BoxRec

Dmitry Bivol wants Artur Beterbiev rematch

What a fight between Artur Beterbiev and Dmitry Bivol last night.

It was one of the most anticipated fights of the year and it did not disappoint.

Two of the best pound for pound boxers in the world showed why they’re so good.

Going the full distance in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, the pair put on a clash that was too close to call for many.

If the result had come out as a draw, it would not have been that big of a surprise.

But the end result was actually a win for Artur Beterbiev.

A unanimous decision in favour of the 39-year-old Russian boxer meant that he was crowned undisputed light heavyweight champion of the world.

That decision sparked an evening of fierce conversation.

Dmitry Bivol was humble in his speech after the fight.

Accepting the decision, Bivol expressed that he accepted the judges decision and would look to work harder to make his dream of being undisputed a reality in the future.

This wasn’t the same tone taken by his promoter, however.

Eddie Hearn lambasted the decision and even stated that one of the judges should never be involved in judging a boxing fight ever again.

With the dust settled on the matter, Bivol has come out with what he wants to do next.

Once again remaining humble and focusing more on his own performance rather than blaming anyone else, the former WBA (Super) light heavyweight champion spoke to the media last night.

Speaking to allegedly, Dmitry Bivol claimed that his only focus right now is on getting a rematch with Artur Beterbiev.

“I just want a rematch and that’s it”, Bivol told the YouTube channel.

“I want to get another chance”.

With Turki Alalshikh also stating that he plans to get a rematch made between the pair, it seems that’s the plan for what happens next.

For now, Artur Beterbiev will be able to celebrate his status as undisputed light heavyweight champion.

But the path towards changing that seems to already be on the mind of his opponent from last night, Dmitry Bivol.

‘It’s a joke!’: Eddie Hearn sounds off on Beterbiev vs Bivol decision, wants to see rematch

Matchroom Boxing promoter Eddie Hearn thinks Dmitry Bivol was robbed on Saturday against Artur Beterbiev, which isn’t an unpopular stance in the boxing world right now.

Beterbiev won a majority decision to become the undisputed light heavyweight champion on Saturday in Riyadh.

“It’s a joke! They knew, they told (Beterbiev) in the 10th round, ‘You have to knock him out to win this fight,’” Hearn said.

“How can you score that fight 8-4 to Artur Beterbiev? Unbelievable. Terrible decision. ... Hopefully (Turki Alalshikh) will do the decent thing and give Bivol a rematch. It was a masterclass performance in what was an amazing fight, and I don’t want to disrespect Artur Beterbiev, because he’s an incredible champion. But he did not win that fight. Dmitry Bivol won that fight.”

Bivol (23-1, 12 KO) lost his WBA title to Beterbiev (21-0, 20 KO), who went the distance for the first time and also holds the WBC, IBF, and WBO titles.

Both fighters were open to a rematch in their post-fight comments, and the demand will be there, because it was a good, high-level matchup and they still probably make the most sense as the best opponent for one another, and do deserve to keep their status as the sport’s two top fighters at 175 lbs.

Check out some excerpts below.

Bivol on how he’s feeling after the close loss to Beterbiev
“I feel good now. I slept. I went through hard training camp and now I’m just thinking about my future. Today we will see His Excellency, I hope he has some plans for me — a rematch or something else. I will see, I just want to look forward.”

On what most sticks out in his mind about the fight
“It was good fight. It was nice, good experience. I was fighting against one of the dangerous fighter and I feel like I did some good performance but I could be much more better and I have some thoughts about where I can improve more.

“I want to improve more with my movement. I didn’t move enough, I felt I had to move more. I had to more counter punches. I just need to add more. I felt some moments where I could do it but I was little bit careful.”

On if Beterbiev was what he expected him to be in the ring
“Yeah, he was very similar what I was expected from him. You know, a lot of fighters who’s fighting with him, with Canelo, their emotions was against them. A lot of things depends on your emotions, on our emotions which we are feeling, because emotions could not let you realize all your potential. And the aura around Beterbiev is like ‘he’s monster’ and this and that. Some people will be scared of it but I was excited, I was trying to use right emotions about it.”

On being excited to face Beterbiev
“Because you are going against this like monster. Yeah, ‘who’s going?’ Only me, and I could deal with him. It’s exciting, you know.”

On how he’d rate Beterbiev’s power
“Hard punch, nothing else. You know, he’s not about ‘he’s has heavy punch and it’s very dangerous.’ No. He’s about how strong he is and he’s not only one punch. When he’s trying to [throw] combinations, all punches in the combination are heavy. I could compare with like Canelo, yeah. He put all his energy, all his power on single punch. And, yeah, maybe sometime single punch he’s harder, Canelo, than Beterbiev.

