Author: Sean Crose

Artur Beterbiev is the recent undisputed airy heavyweight champion of the world – but not everyone agrees that this should be the case. After winning a majority decision over Dmitry Bivol in a razor-sharp, top-flight affair, many netizens viewed Beterviev as receiving a decision he didn’t deserve. “Defense is losing the fight,” former titleholder Chris Algieri said during a live broadcast with fellow former titleholder Paulie Malignaggi. Indeed, Bivol fought exceptionally well, employing a fluid defense throughout much of the fight.

Bivol got going early, while Beterbiev largely fought patiently until the final seconds of the first, when he began to boost the volume and exchange with Beterbiev. In the second case, Bivol was the more energetic of the two players. Beterbiev, however, constantly tracked his man throughout the round. In the third quarter, Bivol was able to throw some keen shots at Beterbiev. In the fourth game, Bivol clearly took control of the fight. He moved, managed distance better, and landed more often. Beterbiev looked like a man chasing a goal that he cannot successfully reach.

Bivol began to leisurely down in fifth place, and Beterbiev managed to land consistently. Bivol, however, hit Beterbiev with a solid straight right. Toward the end of the round, both men landed well repeatedly, but Beterbiev seemed to land the hardest shots. The 6th was a very close and tight affair with both men having their moments. Biivol’s hitting did a huge job in the seventh set, as did the man’s footwork. He actually temporarily supported Beterbiev in the last minute of the round.

Bivol tried to steal the eighth by stringing together combinations in the final seconds of the chapter. However, Beterbiev had performed admirably up to this point. Bivol was able to control the ninth shot with his footwork and high-speed combinations, which he executed at high volume. Then just like that, Beterbiev was able to completely master the tenth. In the eleventh over he resumed batting at his man. For a moment, it looked like Bivol might not be able to stay on his feet. Fortunately for Bivol, however, he managed to survive the attack. In the twelfth and last round, both players performed quite well.

The judges ruled in Beterbiev’s favor by scores of 114-114, 115-113 and 116-112.

Artur Beterbiev and Dmitry Bivol will face off in a occasional match between two of the best fighters in the division to determine the first undisputed delicate heavyweight champion in the four-belt era on Saturday night in Riyad, Saudi Arabia (ESPN, 5:30 p.m. ET).

Beterbiev (20-0, 20), holder of the WBC, WBO and IBF titles, is the only boxing champion with a 100% knockout rate. He has been the 175-pound champion since 2017.

The fight was years in the making. There hasn’t been an undisputed champion in this division since Roy Jones Jr. he vacated one of his titles in 2000 (three belt era).

“I want a good fight. I’m preparing for a good fight,” Beterbiev said during Thursday’s press conference. “We’ll see. … Be ready, Dmitry. I’ll be ready.”

Bivol (23-0, 12 KO), the WBA champion, was promoted from interim titleholder to full titleholder in 2017 and has since defended the belt 12 times.

Beterbiev and Bivol were scheduled to fight on June 1, but a month before the fight, Beterbiev suffered a torn meniscus and underwent knee surgery, forcing a postponement. Bivol wanted to keep himself busy and fought Malik Zinad that day. It was a sixth-round TKO victory and his only stoppage victory in his last 10 fights.

“Artur is a great champion,” Bivol said. “He has what I want. It has seat belts. And it’s not just about belts. When I look at his skills, I want to test my skills against this amazing player.”

Stay here for fight results and round-by-round analysis.

Artur Beterbiev and Dmitry Bivol will fight tonight at the Kingdom Arena in Riyad, Saudi Arabia for four lightweight heavyweight belts to claim the undisputed championship. This fight will decide who will truly be number 1 in the 175-pound weight class.

Beterbiev vs. fight Bivol will be shown live on ESPN+ at 6 p.m. ET. The Undercard will be shown on DAZN PPV in the U.S. and Canada starting at noon EST.

