Artur Beterbiev won a close fight against Dmitry Bivol for the undisputed light-heavyweight world title in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia. The judges scored it 114-114, 115-113, and 116-112 in Beterbiev's favor.
The fight was so close that it left many questioning the scorecards. Both fighters put on impressive performances, making it a tough one to call.
Respected boxing analyst Teddy Atlas initially scored the bout 115-113 for Beterbiev. He later rewatched the fight without sound to avoid any ringside influences. Atlas ended up with the same overall score but saw the rounds differently.
After ten rounds I had it 95-95, dead even. Beterbiev took the championship rounds. Now, I got the same score when I looked at it again but I got it a different way. I got it a much different way. After watching it the second time with no sound, in a vacuum away from all the stuff at ringside, I gave the first four rounds to Bivol. You want to argue with me? I think you're wrong. But hey, you think I'm wrong.
Atlas broke down the fight, giving Bivol rounds 1-4 and round 9. He scored rounds 5-8 for Beterbiev, with round 10 even. The championship rounds, 11 and 12, went to Beterbiev in Atlas's view.
The close nature of the fight has led to calls for a rematch. Atlas compared it to the recent Usyk-Fury bout, saying both fights demand a second go-around.
Similar to the Usyk-Fury fight that happened where everyone was satisfied. Where it was the right fight for a historic, undisputed night. It demanded a rematch. This fight the same thing. It demanded a rematch.
Both Beterbiev and Bivol seem open to the idea of a rematch. If it happens, we might see these two square off again in mid-2025.
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With such a close and controversial decision, fans will surely be eager to see these two light-heavyweight stars clash once more to settle the score.