- Beterbiev is the undisputed light heavyweight champion after defeating Bivol
- He is the first undisputed four-belt light heavyweight champion of the Both era
- Beterbiev, 39, and Bivol, 33, have welcomed an immediate rematch
Eddie Hearn was furious at the judges’ decision to crown Artur Beterbiev as undisputed light heavyweight champion on Saturday night, claiming Dmitry Bivol was ‘robbed’ after his points defeat.
Beterbiev became the first undisputed light heavyweight champion of the four-cushion era and the division’s first undisputed champion since Roy Jones Jr in 2002, after defeating Bivol on points.
Beterbiev, who had eliminated all his opponents before Saturday evening, was swept over the line, with one judge scoring it 114-114, while the other two went 115-113 and 116-12 in Beterbiev’s favor.
However, not everyone agreed with the scorecards. Hearn felt the decision was unfair and made his feelings clear after the event, claiming his man had been ‘robbed’ by the judges.
Hearn said: “No disrespect to Beterbiev, they are two of the greatest fighters of our generation, but you saw the body language of his team. They stood in the corner, they knew they had lost the fight. 116-112 to Arthur Beterbiev. You gave Bivol four rounds.
The boxing world has erupted in controversy, with several professional fighters taking to social media to claim Dmitry Bivol was robbed of a decision against Artur Beterbiev
‘This is an absolute joke. It was a seven-five, eight-four fight against Bivol. He was busy with the fight. He gave up a few rounds at the end of the fight, but he won. They knew they had lost the battle.
“They told him in the corner that you have to knock him out to win the fight. I can’t believe it. He was robbed of the undisputed championship tonight. I can’t believe it.’
Several high-profile boxers agreed with Hearn and weighed in on the outcome. Ryan Garcia wrote on social media, “Wow, that was a robbery if you ask me.” While Anthony Fowler wrote: ‘A draw for me, Bivol didn’t deserve to lose’.
The sentiment was echoed by other fighters, including Josh Taylor, who wrote: “I thought bivol but it is what it is. Great fight, boxing needs more of this.” Frank Warren added: ‘What a fight, two high level operators at their best, I personally had Bivol!’.
While Tony Bellew wrote: ‘I’ve got Bivol making that win! The last round was so close again, but I just feel like Bivol landed the better shots all night. Great combinations, great fight. Beterbiev was excellent! Almost 40 years old and he finishes fights just as strong as he did when he was 20! Well done to both warriors.’
He expressed his frustration with the scorecards, saying: “Great fight and it could have gone either way. However, the 116-112 is a shame! Neither fighter won that fight by four rounds. This is the part that irritates me. Well done to Artur Beterbiev, he really is a fighter.’
Bivol, however, made no excuses, saying: “I have no explanations because it could look like excuses. I just say congratulations to Artur and his team, he deserves it. No problem. I’ve done my job, I always feel like I can do better, it’s just the judges’ opinions. Congratulations Arthur.’
More to follow…
