In the main confrontation of Russian boxing in recent years, Artur Beterbiev turned out to be the strongest. BTR defeated Dmitry Bivol by majority decision (114:114, 115:113, 116:112) and became the absolute world light heavyweight champion.

Arthur was able to impose his pace on his opponent and took the fight thanks to pressure and heavy hits that left noticeable marks on Bivol’s face.

The first “decision” in Arthur’s career

In the first rounds, Dmitry had the advantage. While Beterbiev was eyeing his opponent, Bivol was throwing a series of punches and generally looked more active. Starting from the third round, Arthur evened out the fight and began to put pressure on his opponent in the usual manner. Dmitry was not like himself: he moved less and did not deliver as many blows to the target.

Beterbiev threw more and more punches with each segment, but a significant part of them were blocked. Nevertheless, even such hits were imprinted on Dmitry’s face. The fight looked close, and the initiative was changing hands.

Dmitry Bivol and Arthur Beterbiev / Photo: © Richard Pelham / Stringer / Getty Images Sport / Gettyimages.ru

In the second half of the battle, Bivol finally adopted counterattack tactics. Dmitry overlapped well and responded in series. He hit more accurately, but Arthur’s blows were much harder.

During the entire fight, Beterbiev threw 682 punches, 137 of which reached the target. Bivol turned out to be a little more successful, delivering 142 hits to the opponent. However, in total, Dmitry delivered only 423 blows. At the same time, Arthur also has a slight advantage in power hits – 90:84. It was the sheer volume of strikes, coupled with constant pressure on the opponent, that became the key to Beterbiev’s final victory. Arthur won by decision for the first time in his career.

Are we in for a rematch?

In the post-match interview, both fighters said that they would not mind a rematch. Bivol was deeply saddened by the judges’ decision, but at the end of his speech he stated that he still dreams of becoming the absolute champion.

Artur Beterbiev admitted that he was dissatisfied with the fight. But it was clear with what sincere pleasure the winner gave the interview, having in his hands four major belts in professional boxing.

– I wasn’t good today. I can act better, but I don’t know why it happened this way. I felt uncomfortable. Of course it was a tough fight. Bivol is also a world champion. Maybe he is even better than me, but today Allah was with me.

Revenge? If the Almighty wants, we will do it,” Beterbiev said.

Arthur Beterbiev / Photo: © Mark Robinson / Contributor / Getty Images Sport / Gettyimages.ru

Beterbiev will turn 40 in January, and many say the boxer will soon be in decline. It will be all the more interesting to watch his future career. There are practically no competitors left in the light heavyweight division; a move to a higher category seems logical. But I still want to believe that for the sake of the Russian audience, Arthur will agree to a rematch with Bivol, because they have already managed to show a beautiful fight in which both boxers looked worthy of each other.

Watch live broadcasts of boxing tournaments on the Match TV channel and thematic channels of the holding, as well as on the websites matchtv.ru and sportbox.ru.