Was Bivol’s Victory Over Alvarez Truly An Upset?

 

It can at times be a cliché to say, but Boxing is truly one sport where the most sensible approach for any viewer is to expect the unexpected. After all, this observer has said all too often that “Anything can happen at any given time in the sport of Boxing and that is what makes it so great.” Despite this quote of mine, which is supported by a lifetime of watching and covering the sport where I have seen countless fights that were thought to go one way, do the exact opposite, some still do not approach the sport with such a mindset. Whether it be because of pure fandom or just lack of knowledge about the fighters, styles, and other aspects that are involved in a fight, there are times when what is thought to be an unexpected outcome is viewed as an upset.  

 

There are times however, when the term “Upset” does not necessarily fit. On May 7th, the Boxing world focused on the T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas, NV where current Undisputed Super-Middleweight world champion Saul “Canelo” Alvarez entered the ring to do battle with undefeated WBA World Light-Heavyweight champion Dmitry Bivol, with Bivol’s world championship in the 175lb. Light-Heavyweight division on the line. By now, most fans of the sport whether they be an enthusiast, or a casual observer are likely familiar with the career of Saul Alvarez. A fighter that has won world championships from the 154lb. Jr. Middleweight division up to the 175lb. Light-Heavyweight division where he briefly held a portion of the World Light-Heavyweight championship. Alvarez’ status as one of Boxing’s biggest stars is well known and should not be a subject to debate. At a certain point in his career however, Alvarez began focusing more on what the most lucrative opportunities were available to him rather than focusing his attention strictly on one weight class. 

 

After successfully wining and fully unifying the Super-Middleweight world championship in the span of one year, Alvarez set his sights on a return to the 175lb. Light-Heavyweight division to challenge Dmitry Bivol for his WBA crown. Although there was little doubt as to who was the more known of the two fighters particularly amongst the casual Boxing fan, Alvarez’ choice to challenge Bivol should have been viewed from the moment that the fight was signed as a high risk/low reward scenario for him. While it was true that the bout with Bivol offered Alvarez the opportunity to become a two-time Light-Heavyweight world champion, outside of that he would be facing a fighter with a difficult Boxing style and one that he had not necessarily faced before in his career. 

 

Despite not being particularly well known to the casual fan, Dmitry Bivol has been a longtime champion in the Light-Heavyweight division having successfully defended his portion of the World Light-Heavyweight championship eight times prior to taking on Alvarez. While initially Bivol had developed a reputation for being able to score quick and often devastating knockouts, he had evolved significantly in recent years to a superb boxer and had gone on a stretch of several fights where he had not lost a round, let alone been in any significant danger of losing. Indeed, this should have been well-known to any knowledgeable observer of the sport, but because of Alvarez’ having a higher profile in terms of name recognition clout than Bivol, these elements did get overlooked by some. 

 

In previewing this bout, this observer stated it was the challenge for the champion to try and force the fight to be fought on his terms and not allow Alvarez to dictate the tempo of the combat as he had been able to do in recent fights that all came against fighters that were naturally bigger and theoretically stronger than him. Bivol took the initiative immediately by taking control of the center of the ring. This along with a constant jab and laterally turning Alvarez allowed the champion to dictate the fight. 

 

One aspect that Bivol used frequently throughout this fight that Sergey Locals was able to use with significant success when he fought Alvarez in the challenger’s lone previous bout in the Light-Heavyweight division was he kept a jab in his face for the majority of the time. While it is the most elementary of offensive weapons in a fighter’s arsenal, when used tactically and consistently, the jab can dominate and win fights. In this case, the jab for Dmitry Bivol accomplished two things. One it kept something in Alvarez face, which really prevented him from finding any sort of consistent rhythm and two, it served as a focal point that allowed Bivol to throw quick combinations. All of the above kept Alvarez on the defensive. 

