Earlier this month, Dmitry Bivol retained his WBA light-heavyweight title to solidify his place as one of the best pound-for-pound boxers in the world. And many boxing fans are already calling him the “Boxer of the Year.” After dispatching Gilberto Ramirez, a previously undefeated world champion, many sports writers and pundits believe Bivol has earned this accolade.
His most impressive feat came in May when he handily beat the then No. One pound-for-pound boxer, Canelo Alvarez. Many experts thought that Bivol would lose this fight and that Alvarez would win convincingly. But Bivol proved that the experts were wrong by winning the bout unanimously.
Alvarez hadn’t suffered a loss since 2013 when he lost to Floyd Mayweather. Over the past decade, an air of invincibility surrounded Alvarez, but the bigger, stronger Bivol proved too much for him to handle.
The Argument for Boxer of the Year
Beating Canelo is arguably the biggest win of Bivol’s career. But even before he scored that upset win over Alvarez, it was clear that Bivol was one of the top fighters in his weight class. As impressive as the victory was, many attributed the win to be the bigger man.
However, in his second fight this year, Bivol was matched against Gilberto Ramirez, a boxer who had been undefeated in his career up to that point and was bigger than Bivol. But despite fighting a bigger opponent, Bivol won the fight on points. The dominant fashion in which he won this match shows that he is more than just a physically imposing fighter. He is a well-rounded boxer who can adapt to his opponent.
With his strong wins against Alvarez and Ramirez, it’s no surprise that many boxing fans are calling Bivol the Boxer of the Year. Only time will tell if he will be able to maintain the high level of success that he has shown in his recent fights. But for now, he is among the best of the best in his weight class.
The Argument Against Dmitry Bivol as Boxer of the Year
Despite his impressive string of victories this year, it may not be fair to call Bivol the Boxer of the Year yet. Despite two excellent wins, in terms of accomplishments, Bivol is entering the year how he started. When Bivol fought Alvarez, it was for Bivol’s WBA Light-Heavyweight title, despite Canelo being the Undisputed champion a weight class before. In his next fight against Ramirez, Bivol was again defending his title.
In a year where there were multiple unification fights in various weight classes, Bivol did not add belts to his collection. He retained the same title he brought into the year. Had he beaten Canelo for the undisputed championship, it may have been easier to give him the Boxing of the Year award.
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