Artur Beterbiev claimed the spoils as boxing’s light heavyweight division crowned its undisputed champion in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, but the nature of his victory meant that the story between the pair may not be over just yet.
Montreal-based Russian Beterbiev improved his perfect record to 21-0 with a majority decision victory over compatriot Dmitry Bivol at Kingdom Arena to become the undisputed king at 175 pounds after a tightly-contested, at-times tactical battle that left many observers split on the outcome.
Two judges scored the fight in Beterbiev’s favour, 115-113, 116-112, while the one dissenting judge scored the fight even, at 114-114.
It meant that Beterbiev became the light heavyweight division’s first undisputed world champion since Roy Jones Jr back in 1999.
In a tense battle between two of the top pound-for-pound boxers in the world, Bivol showcased his smooth boxing skills for much of the contest, but Beterbiev appeared to connect with the more impactful shots, and came on strongly towards the end of some of the rounds.
It was the first time any of Beterbiev’s opponents had taken him the distance, but in the end, it was Beterbiev’s work that held sway with two of the three judges as he was crowned undisputed champ.
After his victory, Beterbiev admitted he wasn’t wholly satisfied with his performance, saying, “I feel not bad. I did not good today.
“I wanted to box today with more quality. I don’t know why, but I didn’t like this fight. But I’ll be better one day.
“Of course, it’s a tough fight because Dmitry is a world champion, too. He has good skills, maybe better than me. But today, Allah chose me.
“You know, during the fight, we always try to change something. But, you know, maybe I just wanted to punch him. Maybe that’s why I’m not delivering more punches. I don’t know.”
Given the somewhat disputed nature of the result, the topic of an immediate rematch was floated, and Beterbiev said he’d accept, if that was what the powers that be – most notably Turki Alalsheikh – wanted it.
“If His Excellency wants it, then we can do it,” he said.
Bivol, meanwhile, was all class after suffering his first career loss as a professional, and refused to complain about the scoring of the contest.
“I am a warrior. I have to do everything perfect,” he stated.
“I don’t have any explanation because it could look like excuses. I just congratulate Artur and his team. He deserves it. No problem. I just have time to make another decision for my future. That’s it.
“I don’t know. I just did my job. I felt that I could have done better. I always could be better. It’s just the opinion of the judges. Congratulations, Artur. I didn’t see the fight. He won. What can I say?”