Dmitry Bivol took on Artur Beterbiev in what was set to be a fight for the ages. Both fighters went into it with an unbeaten record and the title of undisputed champion was on the line on Saturday night and it was a spectacle to behold. But then judges scored the fight as a majority decision in favor of Beterbiev, in what has since been called a daylight robbery, and promoter Eddie Hearn is not too happy about it.
This loss has meant that Bivol has given away his perfect record and his light heavyweight title. So being his promoter, Eddie Hearn, already under a lot of pressure after Anthony Joshua’s loss, has called the decision a sickening one.
In the post-fight press conference, he called out the judges for their scorecard, claiming his fighter had been robbed of all his hard work,
“I find it sickening that after a lifetime of hard work Dmitry Bivol is not undisputed champion tonight… This judge should never work in the sport again.”
Hearn made it clear that he was not trying to disrespect Artur Beterbiev and his team or take anything away from them. He just felt the scorecard was unfair to his fighter.
And to some extent, he is right. According to the scorecards, Beterbiev won the fight in a dominant fashion, which was not the case and the champ himself agreed to it. As did thousands who used the power of sight, and the internet to watch an even contest between two great boxers.
In his post-fight press conference, the undisputed light heavyweight champion even revealed that he was not happy with his performance.
Beterbiev doesn’t think this was a ‘one-sided’ fight
Before this fight, the undisputed champ had never gone the distance against any opponent. In fact, he held a 100% KO record as a champion, an unprecedented feat in boxing.
So, during his post-fight press conference, Beterbiev was not happy with his performance, expressing his regret for not being able to do better,
“I’m always complaining about my skills, performance, you know. That’s why I don’t like what I did. I want to do more better, always.”
But to Bivol’s credit, he did not let the champion run riot inside the ring as he usually does. The former champion has one of the sharpest minds in boxing and uses it well to derail his opponent’s game plan.
Pair that with the fact that Hearn calls him one of the most talented boxers he has ever seen, it is a recipe that even the great Canelo Alvarez struggled against. Regardless, the 33-year-old fighter still has a lot of fights left in the tank.
He is showing no signs of slowing down and securing an immediate rematch against the champ would be the ideal situation for him.
That said, Bivol wants to take some time after this and introspect his future. It’s likely that a rematch will be asked for but it’s also unlikely that it’s happening this year!
