Saturday’s first four-belt, undisputed championship bout in light heavyweight history featured 12 technical rounds between two of our pound-for-pound greats, double-sided pressure at times in the pocket and an exhilarating amount of excitement inside the Kingdom Arena in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia. the arab
It left us wanting more — too much, in fact — after a noticeable lack of closure on the scorecard.
In the end, Artur Beterbiev (21-0, 20 KOs) went the distance for the first time in his professional career, avoiding Dmitry Bivol (23-1, 12 KOs). By majority decision in a hotly contested contest And the judges scored it 114-114, 115-113 and 116-112 as controversial results.
Even with the fight playing out as more tactical than action-packed, with no knockdowns and a few momentum swings for Bivol to apparently hurt Beterbiev in round 7, both fighters’ performances were nothing but disappointing. This pair of Russian-born undefeated champions showcased the best that boxing has to offer in terms of chess defense, footwork, stamina and constant counter tactics.
But one thing we’re left without is a clear winner, regardless of how you score after so many close rounds. And, in a rare superfight without the added benefit (or occasional curse) of a mandatory and contractual rematch clause, the only correct course of action for everyone involved would be to quickly arrange a new date for the 13 rounds where it ends. give up the fight
The biggest controversy with the outcome of the fight was that Bivol ultimately came up short on three scorecards in a fight that looked, at best, a close decision for the former WBA titleholder or, at worst, a competitive draw.
Many experts said Bival, 33, would have to put up a perfect fight to avoid a 21st consecutive knockout accident thanks to Beterbiev’s two-fisted power. Instead, Bivol’s high guard, quick feet and quick hands have appeared at times to humanize Beterbiev in a way that few opponents have been able to do (let alone sustain).
Bivol outscored Beterbiev 142 to 137, according to Compubox, but he did so by a much higher percentage (33.6% to 20.1%). Bivol also, as expected, won the battle of the jabs 58 to 47. But even though he was edged out in total power shots (90 to 84) by Beterbiev, Beevel was absurdly efficient on 50% of his power punches overall.
Bivol, who surprisingly stood his ground in the straight ahead of Beterbiev despite a late rally in the championship round, was too humble to complain afterwards.
“I’m a fighter. I have to make everything perfect,” Bival said. “And I have no explanation (for the loss) because it could be like an excuse. I just congratulate Artur and his team. He deserves it. No problem. I have time to make other decisions for my future. That’s it.”
His promoter, Eddie Hearn, had an entirely different reaction, however, sitting directly next to Bivole at the post-fight press conference.
“I find it sick that after a lifetime of hard work, Dimitri Bival is not the undisputed champion tonight,” Hearn said. “He won that fight. I struggle to find anybody in our row, the back row of the TV (or) who didn’t score Bivol the fight. To find a judge to score that fight 116-112 and give Dmitri Bivol four rounds of that fight, This judge will never work in sports again.
“I’m sorry. All you’re going to get out of Dimitri is, ‘I can do better, this is boxing. I took the judges’ scorecards.’ But I won’t buy it because after that performance it was perfect performance, skill and defense.
To be fair, there were so many close rounds in this fight that it’s hard to argue with the boxer winning one round. But Hearn’s 116-112 scorecard, handed down by judge Powell Cardini, showed the Montreal resident giving Beterbiev every single benefit of the doubt in a fight that started late and was never able to get into first gear. Stubborn and efficient resistance shown by Bivol.
The judges ultimately favored the fact that Beterbiev was applying more pressure, especially in the second half of the fight. And his overall output of 682 total punch attempts (compared to 423 for Bivol) reflects this.
But how effective was Beterbiev’s pressure? That’s the burning question that remains after the incident, especially after Bival was able to silence Beterbiev’s ability to punish in a way that no one else has.
Make no mistake, however, this was not a robbery. It was a close, exciting and competitive fight with a controversial result. But it’s one that immediately demands a second chapter before starting fantasy matchmaking in and around the division using the likes of Canelo Alvarez, David Benavidez, David Morel or Joshua Buatsi.
Beterbiev, to his credit, is the first undisputed light heavyweight champion since Hall of Famer Roy Jones Jr. in 1999 and the first to hold four recognized world titles in the current era. But Bivel, and many across the boxing world who watched Saturday’s spectacular event, have unfinished business to attend to before we call this rivalry off.
Lucky for fans, Turkish Alalsikh agrees. In an interview Directed by The Stomping Ground As the chairman of Saudi Arabia’s giant entertainment fund exited ringside, Alalsikh appeared to tease that a sequel was coming.
“It was one of the great fights of the last 20 years, I think, but I don’t think the result was fair in my opinion,” Allsikh said. “Both fighters are like my brothers but I think Bivel won two more rounds. I’ll focus and I’ll try to rematch.
“If they accept, we will.”
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