“Beterbiev was more close and compact. But if you ask them let’s do like five punches, Beterbiev every punch will be hard. With Canelo maybe the first hard and then not. Both of them are strong but Beterbiev is bigger and he’s born strong.

“Canelo, to land his punch he was doing like from the distance, he was trying to put all his energy on. Beterbiev is not doing this in the ring. But if we ask him to do it maybe his punch is harder, but he is not using it...Beterbiev is not trying to land hardest punch with full of his power, but Canelo is trying.”

On what his game plan was for Beterbiev
“My favorite fighter is Sugar Ray Leonard. I like Ali fights. And of course my plan was moving a lot because I was watching a lot of Ray Leonard fights before this fight, repeating. Hagler vs Leonard. Duran vs Leonard, second fight. And I was impressed how Leonard was moving all twelve rounds without stopping. Sometimes if he stop, he do combination, and he move again. He wasn’t stand[ing] against Hagler.

“And if he stand against Hagler, it’s not reasonable. You cannot fight against guy who is stronger than you. You just have to accept it. Yes, he’s stronger, but this is boxing, this is not Kyokushinkai where you are standing in front of each other and you’re just hitting. You can move. And in our boxing gyms in Russia we’re usually saying ‘if your opponent is fighter, you should box with him. If your opponent is the boxer, you should fight with him.’

“With Beterbiev we have to agree that he is the strongest puncher and man in light heavyweight division. I agree with this. But it doesn’t mean he’s the best one. We have another key how to deal with it, this is boxing. This is why I love the sport. If somebody is strong, you can you his speed against him. Is somebody has good speed, you have to use your brain how to deal with it, have to use your timing. Because sometimes I see boxers, they are so fast, but I can use my timing and his speed will not be his advantage.”

On his impression on how the fight was going during in real time
“I felt I was landing good punches. I felt that I was pressured by him but I didn’t understand how people could see it, how they could [perceive] it...for me I didn’t feel too much in danger but sometimes I felt that now I could be in trouble, ‘I have to be focused much more, move forward, don’t let him too much pressure you, just show him that his punches is not affecting you so much, use your guard.’ I felt I had good episodes, I felt he had good episodes, but I didn’t counting how many I did it, is it enough for win or not.

“And in my philosophy, I’m a warrior and everything should be perfect. Everything what I am doing, I have to do it well or I shouldn’t do it at all if I’m not doing it well. And this fight I didn’t do well. Maybe it’s enough to be winner, maybe it’s not enough to be winner, but I didn’t do it perfect, how I want to do it.”

Needs to be a rematch. Who else can they fight?

I had 6 clear rounds to Bivol and 4 for Beterbiev. The other 2 could have gone either way.

I scored for Bivol 7-5. I think, that Bivol can improve, since he's younger. I believe, Bivol can win 6-4 in the rematch.

It would just be a continuation of the first fight, too tight to tell.
Bivol may know what he has to do to try and reinforce any tight rounds in his favour by standing and landing more, but that would probably play into Beterbiev's hands.

The Gratest wrote: ↑15 Oct 2024, 09:00 It would just be a continuation of the first fight, too tight to tell.
Bivol may know what he has to do to try and reinforce any tight rounds in his favour by standing and landing more, but that would probably play into Beterbiev's hands.

rematch will be a different fight - they both know what to expect and both believe they could have done better .

maybe bivol being younger has a bit more in the tank to call on .

Beterbiev v Usyk at cruiserweight?
Betervbiev v Canelo?

if these two fought 10 times it would probably finish 6-4 or 5-5 , i thought it was a very close fight not 116-112 , bivol certainly had early lead and beterbiev certainly finished strong

Painful for Beterbiev.
Painful for Canelo.

The Gratest wrote: ↑15 Oct 2024, 14:25 Painful for Beterbiev.
Painful for Canelo.

If they fight again soon I think it will be similar and another tight one.

When Beter hits 40 it will be a different thing.

Robert Garcia calls for rematch between Artur Beterbiev-Dmitry Bivol

Robert Garcia has refused to call Artur Beterbiev’s narrow victory over Dmitry Bivol a robbery, despite scoring the fight in favor of the latter.

The majority decision win over Beterbiev, 21-0 (20), won against Bivol, 23-1 (12), in their undisputed 175-pound championship in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia on Saturday, has raised concerns over the judges scoring of the fight. But Garcia, who felt Bivol deserved the decision win, described the fight as a very close one.

“It was a very technical fight,” Garcia told Fight Hub TV. “I think the fight was very close. Personally, I haven't watched it a second time, but watching it, I thought Bivol pulled it off. But I'm not mad either.

“I'm not claiming robbery because if it was so close, it could have gone either way. I think the last two rounds probably made a big difference.”

