Boxing

Artur Beterbiev edges past Dmitry Bivol in thrilling undisputed title fight

DAZN

13, Oct 24

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Artur Beterbiev is the new undisputed champion at light heavyweight after beating Dmitry Bivol by majority decision in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia.

Ahead of this historic matchup, there was very little separating the two men and this contest epitomised it perfectly.

Beterbiev, as expected, looked to jump on the front foot, but it was Bivol who enjoyed the early success.

Bivol’s slick footwork and movement put him in control, and he was applying the perfect strategy to avoid the ever dangerous puncher Beterbiev. By landing perfectly executed combinations before escaping his opponent’s range, Bivol was able to frequently force Beterbiev to reset.

In round four, something switched for Beterbiev who realised that he now had to dictate the pace of the fight and this meant forcing Bivol to the edge of the ring. This tactic appeared to remove some sharpness from Bivol who struggled to replicate what was working in the earlier rounds.

As the rounds progressed, the pace also changed with Beterbiev stalking Bivol around the ring who was kept quiet.

Then in round seven, Bivol rocked Beterbiev, but this seemed to work against the WBA light heavyweight champion as it rattled his opponent who landed a few punches of his own, and this round of two halves was one which this writer struggled to score and reluctantly had to mark as 10-10.

A fight such as this where mentality is arguably a bigger challenge than physicality, was taking its toll on both fighters, and in round nine, Bivol’s facial expression read tunnel vision and he returned to those perfect combinations which caused Beterbiev to struggle once again.

With momentum swinging towards Bivol, Beterbiev’s corner realised what was at stake and at the start of the eleventh, ordered their fighter to search for the knockout.

Like a warrior being given their final orders, Beterbiev went on the hunt for an early finish, letting his hands go and causing Bivol to panic who was throwing very little back.

Beterbiev kept up this hunt in the twelfth and final round despite a late flurry from Bivol, this fight was brought to a fitting close.

Anyone associated with boxing was finding it difficult to separate the two with one judge scoring it a 114-114 draw.

The other two ringside judges meanwhile gave the win to Beterbiev with scores of 115-113 and 116-112, the latter card is already causing chaos in the boxing world.

With a fight as agonisingly close as this, a rematch is already being demanded, and with both fighters appearing to want a second meeting, 2025 could be another big year for boxing.

If a Beterbiev vs. Bivol rematch does get made, round 13 cannot come soon enough, but Beterbiev must first be allowed to enjoy this historic feat as the first undisputed light heavyweight champion of the four belt era.

Re-live the highlights from an unforgettable night below.