Artur Beterbiev won the undisputed featherlight heavyweight championship with a majority decision victory over Dmitry Bivol on Saturday at the Kingdom Arena in Riyad, Saudi Arabia.
Beterbiev closed the fight of Russian boxers strongly and won with scores of 115-113, 116-112 and 114-114 in an invigorating fight fought at the highest level.
With his victory in the long-awaited summit meeting, Beterbiev became boxing’s first undisputed 175-pound champion in the four-belt era. Bivol entered the fight rated No. 1 by ESPN in the featherlight heavyweight division and No. 4 pound-for-pound. Beterbiev was No. 2 in the league and No. 6 pound-for-pound.
“Of course it’s a tough fight because Dmitri is also a champion,” Beterbiev said. “He has good skills, maybe better than me. But today Allah has chosen me.”
Beterbiev (21-0, 20 KO) entered the fight as the only boxing champion with a 100% KO rate, and the streak ended on Saturday with the biggest victory in his prosperous career.
Beterbiev will turn 40 in January and is undergoing knee surgery to repair a torn meniscus that postponed the June fight. However, in the second half of the fight, he was still able to rally and establish himself as a Hall of Fame fighter.
Bivol (23-1, 12 KO) controlled the action throughout the first half, especially early on as he unleashed his excellent jab and footwork to keep a mighty punch at bay.
Bivol was the cleaner and sharper puncher and did well to counter Beterbiev with a left hook after his famed powerful jab. But Beterbiev never stopped coming. Even when his punches were blocked – and most of them were – they seemed to still have an effect on Bivol’s high guard.
The 33-year-old Bivol entered the fight with an advantage in experience in major fights following his career-best victory over top boxing star Canelo Alvarez in May 2022. But it was Beterbiev who rolled through the final three rounds to claim the victory.
“I did what I had to do,” Bivol said. “I felt I could do better. … He is powerful, very powerful.
“And you see I have a bruise on my hand,” he said, raising his hand to his eye. “He always beat it and it was so strenuous that it even came up to my eye.”
Bivol emerged with his left eye badly bruised and swollen, and he also had marks around his right eye.
“I am aware that I have to do everything perfectly and I don’t have any explanation because it might seem like an excuse,” Bivol said. “I just [give] Congratulations to Artur and his team. He deserved it, no problem. I just have time to make another decision about my future.”
The fight clearly needed a rematch, and many observers and fans scored for Bivol. Demand should also be high, given the drama of the competition and the lack of a clear winner.
Bivol’s promoter, Eddie Hearn, expressed anger at the outcome of the fight, especially the 116-112 score in Beterbiev’s favor.
“Listen, I don’t want to be disrespectful to Beterbiev,” Hearn said. “But you saw the body language, they knew they had lost the fight. 116-112 Beterbiev? You gave Bivol four rounds? It’s a joke. Of course [we want a rematch]was robbed of an undisputed championship tonight. I can’t believe you could give Bivol four rounds. …It’s absolutely disgusting. I am completely surprised and disgusted by the result of 116-112.”
Bivol said he “of course” wants another chance at Beterbiev: “Why not?… If I get that chance, then yes. My dream is to be undisputed.”
But it was Beterbiev who fulfilled his dream of winning all four belts, adding Bivol’s WBA title to his IBF, WBC and WBO titles.
“I wanted to box with more quality today,” Beterbiev said. “I don’t know why, but I didn’t like this fight. But one day I will be better. …If His Excellency [Turki Alalshikh] I want [the rematch]then we can do it.”
World Boxing News brings you live results from the Usyk vs Fury 2 event with the unified heavyweight title at stake in Saudi Arabia.
Oleksandr Usyk defends his WBC, WBO and WBA belts as the Ukrainian fights for back-to-back wins over Tyson Fury. Fury was almost knocked out by Usyk in May and will seek revenge at the Kingdom Arena.
WBN will also score the main event based on a live scorecard from the first to the last bell.
Live scores of the Usyk-Fury match
Andriy Nowicki defeated Edgar Ramirez by unanimous decision. The score was 100-90 and 98-92 twice, and the Ukrainian moved to 14-0, 10 KOs.
Joshua Ocampo lost in the preliminary fight Muhammad Alakel who scored a unanimous decision to enhance it to 2-0.
Other attacks
MAIN EVENT: WBC WORLD, WBO WORLD, WBA WORLD HEAVYWEIGHT TITLE – 12 ROUNDS Oleksandr Usyk vs. Tyson Fury Shypyntsi, Ukraine Lancashire, UK 22-0 (14 KOs) 34-1-1 (24 KOs) 226 lbs 281 lbs
Airy middleweight fight (154 pounds) – 12 rounds Serhii Bohachuk vs. Ishmael Davis Vinnytsia, Ukraine, Yorkshire, UK 24-2 (23 KOs) 13-1 (6 KOs) 153.1 lbs 153.6 lbs
Heavyweight fight (201+ pounds) – 10 rounds Johnny Fisher vs. David Allen London, UK Yorkshire, UK 12-0 (11 KOs) 23-6, 18 KOs 241.1 lbs 257.6 lbs
INTERNATIONAL SUPER FEATHERWEIGHT COMPETITION – 10 ROUNDS Peter McGrail vs. Rhys Edwards 10-1 (6 KOs) / 16-0 (4 KOs) Liverpool, UK / Merseyside, UK 129.8 lbs / 129.1 lbs
Fight for the WBA CONTINENTAL USA featherweight title (130 pounds) – 10 ROUNDS Isaac Lowe vs. Lee McGregor Lancashire, UK Edinburgh, Scotland 25-2-3 (8 KOs) 14-1-1 (11 KOs) 125.1 lbs 125.9 lbs
WBA CONTINENTAL HEAVYWEIGHT CHAMPIONSHIPS – 10 ROUNDS Dylan Colin Vs. Daniel Łapina Meurthe-et-Moselle, France / Wrocław, Poland 14-0 (4 KOs) / 10-0 (4 KOs)
Information about the Usyk vs Fury match on TV and PPV
Oleksandr Usyk’s rematch with Tyson Fury and the full undercard are available exclusively at DAZN Pay-Per-View (PPV) events worldwide. They cost £24.99 in the UK and $39.95 in the US and no DAZN subscription is required.
