The reaction to the Canelo vs Bivol Pay Per View result sent shockwaves through the sport, with many commenting on the upset.
Dmitry Bivol beat Canelo on points in what should have been a 9-3 or 10-2 win, only to squeak the triumph by two points.
Canelo stated after his loss: I’m very proud and competitive. I’ve gone up and fought at 175lbs.
“I’ve gone out of my comfort zone to fight at a weight that’s not mine. There’s no shame in that.
“I’m looking for challenges that others would be scared to take on because they might lose.”
LOSS
Ex-world champion Jamel Herring aired his views.
“Nothing wrong with Canelo losing to the better man. Many just believe 175 is too much, but there are still a lot of good fights he can make at 168.”
Former opponent Caleb Plant pointed to Canelo, stating at the press conference that he didn’t lose the fight.
“Just gotta take a loss like a man, take it on the chin and bounce back. No excuses, no BS, just back to the lab,” said Plant.
Just gotta take a loss like a man, take it on the chin and bounce back. No excuses, no BS, just back to the lab.
— CalebPlant (@SweetHandsPlant) May 8, 2022
Ryan Garcia, the former training partner of Canelo, didn’t mince his words.
“Canelo lost fairly easy. The only way I see Bivol losing is if the judges decide to steal it from him. You can’t win just by hitting the arms. They aren’t scoring blows.”
Chris Eubank Jr. said he believed Canelo vs. Gennadiy Golovkin III was now dead in the water. The Briton offered himself up for the GGG fight.
“Well, GGG, it looks like your going to need a new dance partner now that Canelo has been dethroned. I’m ready to tango, baby. Let’s get it on this summer.”
Teddy Atlas, known for his polarizing comments, put the judges under a microscope before the unfathomable 115-113 x3 verdict.
“It’s all Bivol! We just might see this sport under the microscope. Is it truly corrupt?”
It’s all Bivol!! We just might see this sport under the microscope. Is it truly corrupt? #canelobivol
— Teddy Atlas (@TeddyAtlasReal) May 8, 2022
CANELO vs BIVOL
Canelo said it best when he simply wrote on social media: “Boxing is like that, sometimes you win, and sometimes you lose.
“But always with your head held high. I stay with the great fight that we offered to the people. We will fight again, and we will win again.”
In one of the most shocking comments of all the reactions, Terence Crawford, a fighter with one solid victory on his record to date, claimed to be the Pound for Pound number one.
“We know who #1 is now,” he said. However, WBN only ranks Crawford at seven as Shawn Porter is his biggest P4P win since Yuriorkis Gamboa.”
Every other opponent beaten by Crawford was not rated in the WBN P4P Top 50.
Porter, the only huge win for Crawford in some time, chipped in on Canelo.
He said: “Bivol has officially been the third fighter to expose Canelo. Canelo needs a knockout to win!”
INSANE SCORING
The most insane occurrence of all, though, was the revelation that the judges had Canelo 4-0 after the first four rounds.
WBN had is 3-1 to Bivol at a push for Canelo.
Al Bernstein gave a headshake to the efforts of the officials.
“The sad part of tonight is that we have another big upset in the sport. A great performance by a champion and the right winner named, and yet we are still forced to talk about poor judging.
“Really too bad.”
The views expressed in this article are the opinions of Phil Jay.
WBN Editor Phil has over ten years of boxing news experience. Follow WBN us on Twitter @WorldBoxingNews.
