you believe. Why do you care that I should accept a view that discredits what happened, that exaggerates the scoring in order to give a fighter "too much credit". Bivol won, we all agree Bivol won, the margin of that victory is very debatable. So leave it at that, accept that 115-113 was the official verdict, even if you disagree with that scoring. That's fine. I disagree with the closeness of the Canelo Jacobs scoring, but I understand why Jacobs got some of those late rounds. You are fully capable of understanding that rounds 1-4 in Canelo Bivol were close and there are valid reasons to score those rounds to Canelo. If you scored those for Bivol, that's understandable as well, but that's not how the judges scored them, and for good reason. Canelo was the aggressor in those rounds, Bivol was backed on the ropes covering up several times, Canelo landed the more thudding eye catching shots. As the aggressor and the boxer on the front foot imposing his will on the opponent, it's no mystery why Canelo won those rounds and why it was close on the cards.

 

Don't kid yourself. Rounds 1-4 were very competitive. Canelo was imposing his will on Bivol and landing thudding shots on him. Bivol was covering up on the ropes. Round 9 Canelo won clearly. The other rounds, were not as competitive, but to say the fight as a whole wasn't even remotely competitive, what fight were you watching? It was very competitive as a whole, fans continue to exaggerate the extent of Bivol's victory. There's no point in doing that. We all saw what happened.

Canelo has never had a problem with opponent power though. Artur while more heavy handed than Bivol, is easier to outbox and win rounds against. So Canelo vs Beterbiev remains a very intriguing matchup, in some ways more interesting than Canelo Bivol 2, because unless Beterbiev can hurt Canelo, Canelo has an easier path to outboxing Beterbeiv and winning a decision (than against Bivol) if he can go the distance. That's what makes that fight interesting. Both Canelo and Beterbiev can punch, Bivol not so much but Bivol is very difficult to outbox. Bivol has a better chance to beat Beterbiev on the cards with his work rate than Canelo, obviously, but Canelo is more heavy handed than Bivol so Canelo can actually stand and trade with Beterbiev which could lead to more fireworks.

We all want to see Bivol vs Beterbiev next for Undisputed, but Canelo vs the winner would also be a very interesting matchup. You really have to ask yourself who could give Beterbiev or Bivol a better fight at LHW than Canelo besides each other.

 

Clenelo got schooled man. It is what it is.

 

Just for the record, do you consider Canelo Jacobs a schooling? Was Jacobs schooled? Were those cards closer than they should have been? Which was a more impressive victory in your opinion, Canelo over Jacobs or Bivol over Canelo?

 

We've been over this already. Clenelo lost to Bivol and he lost very decisively. It was not a competitive fight.

 

Are you gonna answer the question or not? If you're honest, and you really study the film, Canelo won more rounds clearly and impressively against Jacobs than Bivol won against him.

Bivol only won 7 rounds clearly against Canelo. Canelo won more than 7 rounds clearly against Jacobs. The judges however gave Jacobs 4/5 rounds which, while I understood why because Jacobs made some rounds closer and Canelo took his foot off the gas in some of those later rounds, he still was controlling the action, outboxing Jacobs, landing the better punches. Anotherwords Canelo was more impressive vs Jacobs in the rounds the judges gave to Jacobs than Bivol was in the rounds that the judges gave to Canelo against Bivol.

In rounds 1-4 and in round 9, Bivol was not winning, he was not landing the better shots.
He was not landing the better shots. You're ignoring reality. Canelo Jacobs was more one-sided, and was far more of a schooling than Bivol Canelo.

 

I know it still hurts man.

 

I don't take boxing results personally, the loss didn't hurt at all, if you recall I favored Bivol going into the fight and was not surprised by the result. You're trying to descend this into fanboy nonsense. I'm using the Jacobs fight to illustrate that sometimes fights are more one sided than the judges had it, but there's reasons for the scores. You know full well that rounds 1-4 Bivol was in it deep, Canelo was imposing his will on the man. You're probably still hurt by what Canelo did to GGG 3x and this is your way to cope. This doesn't work with me. I tell it like it is, and if you don't like it, too bad.

 

Bro you think the earth is flat lol.

 

You're a funny little man.

 

That's your comeback he schooled you? Lol