Artur Beterbiev beat Dmitry Bivol over the distance in an extremely close fight to become undisputed light-heavyweight champion in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia.
The 39-year-old entered the ring with a 100% knockout ratio and would try to keep it alive by pinning his opponent down. Bivol was elusive enough when he needed to be but by no means ran, earning the respect of Beterbiev with blistering combinations throughout.
In the end both men showed why they are the very best of a generation, making it the full twelve each with a case for the win. The judges sided with Beterbiev, who took a majority decision with the scores of 114-114, 115-113 and 116-112.
Many fans online were incensed by the result – including plenty of top-level fighters – and felt Bivol did more than enough to win. As with many close fights, there were some calls of ‘robbery’ – including Bivol’s promoter Eddie Hearn.
Speaking to Fight Hub TV, famed trainer and analyst Teddy Atlas said he understood why the fight could have gone either way but revealed that he had Beterbiev winning by one round.
“Close fight. Lot of close rounds. I can see why [people] are conflicted. You know what, I’m not gonna judge anyone. I judged the fight, but I’m not gonna judge anyone because I get it’s subjective in certain ways. There’s two ways to look at it, two fighters, close fight, a lot of close rounds.
I had it 115-113 Beterbiev, yeah, because I thought he won the championship rounds. I thought it was a really, really tight fight. I thought that, as I often do, a fight like this comes down to geography. Who gets to own the geography – the place in the ring – that suits their talents, strengths better than the other guy. Who gets to own that space, that real estate if you will, more than the other guy. In the end, I thought very close and slight that Beterbiev did.
The old timers would say this, make him fight your fight. I thought in the end that he got Bivol – a game, gallant warrior like they both were – to fight his fight. And how’d he do it? He did it with pressure all night. You want to see what Beterbiev is? Go put a pot of boiling water on your stove and watch the water boil. Leave for a half hour, come back there’s nothing in the pot. That’s Beterbiev. It don’t look like nothing’s happening, but something’s happening. He’s boiling you down.”
As for the swing rounds, Atlas said big-punching Beterbiev was doing enough to impress the judges in the final minute.
“[Bivol] threw one too many. Bang, he got caught. And then Beterbiev does what he does. What did he do at the end? He closes the show. I hate to use the term ‘stole rounds’ because that cheapens what they both did. But [Beterbiev] took a couple rounds late by closing the round strong.”
