What is Dmitry Bivol’s boxing record?

Many of Canelo’s fight fans will have never heard of Dmitry Bivol. Many, in fact, will have never heard of his homeland, Kyrgyzstan. But the 31-year-old fighter may be the most serious threat that Alvarez has faced yet.

With a 19-0 record as a professional, he may seem relatively inexperienced, but don’t be fooled. He has a whopping 302 fights under his belt, and he has won most of them. As an amateur, he went 268-15 winning two junior world championships and a bronze medal in the 2008 AIBA Youth World Championships. He won the Russian national amateur boxing championships in 2012 and 2014.

Since turning pro, he has marched his way through some bona-fide contenders as well, winning his first six fights by knockout. As the levels climbed, so did he, stepping up his game for each bout. He has gotten unanimous decisions over Isaac Chilemba, Jean Pascal, Lenin Castillo and Umar Salamov. Saul “Canelo” Alvarez is definitely his biggest test yet.

Canelo needs to be methodical to break down the Kyrgyz fighter. Bivol is awkward and likes to work outside. If he is to have success against the undisputed Super Middleweight champion, Bivol will need to frustrate Canelo and force him into a rangy contest. If Canelo can work his way inside, it could become just the kind of fight that the Mexican wants.

As the T Mobile Arena in Las Vegas gets ready to put on fight night on Saturday, May 7, the scene is set for a real battle. Canelo’s fans will be out in force, but if they didn’t know who Dmitry Bivol is before the fight starts, Bivol’s job is to make sure that they know him when the fight is over.