MEXICAN boxing superstar Saul “Canelo” Alvarez dared to dream big. In the end, he was beaten by a good, big man in Russian Dmitry Bivol.

Moving up in weight, from 168 pounds (super middleweight) to 175 pounds (light heavyweight), Alvarez was decisively outboxed by the bigger and taller World Boxing Association (WBA) champion Bivol.

The Russian executed the perfect fight plan for a man of his size. He controlled the pace and kept the smaller Alvarez at a safe distance with a solid jab.

He kept the action at the center of the ring and unloaded combinations and well-timed counters that totally frustrated Alvarez. Oh, Bivol also offered an impenetrable defense.

In stark contrast, Alvarez apparently left his fight plan in the dugout.

Alvarez seemed more focused on taking out Bivol with a big punch, oblivious to the fact that he was in a heavier weight class and taking on a big guy who was more than capable of taking his meanest shots.

Alvarez, as pointed out by former heavyweight champ Mike Tyson, also failed to make full use of his solid left jab and this allowed Bivol to fire off combinations with little resistance from the Mexican. As early as the eighth round, Alvarez looked tired and confused.

The scorecards (all three judges scored it 115-113), while unanimous for Bivol, were surprisingly close.

Believe it or not, Bivol needed to win the 12 th and final round to secure the decision win. Alvarez would have escaped with a draw had he won the final round.

Fortunately, all three judges gave it to Bivol. In the opinion of many, Bivol won with plenty of rounds to spare. This writer scored it 116-112 for Bivol.

The loss was Alvarez’s first since September 2013, when he absorbed his first loss to Floyd Mayweather Jr. Alvarez was 16-0, 1 draw (opposite Gennady Golovkin in September 2017) going into the fight with Bivol.

Alvarez, 57-2-2 with 39 knockouts, immediately hankered for a rematch. Then again, it was more of a knee-jerk reaction. It did not take that long before Alvarez admitted that he is more comfortable at 168 pounds. Translation:

He wants to return to super middleweight and wants nothing to do with Bivol at light heavyweight.

Here’s the catch, though: Bivol has expressed willingness to go down to 168 and face Alvarez for the latter’s undisputed (WBA, WBC, IBF and WBO) super middleweight crown.

Clearly, Bivol wants to prove that he can beat Alvarez on his own turf. With some quarters saying Bivol defeated a smaller guy who stepped out of his comfort zone, the Russian is willing to face Alvarez right inside his super middleweight den.

Alvarez had earlier agreed to fight Golovkin in September, but a rematch with Bivol may be the priority. Still, Alvarez’s loss may have just revived interest in a third match with Golovkin. Before the Bivol fight, many thought Alvarez will handily beat Golovkin because the latter is already old and arguably past his prime.

With Alvarez’s confidence now on shaky grounds, Golovkin’s chances just received a huge boost.

Alvarez remains the undisputed champ at super middleweight and it appears a rematch with Bivol will only happen if the Russian agrees to go down to 168.

Bivol is also demanding a heftier paycheck for the rematch, something he definitely deserves.

Alvarez was guaranteed $15 million for the fight and 70 percent of the pay-per-view earnings which could bring his take home pay to over $50 million. Bivol was guaranteed just $2 million and 30 percent of the payper-view sales, which could give him a total of only $5 million.

Bivol was the defending champ, but Alvarez got a bigger slice of the pie because he was the bigger draw. Bivol, 20-0 with 11 knockouts, is likely to get a major pay hike in the rematch.

Bivol is now the man of the hour in boxing. The 31-year-old Russian, whose mother is of Korean descent, started boxing at age 6 after developing a love for combat sports by watching several Jackie Chan movies.

Before turning pro in 2014, Bivol enjoyed a stellar amateur career, winning two world championships at the junior level and a bronze medal in the 2008 AIBA World Youth Boxing Championships.

As a pro, Bivol initially won the WBA “interim” light heavyweight title in 2016 before being promoted to full champion in 2017. He has since posted nine successful defenses, including the huge win over Alvarez.

Not a few are telling Alvarez to avoid Bivol at all costs, given the Russian’s dominant performance. Alvarez, though, is not likely to pay heed as the Latino warrior in him yearns to even the score with the Russian mastodon.