Artur Beterbiev Crowned Undisputed in Close Clash Against Dmitry Bivol

Artur Beterbiev (21-0, 20 KOs) was crowned the undisputed world champion following a close fight against Dmitry Bivol (23-1, 12 KOs)

While one judge had the action 114-114, the other two saw it 116-112 and 115-113 for Beterbiev, giving him a win via majority decision. With the victory, he becomes the undisputed light heavyweight world champion. Following 20 consecutive knockout victories, Beterbiev was extended the distance for the first time in his professional career.

The fight took place on a Riyadh Season card at the Kingdom Arena in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia. Boxing fans worldwide could catch the action as a pay-per-view on DAZN. Those in the United Kingdom could do so with TNT Sports Box Office and Sky Sports Box Office. In the United States, the bout between Beterbiev and Bivol was only available on ESPN+. Similarly, only TSN and RDS broadcasted that fight for those in Canada.

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Beterbiev-Bivol was part of Riyadh Season, a Saudi Arabian state-funded entertainment and sports festival. The Saudi Arabian General Entertainment Authority is responsible for its organization.

Artur Beterbiev Crowned Undisputed World Champion

Fight Recap

The opening round saw Beterbiev attempt to close the distance to land his power punches. However, Bivol was able tostay at range and would shoot out the jab to prevent his opponent from getting close. Towards the end of round one, both opened up but were otherwise respectful of each other’s power.

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Bivol’s constant movement around the ring prevented Beterbiev from planting his feet and unloading. As the bout progressed, Beterbiev started to have more success. By the halfway point of the fight, he was landing body shots with more frequency. In round seven, a combination from Bivol had his opponent stunned. However, the Montreal resident returned with punches to the head that had Bivol on the retreat.

NO BACK DOWN @ABeterbiev. #BeterbievBivol | LIVE ON @ESPNPlus pic.twitter.com/3GHcy6HoKU

— Top Rank Boxing (@trboxing) October 12, 2024

Bivol’s counters recurring throughout the contest kept him in the fight, helping him avoid getting hit with power punches. However, the Russian-born Canadian remained aggressive in his pursuit of his opponent in an attempt to win rounds.

Beterbiev had a strong round 11, landing a variety of short punches to the head and body of the WBA champion. There were times when Bivol was impacted by Beterbiev’s shots, but he never appeared to be in danger of getting dropped or stopped. Despite a turbulent eleventh, Bivol was able to finish strong by sticking to trying to outbox his opponent.

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It was a fight where Bivol began well and was clearly giving Beterbiev problems due to constant movement. However, Beterbiev persisted in coming forward and dominated more in the second half. While Bivol did well defensively, there were times he did not let his hands go as much. This possibly allowed Beterbiev to win rounds on the scorecards which seemed to favour his aggression over Bivol’s movement.

Living up to the hype 🍿🍿#BeterbievBivol | #RiyadhSeason | LIVE ON @ESPNPlus pic.twitter.com/Qv0PGXamx3

— Top Rank Boxing (@trboxing) October 12, 2024

Post-Fight Interviews

Artur Beterbiev

Immediate reaction from the newly crowned King 🗣️@ABeterbiev | #RiyadhSeason pic.twitter.com/bSXffHniNn

— Top Rank Boxing (@trboxing) October 12, 2024

Dmitry Bivol

Pure class from @bivol_d in defeat 🤝#BeterbievBivol | #RiyadhSeason | @Turki_alalshikh pic.twitter.com/WOV3GlsQA1

— DAZN Boxing (@DAZNBoxing) October 12, 2024