Dmitry Bivol in Atlantic City: He got the “W” But Didn’t Wow Anyone

This past weekend at the Hard Rock Casino in Atlantic City, WBA light heavyweight title holder Dmitry Bivol 14-0 (11) defended his title against former title challenger Isaac Chilemba 25-6-2 (10). Chilemba had faced and lost to most of the current elite light heavyweights in the world going into the Bivol fight. In addition to an early career loss on points, Chilemba lost by decision to Tony Bellew, current WBO title holder Eleider Alvarez, Sergey Kovalev, the former two time champ, and emerging contender Oleksandr Gvozdyk, with Gvozdyk being the only one to stop him.

In boxing sometimes perception and the eye test carry as much weight as the actual result. Bivol knew going in that his fight, by virtue of being tagged to the Kovalev-Alvarez title clash, would be viewed by many on HBO. Being a young pro and a new title holder, Dmitry knew it would make a big statement if he was more impressive beating Chilemba than were Bellew, Alvarez, Kovalev and Gvozdyk. And if he could stop Chilemba inside the distance his bragging rights would really escalate.

Bivol is widely perceived as a fighter with enormous ability and perhaps the future of the division. However, having sat ringside and watching him work for the 12 rounds he and Chilemba shared the same ring, it’s impossible not to become a prisoner of the moment and the bottom line is that Bivol didn’t have a good night; he underperformed. That runs contradictory to the lopsided scorecards as two of the judges had him winning every round, tabulating it 120-108, with the other seeing it 116-112 (as I did) which translates to eight rounds to four.

I never saw him fight as if he were being handcuffed, but he seldom put more than three punches together in succession. For the first seven rounds Bivol mostly backed up Chilemba with quick jabs that set up his favorite combination of jab, cross and hook, with the hook going to the body sometimes. As long as Chilemba was waiting on and trying to react to Bivol, he continued to finish second in a two-man event. This changed starting in the eighth round when Chilemba, instead of trying to react to the faster Bivol, smartly took the initiative and began to step towards Bivol, thus forcing him to react or reset, and with Bivol’s role reversed, Chilemba began to score and quell Bivol’s offense.

During the last four rounds of the bout Bivol was rewarded on two of the three scorecards for just being there and coasting. Chilemba was the fighter forcing the action and pressuring Bivol to go back and only flurry in spots. When he did, his combinations were grazing shots with only one punch landing clean, but he was also hit on the way out after he got off. And the other thing that was part and parcel of Bivol’s offense was missing – and that was his tendency to answer his opponent’s meaningful punches with his own. There were countless times during the second half of the fight in which Chilemba let his hands go and Bivol just moved away without answering a single punch.

As the fight progressed, I was waiting for Bivol to open up and impress, especially against an opponent who lacked the firepower to hurt him. What stood out in the bout was Bivol’s quicker hands and his most successful punch, which was his lead left hook to the head that made a whacking sound every time it landed. Granted, Bivol clearly deserved the decision, but to score it a shutout means he was rewarded points for his flashier style and presence more so than for what he actually did. But when Chilemba started to push the fight more, Dmitry was rendered less effective if you paid close attention.

Sure, Bivol is still a fighter to look out for and may one day be considered the top of the light heavyweight food chain. But he didn’t have a stellar night against Chilemba and during the second half of the bout, when Isaac changed tactics, Bivol looked like just an ordinary fighter with quick hands. And those sitting close to me were mostly in agreement, expecting more from him against the 10-1 underdog. That said, Bivol is already 2-0 in title fights after only 14 pro bouts. Based on his dedication and want to get better, he will improve and we haven’t yet seen the finished product. But while Bivol is solid, it’s not a given that he’s the future of the division and his weak finish vs Chilemba wasn’t too enthralling.

The other thing that I’ve picked up since the fight is the difference in perception between those who were there compared to those who watched it on HBO. Those in attendance seemed disappointed and saw the fight more competitive than those who saw it on TV.

That’s nothing new to boxing because you can actually see a fight better on television than you can by being there. On TV there are no obstructions and you’re closer to the fighters. All I can say is, having been there, that Bivol looked like a fighter warming up to really come on but never did (and in Chilemba’s defense he certainly wasn’t shut out). Prior to the fight most expected Bivol to get the stoppage and set himself apart from the rest of the field. If Chilemba were only fighting to survive, that would’ve made it more difficult, but that wasn’t the case.

Dmitry Bivol has a lot to work with physically and in hearing him interviewed he says all the right things you want to hear from a young fighter who hasn’t yet hit his peak. The one thing I’d take into account for the near future in matching him is to keep him away from fighters who have the strength and ability to force him to go back and fight in retreat. If he has an Achilles heel, that’s it.

Frank Lotierzo can be contacted at GlovedFist@Gmail.com

Check out more boxing news on video at The Boxing Channel

To comment on this article at The Fight Forum, CLICK HERE.