The PPV also includes a seven-day free trial of the entire DAZN platform. Usyk vs. Fury and all DAZN content can be watched anywhere, on any device via the DAZN app.
For more information and to purchase the fight, visit www.dazn.com.
Tyson Fury isn’t holding back on his desire for revenge against Oleksandr Usyk as the pair collided on Saturday night.
Fury aims to win the unified heavyweight title for the first time in nine years when he faces current champion Usyk six months after his first loss to the Ukrainian.
As the pair completed media formalities for the superfight, Fury made it clear how the fight would end.
“For the record, I’m going to absolutely annihilate this motherfucker on Saturday night. No pension. I will neat them all and he will be the first,” Fury assured.
Asked if he would try to do to Usyk what he did to Deontay Wilder in the rematch, Fury replied: “It was a long time ago” in reference to the 2020 knockout.
“[I’m] I’m not sure [if that Tyson Fury is there anymore]. Perhaps it has evaporated. Who knows? The legs may disappear. China may no longer exist. Boxing skills can be shot. We’ll find out on the 21st. That’s why you need to tune in to the pay-per-view on DAZN. Come and see whether the venerable dance master still understands it or not.
Referring to the training camp in Malta, Fury added: “[The] The weather is different, of course, but training is training, no matter where you are. These are very mundane, routine things. This happens again and again.
“For me, it doesn’t really matter where the camp is. I’ve attended camps in Vegas, Spain, everywhere, and I’m one of those people who doesn’t get distracted and gets the job done anyway. That’s what I do.
“If I were to train in a nightclub, I wouldn’t dance around the disco in the evening. I would just train.
Information about the Usyk vs Fury match
Former interim WBC 154-pound titleholder Serhii Bohachuk [24-2, 23 KOs] Now he will face British boxer Ishmael Davis [13-1, 6 KOs] in a 12-round super welterweight fight after Israil Madrimov was forced to withdraw due to illness.
Rising heavyweight star Moses Itauma [22-0, 10 KOs] and his opponent, Australian Demsey McKean (22-1, 14 KO), are ready to fight. Undefeated Johnny Fisher [12-0, 11 KOs[ squares off against former Commonwealth title challenger Dave Allen [23-6, 18 KOs].
Meanwhile, former Commonwealth Games gold medalist Peter McGrail [10-1, 6 KOs] takes over from Rhys Edwards at the last minute [16-0, 4 KOs] in a super featherweight fight. Isaac Lowe is also on the bill [25-2-3, 8 KOs[ will face Lee McGregor [14-1-1, 11 KOs] in a featherweight fight.
Daniel Lapin completes the card [10-0, 4 KOs]in which he will face another undefeated lightweight champion prospect, Dylan Colin [14-0, 4 KOs]and heavyweight knockout artist Andrii Novytskyi [14-0, 10 KOs] will face Edgar Ramirez [10-1-1, 4 KOs].
As is the tradition of the season, Riyad will feature local talent as Mohammed Alakel looks for a 2-0 win over Joshua Ocampo [8-33-5, 6 KOs].
Broadcast of the Usyk vs Fury match this Saturday on DAZN PPV.
Fighting for the first time with the full support of his promoter, Salita Promotions, undefeated Brooklyn heavyweight Pryce Taylor later said he was confident and confident he could do well in boxing.
Taylor (5-0, 3 KO), 28, defeated KeShawn Jackson last Thursday night in Flint, Michigan, fighting in an exhibition put on by his promoter in which he recorded an impressive third-round stoppage to finish his 2024 campaign on a high. year note.
“It was good to fight on a bigger stage, in a compact arena, in a nice atmosphere,” Taylor said about his first fight with a promotional contract. “My manager, Keith Sullivan, supported me by agreeing to sign with Salita Promotions. He talked to several promoters, but we felt that Dimitri Salita would be the right candidate for me.
“I felt like I had succeeded; I felt essential, but that was just the beginning. It was the same on fight night, I felt respect and appreciation from the entire Salita promotional company. My goal is to be a more recognizable player and be recognized by the fans. I’m hungry to perform in the coming year.”
“Four knockdowns were counted. I really hurt him with a body shot and when he felt my power he was done. I threw a barrage of punches into the corner (ss photo below) and he tried to hit me with a windmill punch. Then I hit him with a check hook, which ended the fight. He (Jackson) didn’t want to get knocked out, so he tried to show he was still fighting.”
“Of course,” Sullivan commented, “I’m joyful with the victory. This was another developmental fight and Pryce is learning and developing as a fighter. We had a busy year with 8 fights scheduled and 5 that actually crossed the line, so it was a very good first year for him as a pro. Right after that, I talked to Dimitri to arrange the next fight. We hope to have it scheduled in the coming weeks.”
Looking ahead to 2025, Taylor wants his next fight to be a six-rounder scheduled for his next outing, then move up to eight to fight for the junior title.
“I will now train to play 10 rounds,” Taylor concluded, “so that I will be ready when it comes time to play 12 rounds.”
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