RIYADH, SAUDI ARABIA. OCT 12: Artur Beterbiev v Dmitry Bivol battle night time for the Undisputed Gentle-Heavyweight Championships, IV Crown Showdown, Riyadh Season. twelfth October 2024. Kingdom Area, Riyadh, Kingdom of Saudi Arabia. Queensberry Promotions. Credit score: Leigh Dawney/Queensberry Promotions
Dmitrii Bivol desires to run it again with Artur Beterbiev and seeks as a lot help as doable to make it occur.
The Ring has confirmed that Bivol’s crew has filed a request for a direct rematch with all 4 sanctioning our bodies. The premise for the enchantment is almost all perception that the beforehand long-reigning WBA gentle heavyweight titlist deserved the nod of their Oct. 12 RING/undisputed championship in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia.
Beterbiev (21-0, 20 knockouts) received their battle by way of majority choice. The unofficial take amongst most observers was that Bivol (23-1, 12 KOs) did sufficient to completely unify the division. Nevertheless, he did not win on any of the three official scorecards—114-114 even, 115-113 and 116-112 for Beterbiev.
With the win, Beterbiev was topped RING and WBA champion. He retained his lineal, WBC, IBF and WBO crowns. In complete, he gained recognition as the game’s first undisputed gentle heavyweight champion since Roy Jones abdicated the throne in 2002.
Amongst those that noticed Bivol prevail was occasion organizer Turki Alalshikh, chairman of Saudi Arabia’s Normal Leisure Authority.
“This was one of many nice fights of the final 20 years I believe,” Alalshikh instructed The Stomping Grounds’ Charlie Parsons. “However I don’t assume the outcome was honest, in my view. The 2 fighters are like my brothers, however I believe Bivol received two rounds extra.
“I’ll focus and I’ll attempt to do the rematch. In the event that they settle for, we’ll do it.”
Bivol’s aspect has taken the extra step of securing better reinforcements. His authorized crew has contacted the heads of all 4 sanctioning our bodies, in line with a letter obtained by The Ring.
“Because of the truth that this battle was fairly controversial, we proceeded with a rematch request and protest of the choice with the entire sanctioning our bodies,” Vadim Kornilov, Bivol’s career-long supervisor, instructed The Ring in a offered quote. “And we’re nonetheless engaged on the potential of a assessment of the 116-112 scorecard.”
The latter half is in reference to evaluate Pawel Kardyni, whose 116-112 card was the outlier from public opinion. Kornilov known as for a radical assessment of his scorecard, although such issues are sometimes handled on the sanctioning our bodies’ desired (deliberate) tempo.
The authorized crew for Bivol was additionally concerned—and drew paralles to—in a much more controversial choice greater than 25 years in the past.
The near-universal take was that Lennox Lewis did greater than sufficient to defeat Evander Holyfield of their March 1999 undisputed heavyweight championship. The towering Brit was compelled to accept an unpopular cut up choice draw at Madison Sq. Backyard in New York Metropolis.
It produced the unanimous verdict amongst all concerned—together with the sanctioning our bodies—{that a} rematch needed to occur subsequent. That was the precise plan of action, the place Lewis edged Holyfield eight months later in Las Vegas.
“The results of that bout was among the many most controversial in historical past, with a extremely disputed draw,” argued lawyer Patrick English, who represents all of Kornilov’s purchasers and can also be the longtime lawyer for Predominant Occasions. “Boxing followers demanded a rematch. The fighters wished a rematch. I filed an applicable petition with the rankings organizations for a rematch.
“At present I make this petition on behalf of Dmitrii Bivol. The circumstances are just like Holyfield /Lewis. Dmitrii Bivol, then the WBA Champion fought Artur Beterbiev final Saturday night time. Bivol held the WBA and IBO Gentle Heavyweight titles whereas Beterbiev held the IBF, WBC, and WBO titles. The outcome was a hotly disputed majority choice which Beterbiev received on the
playing cards. To say that the choice was hotly contested is an understatement.”
The criticism included a number of press clippings from publications who had Bivol forward. It additionally cited the general public statements made by promoters Eddie Hearn (Bivol’s promoter) and Frank Warren, who believed Bivol received. Hearn took it a step additional and declared that all the things that Bivol had labored for as a titlist for seven years was ripped away from him by judging incompetence.
A ballot performed by The Ring wasn’t fairly as conclusive.
Bivol was considered because the winner by 9 of the 21 business insiders and specialists. 5 felt that Beterbiev received, whereas one other seven both had it a draw or had been “undecided.”
The mixed outcomes of a scoring ballot performed by Boxing Information+—headed by Rob Tebbutt, the game’s main battle night time pizza connoisseur—scored it 115-113 Beterbiev.
Nonetheless, Bivol and his crew are rolling with the bulk opinion in addition to these in energy to pressure a rematch.
“Mr. Bivol has requested a rematch,” insisted Bivol’s authorized crew. “The Promoters of the bout, Eddie Hearn, Frank Warren, and Turki Alalshikh have mentioned they assume a rematch is warranted.
“Mr. Beterbiev has said that if the promoters need a rematch he agrees to take action.”
Bivol held the total model of the WBA gentle heavyweight title since Nov. 2017. He made eleven profitable defenses of the belt and was hailed as 2022 Fighter of the 12 months.
His reign was one week longer than Beterbiev’s IBF title win on the time of their gentle heavyweight summit assembly. Following Saturday’s outcome, Beterbiev is second solely to Knockout CP Freshmart as the game’s longest reigning energetic male titleholder. Freshmart (25-0, 9 KOs) has held the WBA strawweight title since June 2016.
