Promoter Eddie Hearn was furious after watching Dmitry Bivol lose what he felt was a questionable 12-round majority decision to Artur Beterbiev on Saturday night in Riyadh.
What really got Hearn’s kettle boiling was the judge’s 8-4 score for Beterbiev (21-0, 20 KOs), which he said did not reflect what happened inside the ring .
Hearn’s score 8-4 for Bivol
Hearn says he had Bivol (23-1, 12 KOs) winning by a score of 8-4, which the fans saw as even worse than the one he gave Beterbiev. The way Bivol folded in the latter half of the contest makes it impossible to see him deserving of the 8-4 score that Hearn gave him.
With all the movement that Bivol used, he was still crumbling from the pressure from Beterbiev in rounds 8 through 12. That was with Bivol moving without stopping. What would have happened if Bivol had chosen to stay and fight with Beterbiev? It’s something Hearn won’t say because he should face the bigger truth.
Bivol lost his WBA title to IBF, WBC, and WBO lightweight champion Beterbiev on Saturday night, who is now the undisputed four-belt champion after fighting at the Kingdom Arena.
The scores
– 114-114
– 115-113
– 116-112
“Eddie Hearn always talks bad about me,” said Artur Beterbiev iFL TVreacts to being told that Eddie Hearn was not happy with the scorecards after his win over Dmitry Bivol. “Yes, I think so,” said Beterbiev when asked if he would like a rematch with Bivol after saying that His Excellency Turki Alalshikh wants a rematch.
“Maybe because the third guy, I beat him. Maybe that’s why he’s still complaining about me,” said Beterbiev who beat another of Hearn’s fighters.
Hearn is upset that Beterbiev beat another of his fighters, but this one is a lot harder to swallow, as the loss destroyed Bivol’s chances of fighting Canelo Alvarez. That fight would have made a bundle.
“He’s much more humble than me, because when you work all your life, and put in a performance like that, it’s not fair,” Eddie Hearn told iFL TV about his Bivol fighter.
“I had it 8-4, 7-5 (for Bivol), but for someone to score the fight 116-114, give Dmitry Bivol four rounds in that fight. That judge should never work again,” Hearn continued. “It’s just a shame that in the biggest fight and the biggest stage that’s happening.
“He (Bivol) won’t say it, but I’m going to say it. He should be the undisputed champion tonight unquestionably,” Hearn said.
The judges felt that Beterbiev was the best fighter, and they made the right choice. Bivol was tired and unable to fight hard enough in the later part of the fight when he needed to be aggressive.
“He’s a hard hitter, but not like people describe him as a hard hitter,” Bivol said when asked about Beterbiev’s power,” Bivol said. “Yes, it’s hard. Look at my eye. He landed a lot of punches on my left hand, and you can see my bruises. Yes, it’s tough, but we can handle these tough punches.”
“His Excellency said, ‘Wrong decision.’ We’re going to rematch,” Hearn said. “Fingers crossed, he keeps his word. I am trained for him. He is an incredible sportsman. The way he takes this defeat is much better than I took it, but that’s the kind of man he is. Respect to both fighters. This man should be the undisputed champion tonight.”
Bivol was withered
The judges had the last word, and they felt that Bivol did not do enough to win the competition. If Bivol had not lost his nerve and become timid in the last five rounds, he could have won. He went from rounds 8 to 12 in the run, trying to keep from being pinned in submission. If Bivol had shown courage, he would have been KO’d because he was withered, even with the run he was doing.
