28-year-old Bivol from the outset captured the advantage in the ring, using his speed and better footwork. Smith relied on with power punches, but Bivol defended well and effectively controlled the pace of the battle.
After twelve rounds, the judges counted it 118-110 and twice 119-109 in favor of Bivol. After the fight, the Russian boxer said that he did not rule out the possibility that he would soon switch to the super middleweights.
At the same evening, Maurice Hooker (26-0-3, 17 KOs) beat on points Mikkel LesPierre (21-1-1, 10 KOs) and defended his WBO super lightweight title. After the final bell, the judges billed it 118-109, 119-108 and 120-107.
Heavyweight Sergei Kuzmin (15-0, 11 KO) also scored point win over Joey Dawejko (19-7-4, 11 KO). After ten rounds two judges indicated a slight advantage of the Russian (96-94), and the third scored it as a draw (95-95).