Garcia called for an immediate rematch and said the boxing world deserves another thrilling encounter between the 39-year-old Beterbiev and Bivol, 33. The experienced trainer’s call for a rematch adds to promoter Eddie Hearn’s earlier call for the two great Russian fighters to face each other again.

“I think it was more technical than what we expected; at least what I expected,” he said. “I thought it was gonna be more of a war: some back and forth, maybe a knockdown, maybe even a knockout.

“What made the difference I think were the last three rounds which went to Beterbiev. Those combinations, he just kept throwing, and Bivol focused too much on blocking and moving around. So, I think those last rounds could’ve made the difference. It was a very close fight.”

Meanwhile, Beterbiev could now wait and face the winner of David Benavidez and David Morrell. Benavidez and Morrell are reportedly scheduled to slug it out on January 25 in Las Vegas. The Russian is also in line to face Canelo Alvarez if the super middleweight king decides to move to 175.

“I think if the fight happens, it won't be anytime soon,” said Garcia. “They'll probably go with a rematch, then the winner fights the winner of Morrell-Benavidez. So, we're talking a year or a year and a half from now.

“I think Beterbiev will be 41 and Canelo might take a chance and say, ‘I want to fight him,’ because Canelo is a very strong fighter.”

Dmitrii Bivol Files Appeal With WBC, WBA, IBF, WBO To Enforce Immediate Rematch With Artur Beterbiev

Dmitrii Bivol wants to run it back with Artur Beterbiev and seeks as much support as possible to make it happen.

The Ring has confirmed that Bivol’s team has filed a request for an immediate rematch with all four sanctioning bodies. The basis for the appeal is the majority belief that the previously long-reigning WBA light heavyweight titlist deserved the nod in their Oct. 12 RING/undisputed championship in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia.

Beterbiev (21-0, 20 knockouts) won their fight via majority decision. The unofficial take among most observers was that Bivol (23-1, 12 KOs) did enough to fully unify the division. However, he failed to win on any of the three official scorecards—114-114 even, 115-113 and 116-112 for Beterbiev.

With the win, Beterbiev was crowned RING and WBA champion. He retained his lineal, WBC, IBF and WBO crowns. In total, he gained recognition as the sport’s first undisputed light heavyweight champion since Roy Jones abdicated the throne in 2002.

Among those who saw Bivol prevail was event organizer Turki Alalshikh, chairman of Saudi Arabia’s General Entertainment Authority.

“This was one of the great fights of the last 20 years I think,” Alalshikh told The Stomping Grounds’ Charlie Parsons. “But I don’t think the result was fair, in my opinion. The two fighters are like my brothers, but I think Bivol won two rounds more.

“I will focus and I will try to do the rematch. If they accept, we will do it.”

Bivol’s side has taken the additional step of securing greater reinforcements. His legal team has contacted the heads of all four sanctioning bodies, according to a letter obtained by The Ring.

“Due to the fact that this fight was quite controversial, we proceeded with a rematch request and protest of the decision with all of the sanctioning bodies,” Vadim Kornilov, Bivol’s career-long manager, told The Ring in a provided quote. “And we are still working on the possibility of a review of the 116-112 scorecard.”

The latter part is in reference to judge Pawel Kardyni, whose 116-112 card was the outlier from public opinion. Kornilov called for a thorough review of his scorecard, though such matters are often dealt with at the sanctioning bodies’ desired (deliberate) pace.

The legal team for Bivol was also involved—and drew paralles to—in a far more controversial decision more than 25 years ago.

The near-universal take was that Lennox Lewis did more than enough to defeat Evander Holyfield in their March 1999 undisputed heavyweight championship. The towering Brit was forced to settle for an unpopular split decision draw at Madison Square Garden in New York City.

It produced the unanimous verdict amongst all involved—including the sanctioning bodies—that a rematch had to happen next. That was the exact course of action, where Lewis edged Holyfield eight months later in Las Vegas.

“The result of that bout was among the most controversial in history, with a highly disputed draw,” argued attorney Patrick English, who represents all of Kornilov’s clients and is also the longtime attorney for Main Events. “Boxing fans demanded a rematch. The fighters wanted a rematch. I filed an appropriate petition with the ratings organizations for a rematch.

“Today I make this petition on behalf of Dmitrii Bivol. The circumstances are similar to Holyfield /Lewis. Dmitrii Bivol, then the WBA Champion fought Artur Beterbiev last Saturday night. Bivol held the WBA and IBO Light Heavyweight titles while Beterbiev held the IBF, WBC, and WBO titles. The result was a hotly disputed majority decision which Beterbiev won on the

cards. To say that the decision was hotly contested is an understatement.”

