Artur Beterbiev became the unified light heavyweight champion (175 lbs) on Saturday by defeating Dmitry Bivol in a tough fight which went to the decision of the judges who handed out a split decision.
For the first time in his career, Beterbiev (21-0, 20 KOs) went to the end of the fight. One judge saw a tie of 114-114 while the other two favored Beterbiev (115-113, 116-112) against Bivol (23-1, 12 KOs) who thus suffered his first career defeat .
Beterbiev therefore retained his IBF, WBC and WBO belts in addition to winning those of the WBA and IBO held by Bivol.
He becomes the first light heavyweight boxer to hold all the belts at the same time.
Not satisfied
In an extremely close fight, Beterbiev was not entirely satisfied with his performance.
“I didn’t like this fight, I will be better one day. I wasn’t able to land a lot of power shots,” he said during the in-ring interview after the result was announced.
It was the first time in his professional career that Bivol went to the decision, he who had always knocked out his opponents in his first twenty fights.
“It’s satisfying for me to win by decision because it’s not usual for me. He’s a very good technician,” mentioned the adopted Montrealer, saying he was open to a rematch.
Bad start
We can say that Beterbiev did not have a very good start to the fight. Bivol took the initiative and won the first three rounds.
Very good technically, the Russian showed a lot of precision, a trend which continued throughout the confrontation. He finished the fight with a 34% efficiency rating while only 20% of Beterbiev’s punches hit the target. That said, it’s better than the vast majority of boxers who faced Bivol before him.
Starting in the fourth round, Beterbiev began to take up more space in the ring, moving to the center and forcing Bivol to move around him.
During rounds four to six, the Montrealer was able to land more powerful punches, particularly to his opponent’s body. He also forced Bivol to step back and showed more confidence.
Very tight
The second half of the duel was very close with a slight advantage to Beterbiev who however tended to start his rounds gently to open the machine in the last minute.
A good left from Bivol during the seventh round seemed to shake Beterbiev who was ultimately especially angry by it and who bit into his mouth guard to finish the round with rage in his heart.
Despite the instructions of his coach, Marc Ramsay, who told him to attack, Beterbiev continued to be patient, which allowed Bivol to have a comeback in the ninth round.
Beterbiev’s power made the difference in the last three rounds, particularly in the 10th and 11th. During this one, Beterbiev pummeled Bivol with blows to the point where the Russian spent the last minute taking without being able to fight back, hanging on while waiting for the bell to sound.
We will have to see what happens next. Will Beterbiev face another opponent in early 2025 or will he grant Bivol a rematch?