Live results and updates will be shown tonight below:

– Chris Eubank Jr. (34-3, 25 KO) knocked out the journeyman Kamil Szeremeta (25-3-2, 8 KO) winning the IBO middleweight fight in the seventh round. Eubank Jr., 35, knocked Szeremeta to the ground four times in the contest, the last two of which came in the seventh round on body shots.

In the first, Eubank Jr. he knocked down Szeremeta with a right punch to the head. Eubank Jr. he dropped Szeremeta again with a right shot to the head in the sixth set. Eubank Jr. he was cut in the right eye in the third round as a result of a clash of heads.

After the second knockdown in the round, the referee waved him off. The fight was stopped at 1:50 of the seventh round by referee John Latham. Next up is Eubank Jr. he will most likely face Conor Benn in the welterweight division.

“I felt like I could have finished the fight in the first round,” Eubank Jr. said. “I had a good time there to prepare for the next massive fight. Szeremeta is a tough guy. I said, “You know what, body shots will get this guy out.” This is the fight everyone wants to see. I want you to be next,’” Eubank Jr. said. about Bennie.

– Do you think I’m worried after this performance? said Conor Benn. “Piece of cake. I’ll jump two weight classes. Nobody’s afraid of it. Let’s do it.”

– Skye Nicolson (12-1, 1 KO) defended her WBC women’s featherweight title with a one-sided, ten-round unanimous decision over the previously undefeated Raven Chapman (9-1, 2 KOs). The scores were 99-91, 98-92 and 98-92.

Nicolson, 28, a southpaw, hung around the ring throughout the night, causing Chapman to chase her around the ring throughout the night. Chapman had difficulty landing due to Nicolson’s movement and the left counter punches she was hit with. It wasn’t the most fun fight to watch, but that’s how Nicolson fights.

She is a pure boxer, with 90% of her game focused on defense and only 10% on offense. Think of it as Shakur Stevenson’s version of women’s boxing.

– Ben Whittaker (8-0-1, 5 KO) i Liam Cameron (23-6-1, 10 KO) fought a five-round split in a lightweight heavyweight fight scheduled for ten rounds.

2020 Olympic silver medalist Whittaker suffered a right leg injury after he and Cameron fell from the ring in the fifth round. Whittaker (27) suffered a leg injury in the fall and could not continue playing.

The moment he got injured, when Whittaker was at his worst, left some fans feeling like he was looking for a way out fighting. Some looked as if Whittaker had given up and used the injury to avoid defeat.

The results were as follows:

– 58-57 – Whittaker
– 58-57 – Cameron
– 58-58

Cameron came on from the third round, landing much stronger shots and seemingly disturbing Whittaker. You could see that Whittaker was bothered by Cameron’s challenging shots.

In the fifth match, Whittaker repeatedly hit Cameron with punches, for which the referee gave him a harsh warning. Moments later, Whittaker caught Cameron in a clinch and both fell out of the ring.

– Mohammed Alakel (1-0) won his professional super featherweight debut with a victory over Jesus Gonzalez (3-3) via four-round unanimous decision. The scores were 40-36, 40-36 and 40-36. The lanky Alakel landed right hands and controlled the action against the aggressive Gonzalez. In the fourth minute, Gonzalez went on the attack, pressing for action, but Alakel did well to avoid his shots.

Starting times:

• 23:15 UK / 18:15 ET – Artur Beterbiev vs. Dmitry Bivol (IBF, WBC, WBO, WBA lightweight heavyweight titles)
• 22:00 Great Britain / 17:00 ET – Fabio Wardley vs. Frazer Clark (for Wardley’s British heavyweight title)
• 21:00 Great Britain / 16:00 ET – Jai Opetaia vs. Jack Massey (Opetaia’s IBF cruiserweight title)
• 20:00 UK / 15:00 ET – Chris Eubank Jr. vs. Kamil Szeremeta (middleweight)