Artur Beterbiev defeated Dmitry Bivol by decision in one of the most essential main event wins since Saudi Arabia began staging boxing’s biggest fights. By winning this fight, Beterbiev became the first-ever undisputed lithe heavyweight champion in the four-belt era.
The last time there was an undisputed three-belt champion in this division was in 2000, when Roy Jones Jr. defeated Eric Harding. Bivol and Beterbiev’s performance reflected the seriousness of the situation as they both left everything in the ring.
Initially, Bivol was in control of the fight before some difficult shots in round 4 revived Beterbiev. Beterbiev was 20-0 heading into the fight, winning every fight by knockout, but was unable to find enough strength in the later rounds to stop Bivol and maintain his perfect record.
It was Beterbiev’s ninth defense of the IBF title, sixth defense of the WBC title and third defense of the WBO title, and he held the belts while adding a fourth. Beterbiev didn’t show much emotion after the fight, but the victory meant everything to him.
“I must be excited [for this fight]” – Beterbiev said before the fight on ESPN Undisputed. “I don’t get emotional in front of people, but of course I’m excited. This is my goal [undisputed] master.”
On the card below, Fabio Wardley defeated Frazer Clarke in the first round after taking some brutal shots early on that resulted in his opponent needing medical attention. Clarke left the arena and went to hospital to undergo tests for a suspected broken jaw and cheekbone.
Chris Eubank Jr secured victory with a seventh-round stoppage in his first fight in over a year. Eubank Jr. under pressure from Kamil Szeremeta, he knocked him down in the first round, but he remained placid and won the 34th victory in his professional career.
“I had a good time there. I think I could have finished it the first time, but it’s been a year and I wanted to get some ring rust off,” Eubank Jr. said of the fight. Another fight almost took place after Eubank Jr. was announced as the winner, and the undefeated rival Conor Benn entered the ring.
Eubank Jr and Benn got into a heated confrontation and had to be separated, with both fighters wanting to meet in the ring. “Let’s get this done,” Eubank Jr was heard telling Benn after their first fight was canceled.
Benn was scheduled to face Eubank Jr. in October 2022, but the fight was postponed after Benn tested positive for clomiphene. Since then, the animosity has continued, and fans can finally see the fight that was supposed to take place two years ago.
Artur Beterbiev and Dmitry Bivol fight card results
Artur Beterbiew def. Dmitry Bivol by majority decision
Fabio Wardley def. Frazer Clarke via TKO, round 1
Jai Opetaia def. Jack Massey via TKO, round 6
Chris Eubank Jr def. Kamil Szeremeta by KO in round 7
Skye Nicolson def. Raven Chapman via unanimous decision
Ben Whittaker vs. Liam Cameron – draw after inconclusive technical decisions
Mohammed Alakel def. Jesus Gonzalez via unanimous decision
Marco Marić def. Christian Flores via unanimous decision