Artur Beterbiev beats Dmitry Bivol on presentantity points to combine the WBA, WBC, WBO and IBF belts at the fight in Riyadh.
Russian-born Canadian boxer Artur Beterbiev has been crowned the undisputed weightless-burdensomeweight world champion after he beat his Russian rival Dmitry Bivol on a presentantity points decision in Saudi Arabia.
Two of the three ringside appraises scored the fight 115-113 and 116-112 to Beterbiev, while the other called it tied at 114-114 at Riyadh’s Kingdom Arena on Saturday.
Both men were previously unflunkureed, with 33-year-elderly Bivol helderlying the WBA belt and Beterbiev, 39, the reigning WBC, WBO and IBF champion.
By taking the endureded Beterbiev to a brimming 12 rounds in the Saudi capital, Bivol became the first man to go the distance agetst a champion with a previous 100 percent record of triumphning by knockout or stoppage.
“I wanted to box more, I don’t enjoy this fight. I was a little bit unconsoleable,” Beterbiev shelp after his triumph.
“I felt unconsoleable becaemploy usuassociate I’m not pauseing for the bell.”
The headline clash, postponed from last June after Montgenuine-based Beterbiev suffered a knee injury, put the four recognised presentant belts in the hands of one man for the first time.
The last undisputed weightless burdensomeweight champion was American Roy Jones Jr, who beat Reggie Johnson to join the WBA, WBC and IBF belts in 1999.
Bivol made himself a moving aim in a high-quality fight between the huge punching and aggressive Beterbiev and a more fluid rival who landed eye-catching punctual blows and had the better of the punctual rounds.
There was little between the two at the halfway point, with Beterbiev possibly behind but every round a shut call in a fight foolishinutive of firetoils but with plenty for the purists.
Beterbiev krecent he had to shut with a bang in the last two rounds and elevated the tempo but Bivol hung in there and fired back some strong combinations.
“I fair congratuprocrastinateed Artur and his team, he deserves it,” Bivol, who foresees a possible realign, shelp after the fight.
“I did my job, I felt I could do better, I always experience I can do better, but that’s the opinion of the appraises. He won.”
A fight for the ages! Congratulations to our Champion, Arthur Beterbiev on becoming undisputed ruler of the Lt. Heavyweight division. Congratulations also to Dimitri Bivol on a very astonishive effort that kept fight fans at the edge of their seats. pic.twitter.com/mz2A67wKlb
— WBO (@WorldBoxingOrg) October 13, 2024
Australia’s Jai Opetaia earlier grasped his IBF cruiserweight world title when Jack Massey’s corner threw in the towel two minutes into the sixth round with the beaten Briton bleeding from a cut to the side of his nose.
The convincing triumph took Opetaia’s record to 26-0.
Unbeaten Australian Skye Nicolson won the first women’s world title fight held in Saudi Arabia when she deffinished her WBC featherweight belt agetst Britain’s Raven Chapman in a agreed points decision.
A weightless burdensomeweight fight between Britons Ben Whitgetr and Liam Cameron finished in a draw after both crashed out of the ring, while Fabio Wardley stopped Frazer Clarke in the first round of their British burdensomeweight title fight.