 

As the fight progressed though Alvarez was able to get some punches in on the champion, you could see an increasing frustration building in the challenger. One reason for this can best be described as Bivol’s discipline. In regard to the element of defense Bivol always fought behind an extremely high defensive guard as well as a tall stance, which is often seen among many Eastern European fighters like himself. This resulted in the majority of Alvarez’ punches either being deflected off the champion's gloves or hitting him on the arms. 

 

Although Alvarez would occasionally break through and land some punches to Bivol's body, he simply could not turn the ebb and flow in his favor. A sign of the increasing frustration in Alvarez began to show itself in the middle rounds when he began periodically sitting against the ropes and inviting Bivol to unleash his offense. While this is a well-known veteran tactic, a testament to Bivol’s discipline is he did not get aggressive and simply stuck with what was a near perfect fight plan in my view. This resulted in Alvarez almost looking to land strictly power punches and with the frustration continuing, Alvarez ended up lifting Bivol off the canvas in the later rounds while in a clinch that resembled the start of a Mixed Martial Arts (MMA) takedown or slam that reminded me briefly of longtime UFC Welterweight world champion Matt Hughes. The brief roughhousing did not result in a takedown, nor did it shift the momentum in Alvarez’ favor as Dmitry Bivol would continue to box his way to what became a twelve round unanimous decision victory to retain his world title. 

 

A slight contention for some emerged in the official scorecards as Bivol won the fight by a seven rounds to five margin or 115-113 in points on all three scorecards. From this observer’s perspective, I felt Bivol won ten of the twelve rounds as I ended up with a 118-110 scorecard in his favor. While the three official judges in this fight did emerge with the consensus winner, based on the action in this fight, I personally cannot see how Saul Alvarez was able to do enough to win five of the twelve rounds. Having said this, I have certainly covered the sport long enough to know that I have seen worse decisions rendered by worse margins where the judges have gone against what the consensus appeared to be as to who won a fight. The only thing that I can assume is that the three judges Dave Moretti, Steve Weisfeld, and Tim Cheatham gave Alvarez credit for a lot of punches that landed on the arms of Bivol as well as perhaps feeling that he was more aggressive. Although all three judges are very experienced on the world championship level of the sport, the challenge for three judges scoring a fight can be to distinguish between aggression and effective aggression. There are times where judges no matter their experience level appear to miss the difference between the two. In this instance, it should also not be overlooked that the sell out crowd at the T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas was heavily in favor of Alvarez and regardless of what a judge or athletic commission might claim, the element of crowd noise does play a role and there are times where that could be an influence. 

 

While the element of crowd noise is not supposed to play a role in the scoring of a fight and judges on all levels of the sport should be aware of that. Judges like the rest of us are human and it is understandable to a degree how a judge might be swayed by seeing a fighter landing what may appear to be a heavy punch that gets a significant reaction from the crowd in attendance. Even though in some cases such scenarios have led to controversy, it did not happen in this fight. 

 

For Saul Alvarez, the loss to Dmitry Bivol should not affect his standing as the current Undisputed Super-Middleweight world champion, but he will have a decision to make regarding whether he will go back down to the 168lb. Super Middleweight division or if he will exercise a rematch clause and seek a rematch with Dmitry Bivol. 

 

It is also important to factor in the potential of a third fight with longtime rival Gennady Golovkin that was on the table prior to Alvarez facing Bivol. From my perspective, I do not feel that a rematch against Bivol would be advisable based on what occurred in the ring when they fought. Although it is an accomplishment for fighters who are able to move up and down the weight scale as Alvarez has and win world championships along the way, there comes a point where a fighter will reach their ceiling as far as not only how high or low, they can go in terms of weight, but more specifically where they can be most effective as a fighter. While Saul Alvarez’ record as a Light-Heavyweight now stands at 1-1, he did have more difficulty in both of those fights as compared to against opponents at lighter weights and it is to be expected when a fighter is facing an opponent that is naturally bigger and stronger.  

