Russian Dmitry Bivol knocks out Sullivan Barrera to extend his unbeaten record and continue to make his claim as one of the best fighters in the light-heavyweight division today.

Fighting on the same bill as fellow countryman Sergey Kovalev Bivol was clearly keen to impress on the big stage at Madison Square Garden.

Bivol retained his WBA world title at 175lbs with a stoppage in dramatic fashion in the final round but was made work throughout the fight by experienced Cuban Sullivan Barrera who was always dangerous.

However this danger was neutralised in the final round as captured by the folks at HBO YouTube (hat tip) here:

An excellent finish in the end.

Afterwards Bivol paid tribute to his tough foe Barrera whom he admitted taught him things on the night and that he will now have to go back and work on some weaknesses.

Bivol also admitted that he is a work in progress but does believe he has the tools to be the best fighter in the division one day.

(Photo courtesy of David Spagnolo, Main Events)