As 2022 winds down, Sports Illustrated is looking back at the themes and teams, storylines and throughlines that shaped the year.
If Dmitry Bivol’s career had wrapped up in April, before the Russian expatriate scored a decisive win over Saul “Canelo” Alvarez, prior to a one-sided whipping of the then-undefeated Gilberto Ramirez, it would have been a laudable one. A decorated amateur run fueled a rapid rise in the pro ranks, one highlighted by a world title and a handful of credible defenses. Not bad for a Kyrgyzstan-born kid who credits his interest in boxing to old Jackie Chan movies.