The title unification bout between Artur Beterbiev & Dmitry Bivol was an incredible evening for boxing. But even after 12 rounds of back-and-forth action and close-quarter fireworks, the Riyadh super fight left a lot to be desired.
Fortunately, Bivol’s promoter Eddie Hearn has confirmed the boxers will run it back again, deeming it “the only fight for both.”
“It’s the only fight for both. We have accepted the rematch.”
Earlier last month, the two Russians had gone to war, which ended with Beterbiev securing all four belts via a majority decision. The scorecards read, 114-114, 115-113, and 116-112 in favor of the Russian knockout artist.
Beterbiev seemed to take some time to get his feet dancing at the beginning of the fight but he picked up the pace in the second half of the bout. Regardless, with doubts in mind and hopes of a clean finish the next time, Hearn would like to run it again.
Besides, Turki Alalshik already has given the green light for the fight to take place. So, Bivol vs Beterbiev is closer than one would imagine. But why the doubts about the results of the first fight? Did Bivol actually do enough to affect the judges’ decision?
Bivol vs Beterbiev explained
Known infamously as a slow starter, Beterbiev downloaded Bivol’s defense for the first six rounds and then really got to work. After the first half, it looked like he had figured out Bivol’s defensive style and took the fight to his countryman.
While Bivol seemed more in control in the first few rounds, he simply didn’t want to trade once Beterbiev dialed the aggression up to 11. Going to his shell didn’t help though as Betervbiev bombarded him with thunderous shots.
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Beterbiev hurt Bivol so badly in R7 that the 33-year-old only looked to survive after that point. Despite possessing great power of his own, Bivol seemingly lost all his confidence after that.
While rounds 1-6 saw an even affair, once Bivol stopped striking, it ensured that Beterbiev didn’t need to be wary of his power, which further allowed him to close in the distance and dictate the fight.
Hopefully, Bivol comes in with a better plan for the next fight, or it might just be another long night for the Russian boxer.
