Russian World Boxing Association (WBA) light heavyweight champion Dmitry Bivol said that during the fight against the Mexican Saul Alvarez, he was not worried because the majority of the audience supported his opponent.

Bivol defeated Alvarez via unanimous decision in May to retain the WBA Super light heavyweight title. The fight took place in Las Vegas.

– I was originally tuned in to this. It is difficult and scary what you do not expect. And when you’re ready, it gets easier. This situation even motivated me at some point. Although, I confess, there was a struggle with myself. A little man was sitting inside, who, as it were, said: “No one is betting on you, you don’t have to strain.” And I tried to muffle it, to convince myself: “Not an option, I didn’t come here to lose to a person who is less than me in boxing. I started training earlier, I have a huge number of amateur fights. I am the champion in this weight. Why should I give in? And in general it’s great that so many people gathered. Yes, the whole room was against me, but I imagined that they supported me.

And when I won, they really applauded me. It was very nice. I didn’t try to fool myself. I just go to the ring, I hear this roar of the crowd and I understand: people have gathered to look at me and another person. It doesn’t matter who they root for. Spectators bought tickets, they came, they want to see boxing. And we will show it to them now, ”Bivol said in an interview with RT.

In the professional ring, 31-year-old Bivol won 21 out of 21 fights. In the last fight, which took place in November, he defeated the Mexican Gilberto Ramirez.