 

Although Alvarez’ standing in the sport likely helped him obtain the rematch clause even though he was the challenger going into this fight, it is rare for a challenger to be given a rematch clause as opposed to the challenger. While this could also be looked at as a flaw in the sport in that, despite being a world champion, Dmitry Bivol was treated as though he were a challenger going into the bout including being introduced first, which is normally a challenger’s designation. Even though Alvarez does have a rematch clause, the better option both in terms of economically as well as possibly risk would be a third bout with Gennady Golovkin. With Alvarez expected to return to the ring in some form in September, it will sure be interesting to see who his potential opponent will be. Meanwhile, Dmitry Bivol’s star has clearly risen significantly off of his victory over Saul Alvarez. 

 

While some may view what happened in this fight as an upset, this observer does not feel that way. Despite Saul “Canelo” Alvarez’ higher profile, he was going up against a naturally bigger fighter who like him is close to his physical prime. This along with an evolved skillset and ability to stick to his fight plan gave Bivol an edge. Even the most accomplished fighters come up against opponents that can simply best them based on styles as well as tactics. Based on what we saw in this fight, I feel the likelihood of a similar bout being fought in a rematch is reasonably high. Whether Alvarez does indeed opt for a rematch remains to be seen, but after taking some time to digest things, his pride will not be a factor and he could perhaps view things more logically. Nevertheless, Alvarez’ willingness to continuously go against opposition that have physical advantages over him is admirable. 

 

“And That’s The Boxing Truth.” 

 

The Boxing Truth® is a registered trademark of Beau Denison All Rights Reserved. 

 

Follow Beau Denison on Twitter: www.twitter.com/Beau_Denison  

Bivol-Alvarez Preview

 The month of May in the sport of Boxing will kick off with the return of Undisputed Super-Middleweight world champion Saul “Canelo” Alvarez as he will return to seek a second world championship in the 175lb. Light-Heavyweight division as he will face undefeated WBA world champion Dmitry Bivol on Saturday, May 7^th at the T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas, NV. A bout that can be seen on digital subscription-based sports streaming network DAZN globally, but will be offered by DAZN on a pay-per-view basis in North America.

 

As much as this observer wants to simply discuss what is an interesting fight that has implications that may play out later this year for Alvarez, it would be outright dishonest of me to say that this fight has not been overshadowed to a degree by the network’s decision to use this fight to test a pay-per-view model that DAZN has proven over the past four years since it’s inception here in the United States to be of a better value than the model, which yours truly has frequently called an overpriced and undervalued one. Unfortunately, due to both the ongoing global COVID-19 epidemic as well as perhaps needing a negotiation ploy, DAZN now finds itself testing a model that many have voiced opposition to including many DAZN subscribers. Whether the vocal backlash that has followed since this fight was announced will translate into a significant revolt from subscribers in North America remains to be seen.

 

While longtime readers know my stance regarding the pay-per-view model and should know that I do disagree with the network’s move to implement such a model even on what they insist will be a sporadic basis, it does not change my point of view that the network since it’s entry into the United States has been a valuable commodity for the sport of Boxing and has proven along with ESPN+, the digital subscription-based streaming network from cable network ESPN, which does compete in the streaming space with DAZN, that a subscription-based model can work and does provide a greater value as compared to pay-per-view. Having said that, it is also known that the model is used as a way of luring fighters with the promise of earning significantly more than just their agreed upon purse for bouts. More often than not, the returns for such pay-per-view cards do not earn the type of revenues that is sought by promoters, fighters, and networks that put the events on due largely to lack of value as well as increased fees for such events that frankly has been out of control here in the United States for several years predating DAZN’s inception into the market.

