Russian Dmitri Bivol once again left Mexican boxing fans deeply wounded by defeating the undisputed Mexican star Saúl ‘Canelo’ Alvarez. in Abu Dhabi, Saudi Arabia.

The judges voted (118-110, 117-111 and 117-111) in favor of the 31-year-old Russian.

“I proved to myself that I can be the best guy in the world,” ESPN’s no. 8 pound-for-pound fighter said Bivol. “… The lion isn’t the biggest animal in the jungle, but it’s the king. ‘Lefty’ is bigger than me; it doesn’t matter.”

Bivol was a very efficient fighter, landing hard punches and landing nearly 6 jabs per round, averaging 34 per round. The southpaw misses 88% of his punches. #BivolLeft #BivolRamirez pic.twitter.com/AmCoaZsrhb

— CompuBox (@CompuBox) November 6, 2022

With the victory, Bivol retained the World Boxing Association (WBA) light heavyweight belt for the tenth time and dispatched two of today’s best Mexican boxers in a row. Now the Eurasian has held the WBA belt for about five years.

Bivol now holds a record of 21-0-0, 11 KOs.

Bivol, who fights out of St. Petersburg, Russia, controlled the action from the opening bell with his excellent jab, crisp footwork and impeccable timing.

In previous fights, Pivol was content to box from the outside, but against Alvarez, he was more aggressive and unleashed five- and six-punch combinations. Again, Bivol stepped forward. He used pressure smartly and pounded Ramirez home repeatedly with jabs and straight rights.

Interestingly, Ramirez tried to box Bivol instead of throwing body shots and putting pressure on the champion. The strategy made things easy for Bivol, who used excellent hand speed and footwork to avoid Ramirez’s power shots and make him pay.

Now, Bivol looks forward to one of the best matchups the sport has to offer, with Artur Petterpiev, who holds three light heavyweight titles. Beterbiev, ESPN’s no. The 7 pound-for-pound fighter is set to fight Anthony Yarde on January 28. But if he wins, a reunion with Bivol would crown him the undisputed 175-pound champion.

“I have a goal, I want to be the undisputed champion, but it’s not all about me,” Bivol said. “If it was up to me, I’d fight for four belts … I hope they hear what I want. I’m like a kid with a dream, I want to go with this dream.”

If Bivol can’t land Beterbiev in time, there’s a chance for a rematch with Alvarez, who recently had surgery on his left wrist. When Bivol defeated Alvarez in May, Bivol competed for the light heavyweight title at 175 pounds. Will Bivol consider fighting Alvarez, the undisputed super middleweight champion, at 168 pounds to pursue his dream?

“For four belts, it’s an interesting fight, why not?” Bivol said. “But remember, I’m underweight. This is my weight.”

Now, Bivol is unmatched in its weight. After all, Ramirez is ranked No. 3 at 175 pounds by ESPN, but despite what he seems to believe otherwise, he’s not even remotely a contender.

“I think enough is enough, but the judges are doing their job,” he said.

Only Beterbiev seems likely to change Bivol’s title reign, now five years and 10 defenses (and counting).

Ramirez was the bigger man despite being a former 168-pound champion who moved up to 175 in 2019. The 31-year-old Mexican stopped all five of his light heavyweight opponents within the distance, but he never really competed. Fight with Bivol.

For the Mexican it marked his first setback in his career. Ramirez is 44-1-0 with 30 KOs to his credit.

Information from Mike Coppinger is used in this report