Former IBF delicate heavyweight champion Sivenathi Nontshinga has vowed to return to form and become a three-time world champion after losing his title to Japanese heavyweight star Masamichi Yabuki.

The South African was stopped in the ninth round in Tokoname on Saturday and took revenge for his only previous loss to Adrian Curiel.

“You know those vibes. I will go back to drawing, I will work strenuous, I will remain humble as always, I can be taught, I have my feet firmly on the ground, I will never change. I will never let losses define me,” Nontshinga, who has fallen three times, told SA Boxingtalk.

“He caught me with a strenuous punch that I didn’t expect. I tried to look in my corner, but I couldn’t see anyone. I just heard this noise.

“The best one won,” added the 25-year-old with a record of 13-2 (10 KO).

“I’ll stay at the gym. I will continue to work strenuous. It’s just a minor setback, now it’s time for me to become a three-time world champion… It’s not a setback, it’s a learning opportunity. I will contact you again.

“Everything went as it went. I’m not ashamed of my losses… It’s not the end of the world. I’m still teenage. I will come back to the top.”

South Africa coach Colin Nathan admitted he felt “gutted” in the dressing room after the match.

“Yabuki is very mighty,” the coach said. “I felt that we were behind, I felt that we were entering the fight, but with the power of Kabuki’s withdrawal… He is also very large, because he weighs 108. We lost to a better fighter that night. It’s a bitter pill to swallow, but unfortunately we all have to swallow it.

“I was very proud [of Nontshinga]. I saw that the first right hand took all the stuffing out of it. It kind of looked and said, “Dude, you need to get up.” I am very proud that he stood up and showed character and heart. You have to congratulate Yabuki.”

Promoter Eddie Hearn was furious when he saw Dmitry Bivol lose what he considered a questionable 12-round majority decision to Artur Beterbiev on Saturday night in Riyad.

What really angered Hearn was the judge’s score of 8-4 for Beterbiev (21-0, 20 KO), which he felt did not reflect what happened in the ring.

Hearn score 8-4 for Bivol

Hearn says Bivol (23-1, 12 KO) gave him an 8-4 victory, which fans said was even worse than the one he gave Beterbiev. The way Bivol folded in the second half of the contest means he cannot be considered deserving of the 8-4 score that Hearn gave him.

With all the movement Bivol was using, he still broke under Beterbiev’s pressure in rounds 8 through 12. Bivol moved constantly. What would happen if Biwol decided to stand up and fight Beterbiev? This is something Hearn doesn’t mention because he would have to face a bigger truth.

On Saturday night, Bivol lost the WBA title to IBF, WBC and WBO featherlight heavyweight champion Beterbiev, who is now the undisputed four-belt champion after defeating him at the Kingdom Arena.

Results

– 114-114
– 115-113
– 116-112

“Eddie Hearn always talks bad about me,” said Artur Beterbiev iFL Televisionin reaction to the information that Eddie Hearn is not satisfied with the results after his victory over Dmitry Bivol. “Yes, I think so,” Beterbiev replied when asked if he wanted a rematch with Bivol after being told that His Excellency Turki Alalshikh wanted a rematch.

“Maybe because the third guy I beat him. Maybe that’s why he always complains about me,” Beterbiev said about beating fellow Hearn fighter.

Hearn is concerned that Beterbiev beat another of his fighters, but that is much harder to swallow because the defeat hurt Bivol’s chances of fighting Canelo Alvarez again. This fight would be a hit.

“He’s a lot more humble than me because when you work your whole life and get results like that, it’s not fair to take that away from you,” Eddie Hearn told iFL TV about his player Bivol.

“I was 8-4, 7-5 [for Bivol]but for someone to score 116-114 in this fight, you give Dmitry Bivol four rounds in this fight. This referee should never work again,” Hearn continued. “It’s a shame that during the biggest fight and on the biggest stage, this happens.

“He [Bivol] I won’t say it, but I will. Without a doubt, he should be the undisputed champion today,” Hearn said.

The judges decided that Beterbiev was the better player and made the right choice. Bivol was tired and couldn’t fight challenging enough later in the fight when he had to be aggressive.

