It has been over a month since Artur Beterbiev defeated Dmitry Bivol to become the first undisputed light-heavyweight champion in decades and the boxing world continues to debate the decision.
The action was close throughout and the final call was always going to be razor thin. Both Russians felt the toll of the other’s shots and impressively fired back.
Bivol valiantly chose to exchange with the bigger puncher but also showed his stellar movement when needed. Beterbiev, as he is known for, marched forward and looked to land scoring shots anywhere he could.
Beterbiev entered the ring with 20 knockouts in 20 fights. Elite technician Bivol succeeded in being the first man to take him the distance but missed out on the win with Beterbiev taking a majority decision with scores of 115-113, 116-112 and 114-114.
It was and still is a hot topic in the sport. Bivol’s promoter Eddie Hearn notably branded the result a ‘robbery’ post-fight, whereas respected names such as Teddy Atlas felt Beterbiev was a fair winner.
Whilst an immediate rematch is justified and likely. there are top contenders waiting in the wings. One such fighter is David Benavidez, who recently relinquished his interim super-middleweight world title to move up to the 175 pounds ranks.
With a debut win over Oleksandr Gvozdyk, the 27-year-old holds the WBC Interim belt and mandatory slot for Beterbiev. Speaking with Fight Hub TV, Benavidez joined fans in wanting to see the clash again, particularly because he scored it to Bivol.
“To be honest when it comes more down to boxing, I think Dmitry Bivol won that fight. When it comes to damage, Beterbiev was probably landing the harder blows but I feel like Bivol did enough to win the fight. It was a great fight. People in boxing won and we get to see it again, and after that hopefully I get the winner.”
On whether or not Bivol can make adjustments to win the second fight, Benavidez went as far as saying he was ‘robbed.’
“I don’t know, that’s only questions that those men can answer. But if it’s the same exact fight, I see Bivol winning but if they rob it again there’s really nothing you can do.”
Not content with biding his time, Benavidez is set for an excellent clash against Cuban David Morrell on February 1.
