By Geoffrey Ciani – 15/10/2024 – Comments
This past weekend Artur Beterbiev was awarded a 12 round majority decision against Dmitry Bivol.
The win marked Beterbiev as the first undisputed light heavyweight champion of the world during the modern 4-belt era. It was a captivating clash of styles that produced an interesting tactical affair. Bivol was faster and used very good movement for most of the contest, where his stellar defense and quick variety of different combinations made him effective. At the same time, Artur was consistent and methodical, and applied intelligent pressure with economical work that allowed him to selectively discharge his power.
This one had enough close and competitive rounds that it was a bit of a judging nightmare to score the bout. The official scorecards of the judges were 115-113 for Beterbievl, 116-113 for Beterbiev, and the third judge marked a tie at 114 for each. The fight was close enough that it could reasonably have gone either way, or indeed, could have even possibly ended in a draw. Some fans referred to the decision as a “robbery”, but it was nothing of the sort. These days, someone is always yelling into the crowd whenever a fight is closely contested, and this fight was no exception.
The competitive nature of the fight should undoubtedly result in an immediate rematch, and rightfully so. Beterbiev and Bivol had already shown that they are head and shoulders above the rest of the division, and their intriguing tactical fight only further confirmed this fact. Turki Al-Sheikh has already indicated that he would like to see a rematch, and I hope that one comes together.
This edition of The Rummy corner provides a quick review with opinions on the undisputed lightweight championship bout between Artur Beterbiev and Dmitry Bivol. Please watch and enjoy the video for a man’s opinion. This is Rummy’s Corner (produced and narrated by Geoffrey Ciani).
Last updated on 10/15/2024