“He hits challenging, but not like people describe,” Bivol said when asked about Beterbiev’s strength, Bivol said. “Yes, it’s challenging. Look at my eye. He punched my left arm multiple times and you can see my bruises. Yes, it is mighty, but we can withstand these mighty blows.

“His Excellency said: ‘Bad decision. We’ll do a rematch,” Hearn said. “We keep our fingers crossed, he keeps his word. I have a supple spot for him. He’s an amazing athlete. The way he takes this defeat is so much better than me, but that’s just the way he is. Respect to both players. This man should be the undisputed champion today.”

Bivol withered

The final word belonged to the judges, who felt that Bivol had not done enough to win the competition. If Bivol had not lost his nerve and become timid in the last five rounds, he could have won. He spent rounds 8 to 12 running, trying not to get beaten and give up. If Bivol had shown courage, he would have been knocked out because he was withering even though he was running.

Eddie Hearn doesn’t think any objective observer would be able to convince him that Artur Beterbiev won six rounds over Dmitry Bivol on Saturday night, let alone eight.

Although Bivol’s promoter is confident that Bivol deserved to win the unification bout for the featherlight heavyweight championship, Hearn expressed confidence during the post-fight press conference that his fighter would receive an immediate rematch. Turki Alalshikh, chairman of Saudi Arabia’s General Entertainment Authority, told Bivol, Hearn and others at the ring that he wanted to schedule a second fight between Beterbiev and Bivol as soon as possible.

GEA financed the entire gala headlined by Beterbiev-Bivol at the Kingdom Arena in Riyad, the capital of Saudi Arabia. Beterbiev (21-0, 20 KO), who won a majority decision, and Bivol (23-1, 12 KO) each earned approximately $10 million for the long-awaited fight that crowned the first of the four fully unified boxing champions at up to 175 pounds. -belt era.

Hearn, the president of Matchroom Boxing, doesn’t think anything other than a rematch with Bivol makes sense for the injury-prone Beterbiev, who turns 40 in January.

“Yes, I mean ‘His Excellency’ [Alalshikh] he said, “Bad decision. We’re doing a rematch.[…]We know he keeps his word,” Hearn said. “We know he supported Dmitry Bivol. We thank him very much, not only for the opportunities Dmitry Bivol has given, but for what he has given to boxing tonight by taking this fight. And there has to be a rematch, because Artur Beterbiev, you know, there will always be controversy around this fight.

“And he is a true champion. What other fight awaits Artur Beterbiev? I mean, the whole world will want to see it again. The whole world will know. You know, I’m sure there are those who recognized Beterbiev’s victory. But everyone I know who knows boxing didn’t tell me that in the ring.

Justices Paweł Kardyni (116-112) and Glenn Feldman (115-113) disagreed with Hearn’s assessment. They scored eight and seven rounds respectively for Beterbiev, as the Russian champion kept the pressure on Bivol for most of their 12-round encounter and regularly landed punches on the smarter, savvier technician who tried to overtake him, usually by moving backwards.

Referee Manuel Oliver Palomo gave Beterbiev and Bivol six rounds each (114-114).

Alalshikh believes that all three judges were wrong.

“In my opinion, the result is not fair,” Alalshikh said as he left the ring. “I think it’s at least for Bivol [by] two rounds… two fighters like my brother, OK? But I think Bivol [won] two more rounds. I don’t know why this result [is] yes, but in my opinion I will focus and try to make a rematch. They deserve it. They deserve it. If they agree, we will do it.”

Beterbiev, 39, and Bivol, 33, have expressed equal interest in fighting again next.

“We should ask the boxing fans,” said Bivol, who was reluctant to apply what he considered an “excuse” for his first professional defeat. “Do they want this rematch? If they want [it]I’d like to give that rematch and of course I’d like to get that chance again.”

Montreal’s Beterbiev, who has covered that distance for the first time since his amateur days, would welcome a profitable opportunity to defeat Bivol more decisively in a second fight for the IBF, IBO, WBA, WBC and WBO belts.

“If ‘His Excellency’ wants,” Beterbiev told DAZN’s Chris Mannix at the ring, “we will do it [it]”