Who won Bivol vs Richards?
Dmitry Bivol beat Craig Richards by unanimous decision in their 12 round contest on Saturday, May 1st, 2021, at Manchester Arena, Manchester.
The scorecards were announced as 115-114, 115-113, 118-110 in favor of winner Dmitry Bivol.
The fight was scheduled to take place over 12 rounds in the Light Heavyweight division, which meant the weight limit was 175 pounds (12.5 stone or 79.4 kg).
This contest was for the WBA light heavyweight championship of the world.
This fight appeared on the undercard of Derek Chisora losing to Joseph Parker. Also on the undercard Katie Taylor beat Natasha Jonas, Chris Eubank Jr defeated Marcus Morrison, and James Tennyson was defeated by Jovanni Straffon.
Bivol vs Richards stats
Back in May 2021, Dmitry Bivol stepped into the ring with an undefeated record of 17 wins, zero losses, and 0 draws, 11 of those wins coming by way of knockout.
Craig Richards made his way to the ring with a record of 16 wins, 1 loss and 1 draw, with 9 of those wins by knockout.
The stats suggested Bivol had a slight advantage in power over Richards, with a 65% knockout percentage compared to Richards' 56%.
Dmitry Bivol was the younger man by 1 year, at 30 years old.
Richards had a height advantage of 1 inch over Bivol. That also extended to a 1-inch reach advantage.
Both Dmitry Bivol and Craig Richards fought out of an orthodox stance.
Bivol's experience as a professional fighter was relatively equal to Richards', having had 1 fewer fights, and made his debut in 2014, 6 months earlier than Richards, whose first professional fight was in 2015. He had fought 48 more professional rounds, totaling 190 compared to Richards' 142.
Craig Richards was ranked number 5 by the WBA, and 7 by the IBF in the 175lb division.
Bivol vs Richards form
Bivol remained undefeated as a professional, stopping 1 of his last 5 opponents.
In his last fight before this contest, he had beaten Lenin Castillo on October 12, 2019, by unanimous decision in their WBA Super World Light Heavyweight championship fight at Wintrust Arena, Illinois, United States.
Prior to that, he had beaten Joe Smith Jr on March 9, 2019, by unanimous decision in their WBA World Light Heavyweight championship fight at Turning Stone Resort & Casino, New York.
Going into that contest, he had won against Jean Pascal on November 24, 2018, by unanimous decision in their WBA World Light Heavyweight championship fight at Mark G. Etess Arena, Hard Rock Hotel & Casino, New Jersey.
Before that, he had beaten Isaac Chilemba on August 4, 2018, by unanimous decision in their WBA World Light Heavyweight championship fight at Hard Rock Hotel & Casino, New Jersey.
He had defeated Sullivan Barrera on March 3, 2018, by technical knockout in the 12th round in their WBA World Light Heavyweight championship fight at Madison Square Garden, New York.
Richards had won 5 of his most recent fights, stopping 4 of them, going the distance once.
In his last fight leading up to this contest, he had won against Shakan Pitters on December 18, 2020, by technical knockout in the 9th round in their BBBOC British Light heavyweight championship fight at Fly By Nite Rehearsal Studios, Worcestershire, United Kingdom.
Prior to that, he had won against Andre Sterling on June 21, 2019, by unanimous decision in their 12 round contest at York Hall, London.
Going into that contest, he had defeated Jake Ball on February 2, 2019, by technical knockout in the 3rd round at O2 Arena, London.
Before that, he had beaten Michal Ludwiczak on October 27, 2018, by technical knockout in the 2nd round at Copper Box Arena, London.
He had won against Bosko Misic on June 6, 2018, by knockout in the 3rd round at York Hall, London.
Activity check
In terms of activity leading into the fight, Craig Richards had been fighting more than Dmitry Bivol.
Going into this contest, Dmitry Bivol had last fought 1 year, 6 months and 19 days ago, while Craig Richards' last outing had been 4 months and 13 days ago.
Bivol's last 5 fights had come over a period of 3 years, 1 month and 28 days, which means he had been fighting approximately every 7 months and 19 days. In those fights, he fought a total of 60 rounds, meaning that they had lasted 12 rounds on average.
Richards' last 5 fights had come over a period of 2 years, 10 months and 25 days, meaning he had been fighting on average every 7 months. In those fights, he fought a total of 29 rounds, meaning that they had lasted 5.8 rounds on average.
What time did Bivol vs Richards start?
The fighters were expected to ringwalk at around 7:30 PM BST at Manchester Arena, Manchester, United Kingdom, which was 2:30 PM EST or 11:30 AM PST on the West Coast of America.
Who broadcast Bivol vs Richards?
Bivol vs Richards was broadcast on Sky Box Office HD in the UK, while the fight was broadcast in the United States by DAZN.
What were the odds on Bivol vs Richards?
Dmitry Bivol was a 1/25 (-2500) favorite going into the contest, while Craig Richards made his way into the ring at 9/1 (+900) with oddsmakers.
