Roy Jones Jr., former light heavyweight king Calls for an immediate rematch between Artur Beterbiev and Dmitry Bivol followed Beterbiev’s majority decision win on Saturday in Saudi Arabia.
Jones, who captured the undisputed 175-pound championship in 1999, believes an undisputed light heavyweight fight between Beterbiev (21-0, 20 KO) and Bivol (23 -1, 12 KO) should be a draw
“Last night we had an amazing fight,” Jones said on social media. “A fight I think could go either way. But what happened, however, the battle was neither won nor lost by four points.
“That’s nonsense. Which is why I said we need an immediate rematch.”
Bivol started well in the first round before Beterbiev responded with a stronger finish. Judges Glenn Feldman, Pawel Kardyni and Manuel Oliver Palomo combined to score it 116-112, 115-113 and 114-114.
Jones said he was impressed with both fighters’ approaches.
“Both guys made a lot of changes. Beterbiev showed me more than he ever showed me before about being a boxer. He can really walk. And I was surprised
“Bivol is a very good defender, which we know. He is a good counter-attacker, which we know. I thought he jumped into the lead early on. But we have no way of knowing. But how did it come down?
“Beterbiev finished the fight as strong or stronger. That is why I think in my view The fight should be a draw. And it will be a rematch.”
Bernard Neequaye is a sports journalist specializing in boxing coverage. He wrote a boxing column called “From The Ringside” in his home country of Ghana for many years. He can be reached on X (formerly Twitter) at @BernardNeequaye, LinkedIn at Bernard Neequaye and by email at bernardneequaye@gmail.com–
