By Geoffrey Ciani – 10/15/2024 – Comments
This past weekend Artur Beterbiev was awarded a 12 round majority decision against Dmitry Bivol.
The victory marked Beterbiev as the first undisputed world light heavyweight champion 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 much 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 he was applying intelligent pressure with economic footwork that allowed him to selectively unload 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 judges’ scorecards were 115-113 for Beterbievl, 116-113 for Beterbiev, and the third judge scored it a draw at 114 apiece. The fight was close enough that it could have reasonably gone either way, or indeed, it could have even perhaps ended in a draw. Some fans have referred to the decision as a “robbery”, but it was nothing of the sort. These days someone is always screaming robbery whenever a fight is closely contested, and this fight was no exception.
The competitive nature of the fight should no doubt result in an immediate rematch, and rightly so. Beterbiev and Bivol had already both proven 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 hopefully that one comes together.
This edition of Rummy’s Corner will provide a quick review with opinions on the undisputed light heavyweight championship showdown between Artur Beterbiev and Dmitry Bivol. Please watch and enjoy the video for one man’s opinion. This is Rummy’s Corner (produced and narrated by Geoffrey Ciani).
Last Updated on 10/15/2024
Read the full article here
