Artur Beterbiev has become the undisputed light-heavyweight champion. He won a closely fought victory over Dmitry Bivol, making him the first undisputed champion in the division since Roy Jones Jr.
The match was a real battle. Beterbiev's pressure and aggression went up against Bivol's elite movement and fast hands. In the end, Beterbiev's style won over the judges, but opinions are split on whether the right man got the decision.
John Scully, Beterbiev's trainer, spoke to The Stomping Ground about what's next for the new undisputed champ. While there's been talk of Beterbiev moving up to cruiserweight, Scully thinks there's still plenty to do at 175 pounds.
"I think everybody in the world would say today they have to do a rematch. I think everybody would say that."
Scully mentioned a few other potential opponents at light-heavyweight. David Benavidez is "in there", and Joshua Buatsi is "really strong". A fight with Buatsi "could be a nuclear war", according to Scully.
When asked about the cruiserweight division, Scully was frank:
"No disrespect at all, but I don't even know any cruiserweights or who the champions are."
Looking back at the fight, Scully sees room for improvement. He wants to work on "little techniques, little strategies" and improve Beterbiev's jab.
"Little techniques, little strategies. I would like to work on his jab. A different kind of jab than he was using in this fight. I think there was a different way to approach it. Just little details that I think we could use that we didn't use last night."
Both fighters are expected to rest and recover now. We probably won't see either of them back in the ring until 2025. But the boxing world is already buzzing about a rematch. Bivol has called for it, and his promoter Eddie Hearn thinks he should be the undisputed champion.
Highlights of the fight show how Beterbiev's pressure and aggression won him more rounds on the scorecards against Bivol. But with such a close fight, fans are eager to see these two warriors go at it again.
