Saul 'Canelo' Alvarez accepted the result of his unanimous decision defeat to Dmitry Bivol, hailing his opponent as a "great champion" after just the second loss of his career.
The Mexican came up short of claiming the WBA light heavyweight title in Las Vegas on Saturday against the Russian, who won 115-113 on all three scorecards after a 12-round bout.
His only other defeat in 61 fights coming against Floyd Mayweather Jr in 2013, Alvarez was left in an unfamiliar position.
But speaking afterwards, the 31-year-old was congratulatory of Bivol, while vowing to bounce back even stronger down the line.
"You have to accept it, it's boxing," Alvarez said. "He's a great champion. Sometimes in boxing you win and lose and I'm not giving excuses. I lost and he won."
On the possibility of whether he desired a rematch, he added: "Yeah, of course I do. "This doesn't end like this."
"This doesn't end in this way, I'm a very competitive person, I've got many years ahead of me, and I'm gonna come back stronger.
“We want the rematch, and we want to do much better in the rematch. I'm very proud and competitive. I've gone up and fought at 175lbs.
"I've gone out of my comfort zone to fight at a weight that's not mine, there's no shame in that. I'm looking for challenges that others would be scared to take on because they might lose.”
Alvarez's loss means he now moves to 57-2-2, while Bivol extends his unbeaten record to 20-0.
On This Day in 2016: Tony Bellew wins WBC world cruiserweight title
Tony Bellew won the vacant WBC world cruiserweight title against Ilunga Makabu at Goodison Park on this day in 2016.
Fighting at the home of his beloved Toffees, the Everton fan put on a show, claiming the belt with a third-round knockout.
Makabu had entered the fight as the bookmakers’ favourite and started well, sending Bellew to the canvas in the opening round with a left-hand shot.
However, the Liverpudlian quickly recovered with a barrage of combinations in the third round to floor Makabu.
The win meant Bellew won a world title at the third time of asking after previous bouts at light-heavyweight against Nathan Cleverly and Adonis Stevenson ended in defeat.
Bellew, who played ‘Pretty’ Ricky Conlan in Sylvester Stallone’s film Creed, admitted he had “achieved a dream”.
“I am Everton, and that’s why I got up. Nothing was going to stop me tonight,” he said.
“I’ve achieved a dream tonight, all those people who said I couldn’t do it, well I’ve done it. I’m world champion, that’s what I am!
“The last time I saw something like that I was in a Hollywood movie, now it’s real. I’ve lived the dream tonight. I am the best cruiserweight in the world, I have proven it tonight.”
Katie Taylor sets sights on Chantelle Cameron rematch and not retirement
Katie Taylor laughed off talk of retirement after her first professional defeat this month and is targeting a November rematch against Chantelle Cameron.
Taylor’s bid to become undisputed world champion in two weight categories simultaneously fell flat as the previously unbeaten lightweight was outpointed on her Ireland homecoming by Cameron in Dublin.
Cameron, who retained her four light-welterweight world titles with the majority decision win, has intimated she wants to step down to 135lbs to challenge for Taylor’s belts in any return bout.
And the 36-year-old Taylor insisted her only priority is another showdown with Cameron, telling RTE: “I don’t even know what retirement means. I definitely don’t feel like it’s time for me to retire.
“It will happen one day in the future, but now my sights are set on securing a rematch with Chantelle. That’s the only fight that matters to me now. I think we’re looking at a November date.
“I haven’t looked back on the fight yet. I think the right person won. I have to take the loss and move on from it. I’m just excited to get back to America to start training again for the rematch.
“I will learn from this. I definitely didn’t feel myself in there. I did feel very, very tired straight away. I’ll just have to go back to the drawing board.
“I’m definitely not going to end my career like that.”
Leigh Wood regains featherweight title with victory over Mauricio Lara
Leigh Wood regained his WBA featherweight title with a unanimous decision over Mauricio Lara in Manchester.
The fight was scored 118-109, 116-111, 118-109 in Wood’s favour after he turned in a disciplined performance to nullify the best of the threats Lara had to offer.
Lara boasted a four-pound advantage after Friday’s dramatic weigh-in, when he failed to make the nine-stone limit and was stripped of his belt, with Wood opting to take the fight anyway.
The Nottingham fighter made the most of that decision as he had Lara on the canvas in only the second round with a right uppercut and stayed on the attack, despite Lara managing to open up a cut above his left eye in the fourth round.
Lara, behind on the cards, continued to target that eye but Wood kept dancing and was in control as Lara struggled to make anything pay.
Wood struck the Mexican with a powerful left hook which left him wobbling in the 11th and it was effectively beyond doubt by that point, with Wood jumping onto the ropes to celebrate even before the judges confirmed his victory.
SportsMax is the Caribbean sports channel of choice, committed to providing sporting content of the highest quality to the Caribbean, delivered by a team of highly innovative, passionate and qualified professionals.
(876) 619-7629
digitalmedia@sportsmax.tv
