Beterbiev wins controversial light heavyweight unification bout against Bivol

By Leobert Julian A. de la Peña

Artur Beterbiev escaped the tough challenge from Dmitry Bivol to become boxing’s unified light heavyweight champion of the world on October 13, 2024, held in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia.

With the massive victory, Beterbiev is now the World Boxing Association (WBA), World Boxing Organization (WBO), International Boxing Federation (IBF), and the World Boxing Council (WBC) light heavyweight king, tainting Bivol’s perfect record to nab his greatest achievement in his professional boxing career.

However, it was a controversial ending as the majority in attendance was stunned when Beterbiev’s name was called as the match winner.

Bivol, a well-known technical boxer who relies on his ring IQ and slick fluid movement, appeared to get the better of Beterbiev in the whole middle rounds before the latter stepped on the gas pedal from rounds 10-12.

Ringside judge Manuel Palomo scored the bout a draw, 114-all, while Glenn Feldman had it close, 115-113, in favor of Beterbiev.

Perhaps the most questionable scorecard came from Pawel Kardyni, who handed Beterbiev a sizable 116-112 victory.

Despite the major shocker, Bivol was still in grace in defeat, thanking all the organizers for the opportunity given to him and vowed that he would be back on the canvas to face Beterbiev in a possible rematch.

“Congratulations to Artur and his team, he deserves it. I did my job. I thought I could make it better. I could always make it better. He won. What could I say?” said Bivol.

Beterbiev kicked off the bout with the same strategy of hounding Bivol, applying pressure since the official time ticked and circled around the ring.

However, no clean punches were thrown for Beterbiev, while Bivol came up with several 1-2 combinations that landed solidly on his chin.

Bivol seemed to take control of the fight from round four-nine as he outboxed Beterbiev with his efficient jabs and left hooks.

In the last three rounds, Beterbiev sensed the urgency and became the ultimate aggressor in the fight, stepping on the gas pedal while showcasing his one-of-a-kind stamina.

Beterbiev did pretty well in the championship rounds as he let Bivol feel his power with several power punch flurries and also maintained his pace until the final horn of the fight.

With the controversial decision made official, expect a highly-anticipated rematch as all the boxing fans are now pushing for a second fight to determine the clearer winner.