Artur Beterbiev claimed a majority decision win against Dmitry Bivol to win the undisputed light-heavyweight world championship.
It was a contest at the highest level to crown the first undisputed light-heavyweight champion of the four-belt era and the first since Roy Jones in 1999, one that was ultimately decided in Beterbiev’s favour by majority decision.
Coming into the fight Bivol had looked near enough flawless, sporting a previously spotless professional record, that includes beating Mexican superstar Canelo Alvarez and reigning as WBA champion since 2017.
Beterbiev was similarly unbeaten but is such a destructive puncher than no opponent had managed to go to the distance with him before. In the process he had unified the WBO, WBC and IBF world championships at 175lbs.
Now he is the undisputed light-heavyweight king.
But Bivol had started well. He got off to a start that might not have been perfect but was one he could be perfectly happy with. He got his jab motoring, doubling it and landing.
His right darted in. He landed shots. But they didn’t shift Beterbiev.
The unified champion locked on to him, concentrated his focus and advanced.
He brought up the pressure fraction by fraction. In the second round he didn’t unleash his heavy artillery. But he ground forward regardless, inching ever close as Bivol kept himself on the move.
There were warning signs for Bivol in the third round. Beterbiev smacked a right in, a punch that landed with audible force.
He must have felt that explosive power and when Bivol launched his own cross, in an attempt to dissuade Beterbiev, it did not. Instead the unified champion walked through it to throw again.
At the end of the fifth round, Beterbiev threatened again. He drove himself forward to hammer at Bivol, unsettling him briefly before the bell.
He started the next round authoritatively too. Bivol grazed the ropes more often as he backed off. A cross from Beterbiev clipped the top of the WBA titlist’s head. Rattled for an instant, Bivol breathed heavily.
Beterbiev linked punches together, the left then the right, as Bivol had to go on evasive manoeuvres.
In the seventh round, Bivol rattled off a combination and stung Beterbiev on the ropes. But that triggered a ferocious response from the unified champion. He burst off the ropes and stayed on Bivol, hammering at him as the WBA titlist, under pressure, had to cover up.
They both fired in salvoes of punches at the end of the eighth round, but it was a trade off of high class, each man keeping their gloves up to field what was coming back too.
It was Bivol who showed flashes of brilliance in the ninth round. His back hand lanced down into the body. He set up an excellent long cross that jolted Beterbiev’s head back. He varied his combinations, letting punches patter off Beterbiev’s head and body before his feet carried him away, moving quickly from side to side, even at this late stage of the fight.
Beterbiev sensed he needed a big finish and came out to find just that in the 11th round. Bivol’s punch output came right down, his feet slowed as he covered up beneath a storm of blows from Beterbiev.
He boxed his way through the 12th round. It was enough to become the first man to take Beterbiev the distance. But for the judges was not enough to win.
“I feel not bad. I wanted to box more, I don’t like this fight,” Beterbiev said aftewards.
“I was a little bit uncomfortable.
“Of course it was a tough fight, Dmitry is world champion and has better skills than me.
“I felt uncomfortable, because usually I’m not waiting for the bell!”