 

Although I could write a book on the pitfalls of the pay-per-view model, the fight itself deserves the majority of the attention here. Saul “Canelo” Alvarez in recent times has been focused on making history in his career. The last year of that career saw him begin and finish the process of fully unifying the 168lb. Super-Middleweight division in the span of one year. Something, which for a variety of reasons is practically unheard of in the present era. In his last bout, Alvarez stopped previously undefeated IBF world champion Caleb Plant to complete the unification process in eleven rounds in November of last year.

 

Now, Alvarez sets his sights on a return to the 175lb. Light-Heavyweight division where he briefly held the WBO world championship after knocking out longtime division cornerstone Sergey Kovalev in 2019. While Alvarez did have some difficulty with the bigger Kovalev throughout, he eventually did catch up with him and knocked him out in eleven rounds. Though his tenure in the division was brief, Alvarez did show he could knock out a naturally bigger opponent in Kovalev, who is known for his punching power. This time, Alvarez will be facing a fighter in Dmitry Bivol, who is unbeaten in nineteen professional fights and closer to his prime than was Kovalev at the time Alvarez fought him.

 

Several years ago when I first observed Dmitry Bivol, I did see some similarities between him and fighters like Kovalev and longtime Alvarez rival Gennady Golovkin in that he was able to build a reputation on being able to score quick and often head-turning knockouts. In recent years however, Bivol has evolved into more of a technical boxer/puncher having not scored a knockout since stopping Sullivan Barrera in March 2018. Bivol has nevertheless continued to be dominant against the opposition that has been placed before him in the years since as it has been rare to see him lose a round during the course of a fight. Bivol will come into this fight off of a successful title defense in December of last year when he scored a twelve round unanimous decision over Umar Salamov in his native Russia.

 

While the evolution of Bivol’s skillset should be viewed as something that will allow him to extend his career long-term, the challenge for the champion coming into what will be his ninth title defense against the most high-profile opponent he has faced in the biggest fight of his career will be whether he can impose his will on Alvarez early. Alvarez’ recent bouts have all come against fighters who had natural size and theoretical physical strength advantages over him. Despite this, fighters such as Kovalev, Callum Smith, and Caleb Plant all failed to make the fight be fought on their terms and Alvarez was able to subsequently have his way with all of them.

 

Although at this point in his career Alvarez is more interested in bouts that will serve as helping secure his legacy, by moving back up in weight, he will be facing a fighter who is also naturally bigger, but it will be up to Bivol to drive that point home and force Alvarez to fight him on his terms. While it is fair to ask whether Alvarez moving up and down in weight depending on what opportunities are available to him will eventually catch up with him as it has to other fighters, for now, the key for opponents like Bivol will be to prevent him from getting into a rhythm and dictating how the fight is fought. Dmitry Bivol has proven in his recent fights to be a highly skilled boxer, but I feel that if he is to be successful in this fight he needs to establish that he is the harder puncher in addition to the crucial point of dictating the combat and not allowing Alvarez to be for lack of a better term, in the driver’s seat as this fight progresses.

 

In terms of what is at stake for Alvarez beyond the opportunity to become a two-time Light-Heavyweight world champion is a third encounter with Gennady Golovkin the current unified IBF/IBO/WBA Middleweight world champion, who Alvarez fought two memorable battles against in 2017 and 2018, with a draw being rendered in the first fight and a highly controversial decision victory for Alvarez in the rematch. Golovkin did his part to set up a potential third encounter with Alvarez by stopping WBA world champion Ryota Murata in Japan in April. While the possibility of a third encounter still happening later this year should not be dismissed even if Alvarez were to lose to Bivol, Golovkin will obviously be an interested spectator as this fight takes place.

