Russian fighter Dmitry Bivol defeated Cuban challenger Sullivan Barrera by TKO in the twelfth round and retained the World Boxing Association (WBA) light heavyweight crown.
Both fighters starred in a very tough fight that was held at “Madison Square Garden” in New York, where the Russian sat in the chair throughout the fight.
Bivol maintained the crown and his undefeated quality with numbers of 13-0, with 11 knockouts to his mark as a professional.
The Russian champion faced the number one mandatory challenger in the WBA, Barrera, who after his defeat saw his record drop to 21-2, with 14 fast track wins.
The 27-year-old Bivol boxed out Barrera for eleven rounds.
In the twelfth, Bivol finished his job through the front door and unleashed his fury with a flurry of blows from both hands to send Barrera, 36, to the canvas.
The Cuban was able to stand up, but referee Harvey Dock decided to stop the actions in 1:41 minute of the last round.
Barrera could not find at any time a way to counter the attack of the Russian, who made a style fight with both hands, combining with unsurpassed footwork on the part of the Cuban aspirant.
Although Bivol suffered a right eye injury during the second round, due to an involuntary header from Barrera, he knew how to control the actions, and never conditioned him.
During the first six rounds, Bivol punished the Cuban at will, and in the second half he seemed to have exhausted himself, allowing some hits to Barrera.
It seemed that Bivol did not want to end the fight, but only kept him on the sidelines with powerful direct and combination of blows with both hands that hit the targets of Barrera’s face and body. EFE.
Russian Bivol wins by technical KO to Cuban Barrera and retains light heavyweight title