The complaint included multiple press clippings from publications who had Bivol ahead. It also cited the public statements made by promoters Eddie Hearn (Bivol’s promoter) and allegedly, who believed Bivol won. Hearn took it a step further and declared that everything that Bivol had worked for as a titlist for seven years was ripped away from him by judging incompetence.

A poll conducted by The Ring wasn’t quite as conclusive.

Bivol was viewed as the winner by nine of the 21 industry insiders and experts. Five felt that Beterbiev won, while another seven either had it a draw or were “undecided.”

The combined results of a scoring poll conducted by Boxing News+—headed by Rob Tebbutt, the sport’s leading fight night pizza connoisseur—scored it 115-113 Beterbiev.

Nevertheless, Bivol and his team are rolling with the majority opinion as well as those in power to force a rematch.

“Mr. Bivol has requested a rematch,” insisted Bivol’s legal team. “The Promoters of the bout, Eddie Hearn, allegedly, and Turki Alalshikh have said they think a rematch is warranted.

“Mr. Beterbiev has stated that if the promoters want a rematch he agrees to do so.”

Bivol held the full version of the WBA light heavyweight title since Nov. 2017. He made eleven successful defenses of the belt and was hailed as 2022 Fighter of the Year.

His reign was one week longer than Beterbiev’s IBF title win at the time of their light heavyweight summit meeting. Following Saturday’s result, Beterbiev is second only to Knockout CP Freshmart as the sport’s longest reigning active male titleholder. Freshmart (25-0, 9 KOs) has held the WBA strawweight title since June 2016.

Artur Beterbiev-Dmitry Bivol rematch could land in October 2025, according to Bob Arum

The first fight between Artur Beterbiev and Dmitry Bivol for the undisputed light heavyweight championship finally happened because of the financing of Turki Alalshikh and his Riyadh Season entity.

The second fight may have to wait because of the timing of the actual Riyadh Season festival, according to Bob Arum of Top Rank, which promotes Beterbiev.

The Riyadh Season events are held beginning in October and continue on for several months. Alalshikh is financing boxing in part to attempt to draw positive attention for Saudi Arabia. Many critics call this effort sportswashing that is intended to change the narrative about the country and its human rights record.

“Turki, who's a guy who loves boxing, wants to see a rematch, and I think the public would love to see a rematch. But again, because the Riyadh Season ends in February, the earliest date for a rematch would be next October,” Arum told boxing reporter Dan Rafael on his Fight Freaks Unite podcast.

Rafael noted that Alalshikh has financed boxing matches in other times of the year and in other locations. For example, Beterbiev vs. Bivol was originally supposed to take place in June 2024. And the August show featuring Israil Madrimov vs. Terence Crawford was held in Los Angeles.

“But that is not what they're going to do in the future. I think there was a lot of pushback on His Excellency for doing fights outside of Saudi Arabia and outside of Riyadh Season,” Arum said. “I think going forward, in order to tap into the large budget that they will have, they will have to do the fights in Riyadh Season in Saudi Arabia, which makes sense. So it may mean that each of these guys fight one more time against other opponents, and then for October of next year, they do the rematch. I think that is, from a business standpoint, the likeliest thing that will happen.”

If what Arum says holds true, this would allow Beterbiev to make a defense against IBF mandatory challenger Michael Eifert.

February is looking likely for the rematch.

Could'nt pick a winner in the first one , still could'nt pick a winner if they have a rematch . One thing i am sure of though , i think it will be a better more thrilling fight , , BIVOL WILL DO HIS BEST TO TAKE HIM OUT NOT WANTING TO GO TO SCORECARDS , OR AT LEAST DOMINATE , making for a more exciting and thrilling fight , winner ,, Don't know

Rematch between Artur Beterbiev and Dmitry Bivol 'almost over the line' for February

A rematch of one of the best fights of 2024 is on tap for February 2025.

The unified light heavyweight title fight between Artur Beterbiev, who holds all four belts, and former WBA champion Dmitry Bivol is likely headed to Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, in what will be a rerun of their terrific October clash, which Beterbiev won by a majority decision.

Bivol felt he had done enough, but was pipped on the scorecards 116-112, 115-113 and 114-114.

Beterbiev, who turns 40 on January 21, is 21-0 (20 KOs), and Bivol became the first man to take Beterbiev the distance.

Bivol is 23-1 (12 KOs) and multiple sources are reporting the fight is almost set for February 22, with one telling BS: “It’s almost over the line.”

It had been thought that both boxers may take interim bouts before meeting again, but the time could be now with speculation about a huge Saudi card to feature the WBO eliminator between Jack Catterall-Arnold Barboza and the WBC middleweight title bout between Carlos Adames and Hamzah Sheeraz.

It's gonna be great, hail Turki