 

As for the decision by DAZN to test the waters of pay-per-view for this fight in North America, it remains to be seen whether it will be one that will be beneficial to the network in the long-term.  It should be noted the difficulty the network has experienced with their pay-per-view ordering system as this fight approaches.  In the interest of full disclosure with the reader, as someone who covers the sport remotely due to physical limitations and inability to travel, much like the average consumer, I do rely on whatever is available in order to do what I do. In anticipation of potential problems seeing as this is DAZN’s first attempt using a pay-per-view model, I have spent the better part of three weeks trying to get an order processed for this bout through DAZN’s website, Roku and Apple TV apps so I can cover the bout with no success.  In the days prior to writing this column, I made one final attempt at ordering the bout and was able to do so through DAZN’s mobile app. While I am still unsure as to whether my order was processed as I write this column, I felt it would be responsible for me to at least mention the difficulty I have had trying to order the Bivol-Alvarez event as to hopefully inform readers of potential issues they might incur using DAZN’s new ordering system for these sporadic events.

 

The potential issues for DAZN in terms of their ordering system aside, the decision to test out pay-per-view aside, the fight between Dmitry Bivol and Saul Alvarez does figure to be an interesting and perhaps tactical battle once the two world champions get in the ring to do battle. Whether or not Alvarez moving up and down in weight depending on opportunity ends up working against him in this fight also remains to be seen. With a potential mega third encounter with Gennady Golovkin looming, we will see if Dmitry Bivol can spoil those plans.

 

“And That’s The Boxing Truth.”

 

Bivol vs. Alvarez takes place on Saturday, May 7^th at the T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas, NV. The bout can be seen in the United States and Canada on DAZN Pay-Per-View through the DAZN streaming app for $59.99 for current subscribers, $79.99 for new subscribers and will also be available via traditional cable/satellite providers with a one month subscription to DAZN included with purchase. The DAZN streaming app is available on mobile, tablet, and connected streaming devices, platforms, and Smart TVs. Outside of North America, the bout will be available as part of an existing DAZN subscription excluding Mexico and Latin American Countries. The card will begin at 3:15PM ET/12:15PM PT with the DAZN Boxing Show, which will feature preliminary bouts. The Main card will begin at 8PM ET/5PM PT (*U.S. Times Only). For more information about DAZN including schedules, list of compatible streaming devices/platforms/Smart TVs, availability around the world, local start times in your area, and to order and subscribe please visit: www.DAZN.com.

 

The Boxing Truth® is a registered trademark of Beau Denison All Rights Reserved.

 

Follow Beau Denison on Twitter: www.twitter.com/Beau_Denison

 

 

A Historical Moment For The Sport Of Boxing: Taylor-Serrano

 

It is something that this observer has gotten used to saying as years have gone by, but yours truly has been writing about and covering the sport of Boxing for most of his life. In that time, I have seen plenty of things that I often refer to as “Black Eyes” in that it effects Boxing in negative ways. While obviously over the course of one’s journey covering the sport there are also plenty of good things that occur, I would be lying to the reader if I said that the negative elements that surround the sport do not get the majority of coverage throughout those of us in media that cover Boxing.

 

One thing that I personally saw as a negative from when I began writing in the mid-1990’s that I unfortunately saw continue for a lengthy period of time was the perception of how Women’s Boxing was viewed by many. Despite the fact that Women’s Boxing dates back as far as the1960’s, the female fighters in the sport did not get the opportunity to benefit from television exposure until the mid-1990’s when Christy Martin made a name for herself being showcased on Don King promoted cards, often on the undercard of marquee pay-per-view events, where more often than not Martin's bouts stole the show due in part to her crowd pleasing action style.

 

While it was seeing several of Martin's bouts that I saw in my youth in my early days as a writer that introduced me to Women’s Boxing and it was undeniable in my view what fighters like Christy Martin did for the sport for women and as I began trying to incorporate coverage of Women’s bouts, I kept hearing one consistent thing from many that would talk about the sport with me that frankly got under my skin. The perception that Women’s Boxing would never be taken as seriously as the sport is for men and that it was treated as a side show. Although I obviously disagreed with such statements/points of view, it was hard to make a case based largely on how the sport for women was showcased or lack thereof here on the United States as if you did not see a women’s bout showcased on a pay-per-view undercard, it was rare to see a women’s bout on network or cable television for years. With the rare exceptions of a Christy Martin bout or a Laila Ali bout for example, consistent television exposure for the women in the sport remained a struggle for years. An illustration of this was premium cable network HBO's refusal for many years to broadcast women’s bouts on their network beyond an obscene pay-per-view undercard bout. Sadly for HBO, the decision to finally showcase a women’s bout on their network would come in the final fight the network would broadcast before exiting the sport in 2018 after a forty-five year run broadcasting the sport.

