Artur Beterbiev defeats Bivol and becomes the absolute champion
Artur Beterbiev defeated Dmitry Bivol by majority decision to win four light heavyweight (175 lb) belts.
Artur Beterbiev became the first undisputed light heavyweight world champion since then. Roy Jones Jr. (24 years ago) winning by majority decision (114–114, 115–113 and 116–112) O Dmitry Bivol. Beterbiev beat the odds and picked up his first decision win, as all of his previous wins had been knockouts.
Although Bivol showed well-coordinated, dancing, fast, strategically thought-out boxing and sometimes even dared to exchange blows with the puncher, Beterbiev was able to turn the fate of the fight around in the final rounds.
Beterbiev’s victory is a testament to his courage to never give up, his ability to control the fight and his determination to take it or lose it all against a more experienced but younger opponent. Bivol always sought to prolong the fightHowever, as if he were a great connoisseur of emotions, he gave the audience exciting moments, and Beterbiev tirelessly looked for ways to shorten the fight.
In the first round, Bivol surprised by remaining to fight Beterbiev in the center of the ring. Bivol was aggressive, marking the jab and then throwing power punches. Beterbiev allowed him to show off like any hunter, and when he found an opening, he released his right hand, causing Bivol to stagger.
In the second round, Bivol was more cautious. He didn’t eat cheese to avoid getting caught, kept his distance, constantly moving so as not to be a fixed target, and avoided the exchange, but surprisingly in the third he forgot about Beterbiev’s punch and came out better from the exchange, achieving a dry right hand to the face of a Russian-Canadian.
Beterbiev felt uncomfortable. To be precise, he landed very few hits in this quest. In the fifth round, Beterbiev began to apply a little more pressure and hit the body, depriving Bivol of mobility. In the sixth, Bivol began to show signs of fatigue, and Beterbiev closed the distance and tried to catch him on the ropes.
It was time for air traffic control, and both fighters handled it very well. Bivol sought to stop Beterbiev’s onslaught with his displacementMeanwhile, Beterbiev wanted to toughen the punishment, since time was becoming his enemy.
In the final three rounds, Bivol stuck to his strategy, but the judges punished him by choosing Beterbiev’s desperate initiative in search of a knockout to complete the comeback. TOAlthough it was not a clear victory for the Russian-Canadian, he received the biggest prize.taking the titles and leaving Bivol to demand a fair rematch.