Deep in the basement of the T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas, and a very long way from Vladimir Putin’s lavish office in Moscow, Dmitry Bivol seemed the very opposite of his glowering and gloating president late on Saturday night. The 31‑year‑old Russian had just dominated Saúl “Canelo” Álvarez, the celebrated king of boxing, in a clinical and comprehensive performance.
Bivol retained his WBA world light‑heavyweight title as he proved he was too big, too strong and too composed for Álvarez, who had moved up from the super-middleweights where he had established himself as that division’s first undisputed champion in history.