 

HBO’s exit from the sport is a subject that will be debated for many years and even though it indisputable that several factors led to the network’s exit, the lack of consistently showcasing women’s bouts including its outright refusal to air women’s bouts on their network was at least one of those factors as it  eliminated the potential to increase their audience by opening the sport to new eyes that may not have been interested in Boxing otherwise. Such a reluctance by a network once regarded as one of the power players in the sport as well as very sporadic exposure for Women’s Boxing by other networks involved in Boxing seriously delayed the growth of the sport for women in this observer's eyes.

 

Out of respect for those who follow my coverage of the sport regularly, I will not do a rehash of the long overdue progress that the women of the sport have been able to make in the last several years, which thankfully has seen women’s bouts featured regularly on both traditional and digital streaming networks and featured in main event positions. This has been particularly noticeable here in the United States as it should be noted that women’s bouts have headlined Boxing cards also featuring men’s bouts for several years internationally.

 

The progress that has been made for the women who compete in the sport is undeniable however, and it was such progress that finally led to a truly historic moment for Boxing. This observer is referring to the April 30^th encounter for the Undisputed Women’s Lightweight championship of the world between undefeated longtime world champion Katie Taylor and seven-division world champion Amanda Serrano. What made this fight so historic beyond the true rarity of the consensus number one and two fighters in the sport meeting in the eyes of many, was it was the first time a women’s bout would headline a Boxing card in Madison Square Garden in over 140-year history of the historic venue through its various incarnations.

 

When I was first notified that the bout would take place and the circumstances of the location of the fight as well as the fact that it would be the main event, I immediately felt the anticipation that would accompany any major fight in the sport, whether it be a men’s bout or a women’s bout. As someone who has advocated for Women’s Boxing however, it was something that I looked forward to for the reason that it would finally bring long overdue recognition on arguably Boxing’s biggest stage to the women of the sport. While in the days prior to the fight I commented through social media platforms that I felt that fighters such as Christy Martin should have had the opportunity to headline a Boxing card in Madison Square Garden long ago, particularly because of the exposure Martin was able to give the sport for women, this was the right fight at the right time to break this barrier down for female fighters.

 

Not only did the bout between Taylor and Serrano bring together two world champions who are at the top of the sport, but it also showcased the evolution of Women’s Boxing in the sense that both women brought into the fight sizable fan followings and the sport overall is more mainstream in present day than it has ever been. The fight also pitted two highly skilled fighters against each other and that fact alone added intrigue to the historical significance of this fight.

 

With a crowd of over nineteen thousand spectators jammed into Madison Square Garden, Taylor and Serrano lived up to the anticipation and simply put on a show from the opening bell.  Although I always intended to cover this fight, I made the decision in the week or so prior to the bout taking place to sit and observe the atmosphere of the event and take it in though I was not in attendance at the venue simply known as “The Garden.” After many years of being questioned as to why I cover women’s bouts as well as men’s bouts and hearing the aforementioned points of view, I simply wanted to sit back and enjoy what I knew long ago what Women’s Boxing was capable of in drawing a sell out crowd in an iconic venue and producing an atmosphere and anticipation prior to the fight that was akin to any major fight that has taken place in the sport.

