Dmitry Bivol (24-1, 12 KO’s) is now the new undisputed light-heavyweight (175 lbs) champion after a commendable performance over Artur Beterbiev (21-1, 20 KO’s). The two headlined a multi-promotional card that was hosted by Riyadh Season on February 22nd at the Kingdom Arena in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia.
The two fighters engaged in a rematch of their October 12th fight which saw Artur Beterbiev come out on top to become undisputed. This time, however, it would be Dmitry Bivol who would achieve his own historical footnote in light-heavyweight history as he defeated Beterbiev over the course of 12 rounds to claim his WBA title and the rest of the belts that would be defended by Beterbiev [WBC, WBO & IBF].
Like their first match, Beterbiev and Bivol highlighted the very best of boxing as they engaged in a high-octane battle immersed with displays of rapturing skill, fluent tactics and overwhelming physical effort.
The fighting styles the two displayed in their maiden bout continued in the second match, with Beterbiev opting for his usual approach in pressuring opponents. Bivol, a pure boxer by every metric, relied on his skills again but the difference between this match and the first was the early start of both fighters.
Contrary to their first fight, Dmitry Bivol showed more of his offensive arsenal than he had previously which ended up making all the difference this time around. While Artur Beterbiev’s shots still looked damaging, Bivol retaliated more than he had in the first, demonstrating a clear intent to ensure the optics depicted him being prevalent in both offense and defense rather than just the latter.
As a result, Bivol landed the higher amount of punches by a wider amount than in the first fight as CompuBox’s punch stats would show:
In total punches, jabs and power punches landed, Dmitry Bivol certainly was the one that showed a higher rate of efficiency despite Artur Beterbiev having thrown more punches; indicating that Bivol’s defense had been significantly better than that of his opponent.
As a result of Bivol’s quick and crafty defense, the majority of Beterbiev’s shots were either missed or blocked while Bivol himself found the openings needed to score higher statistically. With Dmitry Bivol having further chosen to commit to offense at the right time, he proved himself to be the better fight on the night, creating a wider gap than had been during the first match.
The two fought the full 12 rounds of their undisputed title bout and while nothing notable happened, they both showcased the grit and ability of elite-level fighters who deserved to be champion. However, only one could be the winner and it would be Dmitry Bivol who would be declared as such after the judges’ scorecards of 115-113, 116-112 and 114-114 allowed Bivol to claim a majority decision (MD) victory.
Despite the convincing win, judge Jean-Robert Laine, from Monaco, his scorecard of 114-114 appeared quite egregious considering it did not capture the reality of Bivol’s win over Beterbiev.
Bivol’s victory now makes him the new undisputed light-heavyweight champion. With rumors painting a trilogy being in the works for later this year given both fighters are now have a record of 1-1 against each other, a third exciting match appears to be on the horizon to determine who truly is the best out of the two elite boxers.
For now, however, Dmitry Bivol can enjoy his victory and tenure as the second undisputed champion in light-heavyweight history.
