In a classic boxing bout, Artur Beterbiev earned a majority decision over Dmitry Bivol Saturday.
The undisputed light heavyweight championship match took place from the Kingdom Arena in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia.
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After 12 rounds of back-and-forth action, Beterbiev picked up two scorecards (115-113 and 116-112) with the third calling it a 114-114 draw. He became boxing’s first undisputed 175-pound champion in the four-belt era with the win.
“Of course it’s a tough fight because Dmitry is a champion too,” Beterbiev said (thanks to ESPN for the quotes). “He has good skills, maybe better than me. But today, Allah chose me.”
Beterbiev threw almost 300 more punches but landed five less than Bivol in the bout. He did out-land him in power strikes, throwing 306 to 168.
With the win, Beterbiev improved to 21-0, with this marking his first win by decision after finishing each of his first 20 opponents. The 39-year-old will turn 40 at the beginning of 2025 and was coming off knee surgery.
For Bivol, this marked his first loss in 24 bouts, but he is likely to be granted an immediate rematch due to the closeness of the decision.
“I did my job,” he said. “I felt that I could do better. He is powerful, very powerful.
“I just (give) congratulations to Artur and his team. He deserves it.”
A bout between Ben Whittaker and Liam Cameron earlier on the card was called off in the fifth. Both fighters tumbled out of the ring, falling over the top rope and landing on the outside.
Whittaker, an Olympic silver medalist, left the venue in a wheelchair. The fight was scored a split draw.
Artur Betervievl-Dimitry Bivol Highlights