 

In the interest of honesty with the reader I will also admit that I did get emotional watching this fight for those reasons. The fight itself was also a reason for it as the two world champions showcased all the aspects that make Boxing great. While the current Featherweight world champion Amanda Serrano moved up two weight divisions for this fight, it was not surprising to see her try to cut the ring off from Taylor who spent the early rounds using lateral movement to maintain distance and combination punching to outwork Serrano. Despite being the naturally smaller fighter even though Serrano has made a career moving up and down through weight divisions with ease, it became clear early on that she had the edge in terms of punching power as whenever she landed punches, they tended to be flush and hurt Taylor.

 

It was not long before tactical Boxing gave way to a toe to toe battle in the middle rounds where Serrano got the better of the action including being able to have Taylor badly hurt in the fifth round with a barrage of offense that gave the appearance that the champion was on the verge of being stopped. The champion however, would respond surviving the onslaught and fighting back Over the course of the fight, both fighters would suffer cuts and for me personally, I began to have flashbacks of a fight in March 1996 between Christy Martin and Deirdre Gogarty, which took place on the undercard of Mike Tyson’s second bout with Frank Bruno. The bout between Martin and Gogarty was an all out war, but one that was only scheduled for six rounds. This bout between Taylor and Serrano was scheduled for the Women’s championship distance of ten rounds, but the action between the two reminded me of that encounter between Martin and Gogarty twenty-six years ago, which was also one of the first women’s bouts I covered in my early days as a writer.

 

Despite the ebb and flow seeming to favor Serrano after the offensive surge in the middle rounds, Taylor would respond in the closing rounds by reverting back slightly to looking to out box Serrano, which appeared at least in my eyes to turn things back around in her favor in a fight as she seemed to outwork Serrano in the closing rounds.  At the end of the ten round world championship bout received a standing ovation from the crowd inside Madison Square Garden.

 

As is the case with many women’s bouts due largely to the two minute length in rounds, I felt the fight was very close and could go either way. This was due to both fighters having significant periods where they were effective. When it comes to close fights it more often than not will boil down to what a judge prefers in their own criteria based on clean punching, effective aggressiveness, ring generalship, and defense that will determine who will get the nod in terms of scoring.

 

In this case, Taylor was effective in several rounds in being able to control distance with her lateral movement and combination punching. Serrano meanwhile was the consistent aggressor throughout much of the fight and landed the harder punches in my view. It became a question of whether Taylor’s movement and combination punching particularly in the early rounds as well as the closing rounds would be enough for her to retain her title. While I felt this fight could have gone either way and frankly expected to hear the official decision to be a draw based on these aspects and how close the fight was, at the end of the ten round world championship bout, I arrived with a scorecard of 95-93 in favor of Taylor as I felt her rally on the late rounds was enough to earn the decision.

 

Despite my point of view, it was no surprise to see a split decision rendered in this fight with Taylor getting the nod of two official judges in winning a hard fought decision to retain her undisputed crown. While some have expressed criticism of the decision, it was a fight that truly could have gone either way and as I said, even though I had Taylor ahead by what amounted to two rounds, I expected to hear that the fight was a draw.

 

An obvious question is whether a rematch will take place. Obviously, the old saying that more often than not applies to the sport of Boxing, “If it makes money, it makes sense” can be applied here. From my perspective a rematch is logical not only based on what took place in the ring, which frankly was one of the better fights I have seen or covered in recent memory, but also the historical significance of the event.

 

While I hope the progression for Women’s Boxing continues and will eventually include the implementation of three minute rounds, as was done for women’s bouts in the delayed 2020 Olympics as well as increasing the world championship round distance to twelve rounds, which would put Women’s Boxing on equal footing with the men who compete in the sport, in closing I would like to repeat what I said on social media shortly after the fight concluded.  Women’s Boxing take a bow and enjoy the overdue recognition the women of the sport have fought decades for.

 

“And That’s The Boxing Truth.”

 

The Boxing Truth® is a registered trademark of Beau Denison All Rights Reserved.

 

Follow Beau Denison on Twitter: www.twitter.com/Beau_Denison