Beterbiev edges past Bivol in controversial result after undisputed fight - live reaction
Artur Beterbiev won the undisputed light-heavyweight titles, staying unbeaten and handing Dmitry Bivol his first loss – but due to a controversial scorecard
Artur Beterbiev secured undisputed status at light-heavyweight with a controversial win over Dmitry Bivol on Saturday.
Beterbiev entered Saudi Arabia as unified champion, holding the WBC, WBO and IBF belts, and he took Bivol’s WBA title via majority decision. The scorecards read 114-114, 115-113, 116-112 in favour of Beterbiev, 39, with the latter scorecard seeming surprisingly wide.
Bivol, 33, is known as the slicker technician, while Beterbiev is famed for his power – which had forged a 20-0 record with 20 knockouts before Saturday (12 October). And Bivol’s tidy work seemed to build him an early lead, although Beterbiev continually pressed forward and sporadically showed his strength.
Bivol impressed with his bravery and composure, often standing in front of the harder hitter and crafting trademark combinations, although at many points he was forced to skip around the ring and throw short shots to deter Beterbiev. As the momentum swayed, Bivol seemed to pull ahead in the middle rounds, before Beterbiev came on strong in the final frames – occasionally forcing Bivol to cover up and hold on for the bell.
Even so, the 116-112 scorecard in the Russian-Canadian’s favour will surprise many viewers, with the consensus being that a draw or narrow win for either fighter would have been fair. Regardless, Bivol – also of Russian descent but with Kyrgyzstani heritage – will leave Riyadh with a first professional loss to his name (23-1, 12 KOs).
Re-live Beterbiev vs Bivol and the undercard action, below:
Bivol vs Beterbiev LIVE: Ben Whittaker vs Liam Cameron
Round three
Whittaker is starting to land with increasing frequency, and power, now. His right cross especially is getting through.
Those marks around Cameron’s eyes are worsening slightly, particularly on the left side.
But the underdog is still doing decent work here and there, using his experience and weight to get the most out of the clinches.
Two right hands from Cameron now! A hook and a straight. But Whittaker stays calm and comes back, forcing Cameron to the ropes and letting his hands go.
Round four
The light-heavyweights trade jabs, before Cameron throws a one-two upstairs then a left hook to the body.
There’s some phone-booth fighting, with each man leaning on the other and unfurling body shots.
Lovely combination from Cameron now, mixing up targets – head and body. Cameron tries to fire back with a right hook, but he’s totally off-balance.
Don’t get me wrong, Whittaker is still boxing well, but he’s absorbed the most damage we’ve seen in his pro career so far. He’s tagged by two hooks upstairs, only partially blocking them.
“If you are what you say you are, a superstar...” The lyrics of “Superstar” by Lupe Fiasco ring around the arena. Are you listening, Ben?
Bivol vs Beterbiev LIVE: Ben Whittaker vs Liam Cameron
Round one
Olympic silver medalist Whittaker is 8-0 (5 KOs) as a pro, while Cameron is 23-6 (10 KOs).
Whittaker is known for his precise striking and his showboating. Already some of the former, none of the latter yet...
Whittaker is flicking out his orthodox jab, but he’s also waiting for Cameron to let his hands go, eyeing some counters.
The Britons tie up here and there. Cameron, after one clinch, catches Whittaker on the end of a jab.
Cameron – also standing orthodox, by the way – already looks marked up around his eyes, though. Some reddening, it looks like.
Whittaker with some longer combinations later in the round, more aggression now.
Round two
Cameron with some decent hooks at close range, as Whittaker struggles to clinch cleanly.
Nice counter cross by Whittaker, though. Great timing on that.
He’s also happy to flick gentle jabs at his opponent’s guard, perhaps lulling Cameron into a false sense of security.
Solid uppercut by Cameron! Now a right straight! Whittaker fires back with a rapid flurry to the body.
Good head movement by Whittaker and a little bit of showboating at last. Already, however, Cameron is offering Whittaker more of a test than most of the “Surgeon”’s opponents.
Bivol vs Beterbiev LIVE: Undercard begins!
So, Mohammed Alakel beat Jesus Gonzalez via unanimous decision (40-36, 40-36, 40-36).
Next up, Britain’s Ben Whittaker faces compatriot Liam Cameron at light-heavyweight!
The ring walks are upon us.
Bivol vs Beterbiev LIVE: Saudi Arabia’s next bold move to revolutionise boxing
The Saudis have made the biggest fights available on numerous channels, and now they are lowering pay-per-view prices. But do these new prices come at a different kind of cost?
Comment piece:
Saudi Arabia’s next bold move to revolutionise boxing
Comment: The Saudis have made the biggest fights available on numerous channels, and now they are lowering pay-per-view prices. But do these new prices come at a different kind of cost?
Bivol vs Beterbiev LIVE: Tonight, boxing offers up the perfect fight
Every now and then in boxing, you get a perfect fight. They’re hard to find, and harder to get signed, but they do exist. Artur Beterbiev vs Dmitry Bivol is one such fight.
For all the warranted criticism of Saudi Arabia’s entry into boxing, amid concerns over sportswashing, the realm’s new rulers have undoubtedly delivered match-ups that previously eluded fans. Among those match-ups, of course, one is likelier to find these perfect fights.
In May, Tyson Fury and Oleksandr Usyk squared off in one of them: the first undisputed heavyweight title fight in 25 years, a meeting of unbeaten, generational talents. But even then, a “perfect” fight is usually just that on paper, and not necessarily in the ring. Fury and Usyk, however, delivered a modern classic, and they may yet do the same in their rematch on 21 December.
Overshadowed by that pair of heavyweight blockbusters in Riyadh, sitting between them chronologically and taking place in the same city, is Saturday’s main event: Beterbiev vs Bivol.
Main-event preview:
This weekend, boxing offers up the perfect fight
Unbeaten vs unbeaten, champion vs champion, power vs precision. Dmitry Bivol vs Artur Beterbiev could be an undisputed title fight for the ages
Bivol vs Beterbiev LIVE: Pound-for-pound rankings
See where Bivol and Beterbiev sit in our pound-for-pound top 10, and why:
Who’s really the best pound-for-pound boxer in the world?
Here are The Independent’s rankings for top 10 men’s boxers
Bivol vs Beterbiev LIVE
Dmitry Bivol and Artur Beterbiev will finally share a ring tonight, as they meet in an undisputed title fight in Saudi Arabia.
The unbeaten light-heavyweights have orbited one another for some time, and they were due to clash in Riyadh in June, but Beterbiev sustained a knee injury that delayed the bout.
It has now arrived, however, with Beterbiev carrying the WBC, WBO and IBF belts into the Kingdom Arena, while 33-year-old Bivol reigns as WBA Super champion. Both boxers are pound-for-pound stars in the sport, with Beterbiev at No 6 in the Indy Sport rankings and Bivol at No 5.
Beterbiev, even at 39, is one of the most devastating punchers in all of boxing, having compiled a 20-0 record with 20 knockouts. Bivol, meanwhile, has gone 23-0 with 12 KOs as a slick mover, a fluid technician, and a volume puncher.
The contrast in styles should make for an intriguing match-up, and the fight caps off an impressive card: Chris Eubank Jr is in action before the main event, while heavyweights Fabio Wardley and Frazer Clarke meet in a rematch of one of the fights of the year: their bloody bout for the British title, which ended as a draw in March.
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