Artur Beterbiev secured undisputed status at light-heavyweight with a controversial win over Dmitry Bivol on Saturday.
Beterbiev entered Saudi Arabia as unified champion, holding the WBC, WBO and IBF belts, and he took Bivol’s WBA title via majority decision. The scorecards read 114-114, 115-113, 116-112 in favour of Beterbiev, 39, with the latter scorecard seeming surprisingly wide.
Bivol, 33, is known as the slicker technician, while Beterbiev is famed for his power – which had forged a 20-0 record with 20 knockouts before Saturday (12 October). And Bivol’s tidy work seemed to build him an early lead, although Beterbiev continually pressed forward and sporadically showed his strength.
Bivol impressed with his bravery and composure, often standing in front of the harder hitter and crafting trademark combinations, although at many points he was forced to skip around the ring and throw short shots to deter Beterbiev. As the momentum swayed, Bivol seemed to pull ahead in the middle rounds, before Beterbiev came on strong in the final frames – occasionally forcing Bivol to cover up and hold on for the bell.
Even so, the 116-112 scorecard in the Russian-Canadian’s favour will surprise many viewers, with the consensus being that a draw or narrow win for either fighter would have been fair. Regardless, Bivol – also of Russian descent but with Kyrgyzstani heritage – will leave Riyadh with a first professional loss to his name (23-1, 12 KOs).
Re-live Beterbiev vs Bivol and the undercard action, below:
Bivol vs Beterbiev LIVE: Steve Bunce’s main-event analysis
There was no robbery in Riyadh – Artur Beterbiev just won the perfect boxing fight
Ignore the noise – the right man won the undisputed light-heavyweight title
Bivol vs Beterbiev LIVE: Result and reaction
Dmitry Bivol gives update on Artur Beterbiev rematch
Bivol lost a controversial decision in his undisputed title fight with Beterbiev on Saturday
Bivol vs Beterbiev LIVE: Result and reaction
Dmitry Bivol details what it’s really like to face Artur Beterbiev’s power
Bivol lost a controversial decision in his undisputed title fight with Beterbiev on Saturday
Bivol vs Beterbiev LIVE: Fabio Wardley vs Frazer Clarke analysis
The forgotten lesson we must learn from Frazer Clarke’s KO by Fabio Wardley
Comment: Clarke was left with vacant eyes, a contorted jaw, and a dent in his head on Saturday night
Bivol vs Beterbiev LIVE: Result and reaction
What an eventful night, from that enthralling main event to Wardley’s first-round KO of Clarke and Whittaker’s bizarre injury!
