They say if you come for the king, it’s better not to miss.
Dmitry Bivol fought as well as he has ever fought, but his attempt at featherlight heavyweight supremacy against “The King” Artur Beterbiev proved painful.
Beterbiev won an excellent fight with scores of 116-112 (Pawel Kardyni), 115-113 (Glenn Feldman) and 114-114 (Manuel Oliver Palomo).
There wasn’t much to it, but two of the best 175-pounders of this generation put on a gripping battle of skill, courage and technical proficiency.
At the end of the show, the fresh undisputed champion Beterbiev felt he could have done better, but Bivol congratulated him on his great performance. None of them complained about the results or each other.
Asked later how he felt, “Not bad,” Beterbiev replied.
“I didn’t do well today,” he continued. “I didn’t like this fight, but one day I will feel better. It wasn’t hard, it was a little uncomfortable.”
Bivol, who finished his battle with swelling around his left eye, stated that he still dreams of becoming undisputed champion and simply added: “Congratulations to Artur and his team, he deserves it.”
He thought he won?
“I don’t know,” he replied. “I did my job. I thought I could be better. I could always improve. He won. What could I say?”
Bivol is currently 23-1 (12 KOs), and the 33-year-old, who was born in Tokmak, Kyrgyzstan, but fights out of Indio, California, is sure to come again.
Beterbiev, who surprisingly went the distance for the first time in 21 professional fights and had previously recorded 20 stoppages, added Bivola’s WBA belt to his WBC, WBO, IBF and Ring Magazine titles.
Both men tried to take control with left hands in the first round, and Beterbiev’s nose started to turn red when Bivol stepped in for a two-count.
It was constant work, but in the dying heat of the round they both lowered their hands. Beterbiev, who will turn 40 in early 2025, took Bivol to the ropes, but Bivol quickly responded as Top Ranking-promoted Beterbiev advanced.
Bivol’s left hand was polished, he hooked, jabbed and finished the jab in the second.
He threw with intention. Each blow was intended to gain Beterbiev’s respect.
Beterbiev moved forward menacingly. He chewed through several pointed jabs that dug into his stoic face, but he moved forward briskly, forcing Bivol to work challenging with his legs, engine, and head.
Bivol almost always stayed within striking distance, so Bivol couldn’t shut down for even a second.
Midway through the third, Bivol was able to punch a series of jabs and right hands through Beterbiev’s tight guard.
Beterbiev’s head was often snapped back by Bivol’s faster and more correct shots, but – as is his wont – Beterbiev simply marched towards him.
In the fourth quarter, Beterbiev seemed to leisurely Bivol down a bit and hit him with his right hand.
It was, as expected, high-quality and engaging. It was Bivol’s fluidity against Beterbiev’s unwavering pressure.
Bivol continued to look good, but his performance seemed to decline. He lunged forward and hit Beterbiev with a right hand, but it didn’t dent him, and in the final minute of the fifth period there were signs that Beterbiev might take control, planting a stout and hefty right hand into Bivol’s diaphragm.
Still, despite Beterbiev’s pressure, Bivol’s high hands and movement meant that anything significant caught him, only sparingly. For some time in the sixth set, Bivol stayed on his feet and fought back.
Soon, however, Beterbiev was in the lead again.
Bivol landed a right hand on Beterbiev’s cheek to start round seven. Beterbiev nodded and moved towards Bivol again.
Beterbiev, with his back to the ropes, stung Bivol midway through the seventh strike, then began beating him this way and that as Bivol endured his first real danger.
The two looked at each other to start the eighth. None of them neglected the body. In fact, they both ended up in first place at the bottom, but the round was relatively still and yet still fascinating, and they both let their fists fly in an attempt to impress the judges with a few seconds left.
Bivol started the ninth round quickly. He hit Beterbiev with a left hook and although Beterbiev still moved towards him, he didn’t hit much of the mark and Bivol worked him over.
With three minutes to go, the game was ready and everything seemed to be hanging in the balance with nine minutes to go.
Beterbiev still had a challenging time catching Bivol cleanly, but Bivol managed to score some nice catches. Bivol veered right, veered left, and Beterbiev couldn’t stay on his feet to hit his celebrated hefty shots.
Bivol remained as the composed matador, but in the 11th Beterbiev broke through with a forceful right hand and dealt with powerful lefts and rights as Bivol, swollen above his left eye, offered little in response.
They touched gloves respectfully to open the 12th inning, and Bivol recovered enough to start promisingly. Beterbiev, ever the pursuer, tracked him to the ropes and with 80 seconds left Bivol was on the back foot and had to tuck in. Beterbiev dominated in the end. Bivol tried to stop him, so in a sporting gesture they once again waved their gloves after the bell.
It was a great fight at a high level. It featured two practitioners at the top of their game. Judge Thomas Taylor was a virtual witness as the two craftsmen elegantly chopped each other down.
It wasn’t a thriller, but it didn’t have to be. It was a great demonstration of what this sport is all about. Strategy, skill, agility, courage and ability.
If the waiting for this, the most attractive of all fights that can be fought in this sport today, was a journey, then the destination for fight fans was Elysium.
Bivol came for the king and missed.
However, there is every chance that he will get the chance to fight for “King” Arthur once again, but next time Beterbiev will fight as the undisputed featherlight heavyweight champion of the world.
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