On June 1, Russian boxer Dmitry Bivol will defend his WBA Super and IBO light heavyweight champion title for the seventh time in a fight against knockout Malik Zinad. But our athlete is no stranger to demolishing dangerous opponents, as was the case in the fight with the strong American Cedric Agnew.

“This will be a brutal war”

By 2017, most of Bivol’s fights took place in Russian arenas. A series of ten victories brought the boxer a certain popularity in our country. But Dmitry was little known overseas. That is why the promotion company “World of Boxing” organized a fight for him in the USA with a local opponent, and even as part of a big boxing evening.

Cedric Agnew was considered a very promising prospect in North America. By 2014, he had 26 wins and no losses. Thanks to this, he received the right to fight Sergey Kovalev in a fight for the WBO title. But Cedric could not withstand the pressure of the Russian, losing by knockout in the seventh round.

By 2017, Cedric was slowly regaining lost ground, which had been shaken after his defeat by Samuel Clarkson. He scored two victories over his compatriots and could return to the championship race after defeating the undefeated Bivol. Before the fight, Agnew was not shy about throwing around big words.

– This will be a brutal war. I’m here to showcase my talent and skills. This will be an amazing fight. You’ll see me fight one hell of a fight. I box equally easily both from a left-handed stance and from a right-handed one. “I’m going to give Bivol a hard time,” Agnew said at a press conference.

Dmitry also aimed exclusively at winning, but he understood perfectly well that he would be opposed by the most pragmatic opponent, who preferred to act as number two.

“I’m aiming for a positive result.” Of course, I will try to win as brightly as possible, but Agnew is still the boxer who defends himself more. All his fights that I watched took place without any excitement and on a calm wave. Agnew is quite a difficult opponent to make a bright fight with him,” the official website of the World of Boxing quotes Bivol as saying.

Dmitry Bivol and Cedric Agnew / Photo: © Ethan Miller / Staff / Getty Images Sport / Gettyimages.ru

Destruction of the daring American

Bivol entered the fight with the Russian flag. The tricolor also adorned his shorts. In those years, this did not bother any Americans. The audience in Las Vegas greeted the little-known boxer quite casually.

Dmitry’s prediction regarding the opponent’s tactics was confirmed. From the first seconds, Agnew preferred to act as number two. But his defensive strategy with a double block did not help him in the last minute of the opening round. Dmitry hit a powerful straight right – and the American’s legs “started dancing.” The Russian rushed to finish off. A few more blows and Cedric found himself on the floor. The referee counted the knockdown, but Agnew managed to get up. Bivol did not have time to finish off the American, there was not enough time. Cedric huddled in a corner and did not think about attacks in the remaining 30 seconds before the gong.

In the second round, Dmitry continued to build on his success. He walked forward, throwing single jabs with impunity, diluting them periodically with beautiful series. But the opponent’s rare blows did not reach the target, as Bivol moved well, breaking the distance after attacks due to brilliant footwork.

Dmitry Bivol and Cedric Agnew / Photo: © Christian Petersen / Staff / Getty Images Sport / Gettyimages.ru

In the third segment, the Russian continued to dominate and even cut his opponent’s eyelid, and in the fourth it was all over. Before it started, Coach Agnew believed too much in the student, inviting him to break and destroy the “tired” Bivol. But the opposite happened. The Russian continued the beating to the dissatisfied roar of the crowd, which longed for an equal fight.

After one of the missed blows, Cedric grabbed his face and refused to continue the fight. At the same time, a hematoma instantly formed on his face. As it turned out later, the American received an injury that was very similar to a cheekbone fracture.

For 30-year-old Agnew, this fight was the final one in his career. Now he teaches boxing skills to ordinary people in the gym. Bivol continued his victorious march and became the owner of the WBA Super belt two years later.