Bivol Beats Beterbiev For Undisputed Rematch Revenge

Undisputed. Mission Complete.

Dmitry Bivol rallied to a majority decision victory over Artur Beterbiev to become the new undisputed light-heavyweight champion in a captivating Saudi Arabia rematch.

Bivol dethroned his long-standing rival to hand him his first-ever career defeat and claim the division throne with another elite-level performance in Riyadh.

The new undisputed champion produced a masterful display across 12 engrossing rounds to gain revenge with scores of 114-114, 116-112 and 115-113 in his favour.

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Bivol’s outstanding execution of a great gameplan sees him now hold all of the major belts at 175 pounds and sets up a likely trilogy showdown with Beterbiev or a future clash against David Benavidez.

It was a battle for Belts, Honour and Legacy in this highly-awaited rematch and Bivol secured the lot with another remarkable exhibition of world-class boxing.

"I wanted to work from the first round to the end of the 12th,” stated an exuberant newly-crowned champion after his triumph.

“I was better. I was pushing myself more, I was more confident and I was lighter. I wanted to win so much today.”

How The Fight Was Won

Beginning his quest for redemption, Bivol started proceedings strongly in the opening round with sharp use of his lead hand and not allowing Beterbiev to push him back to the ropes.

But the defending champion quickly imposed his typical physical approach on the front foot in the second round, despite taking an eye-catching combination from the challenger.

The third round saw Beterbiev come out with even heavier pressing and was able to connect with flush power shots and a hurtful body attack to send the crowd into an early frenzy.

It was already a hugely intriguing contest through four rounds, with Beterbiev sustaining his trademark pressure a lot earlier in the rematch, while focusing on Bivol’s body more thoroughly in a bid to drain his energy and hinder the ring movement.

The fifth round ended with the champion piling the pressure on and mixing up his little set-up shots with the more punishing follow-ups, but he did eat a solid straight right on the front foot.

Beterbiev refused to give Bivol any rest bite during the sixth round as he continued to march forward and managed to connect with some solid combinations, but Bivol was able to fire back while being made to work hard.

Bivol Becomes Undisputed Champion

Bivol came out for the seventh round and held his feet more in the centre of the ring and shot back with more crisp counters when Beterbiev did come closer with his own single shots.

It was a strong eighth stanza for Bivol as he returned to his more recognised style of circling the ring and letting his flurries go, stopping Beterbiev from setting his feet as he looked to sustain his surge into the later rounds.

Heading into the ninth round of the second meeting, Bivol danced in and out with his dazzling footwork and caught the incoming champion with many impressive combinations.

The challenger’s momentum carried on into the Championship rounds with his sharp counters seemingly catching the eye of the judges more. A marked up Beterbiev, for the first time across both fights, started looking his age at 40 years old.

Having overcome the early onslaught, a fired-up Bivol had paced himself brilliantly and his late surges in the final rounds saw him seemingly do enough to gain his desired revenge.

With 30 seconds left on the clock, Beterbiev knew he required something special and went for the kill, while Bivol stayed focused and boxed safely on the outside to see out a historic rematch triumph by majority decision.

Four months on from narrowly falling short in his first attempt, Bivol inspiringly bounced back and settled Unfinished Business to realise his lifelong ambition of becoming undisputed champion. LFG!