Dmitry Bivol

Dmitry Bivol, born December 18, 1990, in Tokmak, Kyrgyzstan, discovered his passion for boxing amidst the trials of his early life. His journey began with an outstanding amateur career, boasting a record of 268 wins against just 15 losses. This impressive record paved the way for his transition to professional boxing in 2014. Known for his precise technique and powerful punches, Bivol quickly made a name for himself in the boxing world. His talent and determination led him to his first major victory in 2016, when he captured the WBA light heavyweight belt in a thrilling fight against Felix Valera.

Bivol’s rise in the sport was far from over. He continued to climb the ranks, defending his WBA light heavyweight title against a series of formidable opponents. In 2018, he faced and defeated Sullivan Barrera and Jean Pascal, demonstrating his prowess and solidifying his position in the boxing world. The following year, he successfully defended his title against Joe Smith Jr. and Lenin Castillo, further proving his mettle in the ring.

Despite facing tough competition, Bivol's winning streak remained unbroken. In 2021, he defended his title against Umar Salamov and Craig Richards, showcasing his resilience and skill. His successful run continued into 2022, when he triumphed over Canelo Alvarez and Gilberto Ramirez, further cementing his status as one of the most respected figures in boxing.

Dmitry Bivol has arguably the most effective lead hand in all of boxing today. When it comes to the total package of everything you can do with the lead hand, Bivol is a textbook example of how to do it all. However, the use of his lead hand all starts with his stance. His bladed stance and wide foot positioning puts his lead hand front and center for him to use. From there he can use his lead hand to constantly distract his opponent by extending it in their face, to control their gloves, measure distance, and block their vision. Opponents will never be able to enter range without getting past Bivol’s lead hand. On the offensive side, Bivol deploys a style of pendulum boxing with his lead hand as seen most commonly from fighters of Eastern-European descent. Bivol will transfer his weight back and forth between his feet to build a rhythm like a pendulum. This allows him to explode with almost leaping jabs to stun his opponents with long-range and very powerful jabs. Bivol will also create a deadly guessing game by mixing these jabs with leaping left hooks once his opponents catch on to the jab. The beginning of each punch looks the same so it’s very difficult for his opponent to tell the difference and defend accordingly. What makes this mixup especially dangerous is that the defense for one punch leaves an opening for the other punch. Once Bivol has his opponents on the defense, he’s able to unleash multiple punch combinations all from his pendulum stepping that build up extra power on the punches.