While Damian Lillard thought Canelo Alvarez would win against Dmitry Bivol, the Portland Trail Blazers star admitted he was not surprised it went the other way around.
Bivol took down Canelo during their WBA light heavyweight title fight over the weekend. The Russian boxer bagged a unanimous decision victory, although the scores were close with all the judges scoring it an identical 115-113 in favor of Bivol.
Days after the thrilling win by Bivol over the undisputed super middleweight champion, Lillard reflected on the fight results and shared his thoughts how the light heavyweight champ retained his title.
“I thought Canelo would win but I knew this was a solid possibility. Bigger fighter, great jab, good feet, throws combinations well. Knew Canelo would have a hard time getting close… and that high guard wasn’t it in this fight. And Bivol was unbothered throughout the whole build up,” Lillard wrote on Twitter.
Sure enough, Damian Lillard couldn't have said it any better. While Canelo Alvarez has all the tools that made him a favorite pick in the bout, he was unable to showcase his full arsenal against the bigger and more tactical Dmitry Bivol.
Boivol also utilized his strong left jab and right hand to perfection in order to punish Alvarez and win a plethora of rounds in their showdown.
For those hoping to see Canelo get a rematch, though, the 31-year-old Bivol did say that it is not on his goals as of the moment, highlighting that he wants to win more titles instead.