Last Saturday, minutes after his name was announced as the winner of the hotly anticipated light heavyweight rematch with Artur Beterbiev, Dmitry Bivol briefly succumbed to emotion. Standing in the ring, a two-inch cut still open above his left eye, Bivol reflected on what the moment meant to him. “I’m just so happy,” Bivol said. “I went through a lot in the last year. Thank you so much. Everybody.”
In the days leading up to the fight, Bivol was clear: Losing bothered him. It had been more than a decade since Bivol tasted defeat. He was a decorated amateur, collecting gold medals at European and world levels. He turned pro and won his first 23 fights, most of them by knockout or wide decision. The loss to Beterbiev wasn’t disappointing, Bivol said. It was crushing.
