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 on the boil was the judge’s score of 8-4 for Beterbiev (21-0, 20 KOs), which he felt didn’t reflect what happened inside the ring.
Hearn’s 8-4 Score for Bivol
Hearn says he had Bivol (23-1, 12 KOs) winning by an 8-4 score, which fans saw as even worse than the one that gave it to Beterbiev. The way that Bivol folded in the last 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 was using, he was still crumbling from the pressure from Beterbiev in rounds 8 through 12. That was with Bivol moving nonstop. What would have happened if Bivol had chosen to stand and brawl with Beterbiev? That’s something Hearn doesn’t mention because he’d have to face the bigger truth.
Bivol lost his WBA title to IBF, WBC, and WBO light heavyweight champion Beterbiev on Saturday night, who is now the four-belt undisputed champion after beating him at the Kingdom Arena.
The scores
– 114-114
– 115-113
– 116-112
“Eddie Hearn always talk about me not good,” said Artur Beterbiev to iFL TV, reacting to being told that Eddie Hearn wasn’t happy about the scorecards after his win over Dmitry Bivol. “Yeah, I think so,” said Beterbiev when asked if he’d like a rematch with Bivol after being told that His Excellency Turki Alalshikh wants a rematch.
“Maybe because the third guy, I beat him. Maybe that’s why he always complain about me,” said Beterbiev about him beating another one of Hearn’s fighters.
It bothers Hearn that Beterbiev beat another one of his fighters, but this one is much worse ill to swallow because the defeat wrecked Bivol’s chances to fight Canelo Alvarez next. That fight would have made a bundle.
“He’s a lot more humble than me because when you work your whole life, and you put in a performance like that, to get it taken away from you is not right,” said Eddie Hearn to iFL TV about his fighter Bivol.
“I had it 8-4, 7-5 [for Bivol], but for someone to score the fight 116-114, you 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 happens.
“He [Bivol] won’t say it, but I’ll say it. He should be the undisputed champion tonight unquestionably,” said Hearn.
The judges felt that Beterbiev was the better 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 hits hard, but not as people describe that he hits hard,” said Bivol when asked about Beterbiev’s power,” said Bivol. “Yeah, it’s hard. Look at my eye. He landed a lot of punches on my left hand, and you see my bruises. Yeah, he’s hard, but we can handle these hard punches.”
“His Excellency said, ‘Wrong decision. We do the rematch,’” said Hearn. “Fingers crossed, he keeps his word. I”m gutted for him. He’s an unbelievable sportsman. The way he’s taking this defeat is a lot better than I would take it, but that’s the kind of man he is. Respect to both fighters. This man should be undisputed champion tonight.”
Bivol Was Wilting
The judges had the final say, and they felt that Bivol didn’t do enough to win the contest. If Bivol hadn’t lost his nerve and gotten timid in the last five rounds, he might have won. He spent from rounds 8 through 12 on the run, trying to keep from getting bludgeoned into submission. If Bivol had shown bravery, he’d have been knocked out because he was wilting, even with the running he was doing.
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