The light-heavyweight bout between Artur Beterbiev and Dmitry Bivol continues to stir up discussions in the boxing world. The fight, which took place in October 2023 in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, ended with Beterbiev securing a controversial majority decision win.
The contest was for the undisputed light-heavyweight championship, marking the first time in over 20 years that a fighter could claim this title at 175 pounds. It turned out to be an extremely close fight with plenty of tight rounds, leaving room for debate.
The judges' scorecards reflected the closeness of the bout. One judge scored it a draw at 114-114, while the other two gave it to Beterbiev with scores of 116-112 and 115-113.
Bernard Hopkins, a two-weight world champion who dominated the light-heavyweight division from 2006 to 2014, shared his thoughts on the fight. Hopkins, who has wins over notable opponents like Roy Jones Jr, Antonio Tarver, Winky Wright, Jean Pascal, and Kelly Pavlik, agrees with the decision to award Beterbiev the victory.
In an interview with FightHype.com, Hopkins stated:
"I think the better man won. I think it was close but the man who won was the better man. I don't go against that, I watched the fight over and over."
Hopkins isn't alone in his assessment. Heavyweight champion Tyson Fury also believes the right man won the fight.
The split opinion within the boxing community ensures that this fight will remain a hot topic of discussion for some time. As the first undisputed champion at 175 pounds in over two decades, Beterbiev's victory holds significant weight in the division's history, regardless of the controversy surrounding it.
