No Robbery in the Ring? Beterbiev’s Controversial Win Over Bivol Stirs Outrage
The recent light heavyweight title bout between Artur Beterbiev and Dmitry Bivol has sparked significant controversy in the boxing world due to the judges’ decision. Two undefeated world champions entered the ring and someone had to lose their spotless record. In a controversial turn, Artur Beterbiev got his hand raised by way of a majority decision against Bivol. This fight decided who would hold the strap for the WBA (Super), IBO, WBC, IBF, WBO, and vacant The Ring light-heavyweight titles.
Dmitry Bivol
Russia’s Dmitry Bivol (23-1) was born in 1990 in Kyrgyzstan, Bivol moved to Russia as a child and began boxing at a young age. He had an impressive amateur career, compiling a record of 268-15 before turning pro in 2014.
Bivol is known for his technical skills, excellent footwork, and high boxing IQ. He utilizes a disciplined style focused on controlling distance with his jab and outboxing opponents. Bivol has an undefeated professional record of 21 wins with 11 knockouts and a recent singular loss. He won the WBA light heavyweight title in 2017 and has successfully defended it multiple times, including a notable victory over Canelo Alvarez in 2022, but lost his crown in 2024.
Artur Beterbiev
Artur Beterbiev (21-0) was born in 1985 in Dagestan, Russia, a region known for producing athletes. He had a stellar amateur career, winning gold at the 2009 World Championships before turning pro in 2013.
Beterbiev is known for his devastating punching power and pressure style. He has knockout wins in almost all of his professional fights, giving him a near-perfect KO ratio. Beterbiev’s professional record stands at 21 wins, 21 by knockout, with no losses.
He currently holds the WBC, IBF, and WBO light heavyweight titles, and recently added the WBA (Super), and IBO, world titles, making him a unified champion in the division. Beterbiev won his first world title in 2017 and has steadily added more belts through impressive performances against top boxers.
Robbery in the Ring
The championship boxing match between Artur Beterbiev and Dmitry Bivol took place on October 12, 2024, at the Kingdom Arena in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, and was highly anticipated as both fighters entered with undefeated records (Bivol at 23-0 and Beterbiev at 20-0), at the time.
It was a particularly close fight on sportsbooks according to the odds and some bettors were surprised by the outcome. But betting fans need to remember that they have the opportunity to test their skills in such matches with the help of offers like the BetMGM bonus code for new users and lower the risk on their wagers in such highly anticipated and unpredictable matches.
The fight itself was highly competitive, with Bivol starting strong and landing more punches, especially jabs, but Beterbiev’s pressure and power punches became more effective in later rounds.
The judges scored the bout 114-114, 115-113, and 116-112 in favor of Beterbiev, making him the undisputed light heavyweight champion and handing Bivol his first career loss.
Many observers, including Bivol’s promoter Eddie Hearn, criticized the decision, claiming that Bivol deserved to win. Hearn described the scoring as “sickening,” particularly highlighting the 116-112 scorecard, which he deemed excessively biased. He expressed disbelief at the judges’ scores, asserting that it was clear Bivol had won the fight and calling for accountability regarding the judging standards in boxing. He said:
“I don’t want to disrespect Beterbiev, because they’re both incredible fighters, but I find it sickening that, after a lifetime of hard work, Bivol is not undisputed champion tonight. He won that fight. I struggle to find anybody in our row; a row behind, the TV row, who didn’t score the fight to Bivol. To find a judge give that fight 116-112, and give Dmitry Bivol four rounds in that fight; this judge should never work in the sport again.
“Everything you’ll get out of Dmitry is: ‘I can do better; it’s boxing. I take the judges’ scorecard’, but I don’t buy it because you don’t deserve that after that performance. It was an absolute boxing masterclass. It was the perfect performance. He can be better, but that was a pure show of concentration, skill, and defense, with offense thrown in. Bivol is arguably pound-for-pound No. 1 in the sport. He deserves tonight to sit here as the undisputed light-heavyweight champion of the world”
After the fight, Bivol downplayed Beterbiev’s punching power, saying it was hard but not as formidable as people made it out to be. He noted that he managed to handle Beterbiev’s punches without being knocked out. He explained:
“It’s hard (the punching power), but not as [hard] as people are describing. Yeah, it’s hard, you see my eye. He landed a lot of punches on my left hand, through my hand. You see the bruises. He [hits] hard but we can handle these hard punches.”
Compubox statistics indicated a narrow margin in punch lands throughout the match, with Bivol out-landing Beterbiev by a small number of punches overall. The fight was competitive, with both fighters showing skill.
On his victory, Artur Beterbiev did not sound overly excited. He simply stated:
“I wanted more quality… I didn’t like this fight. But I’ll be better one day. Dmitry is a world champion too. He has good skills, better than me, but today Allah chose me.”
The controversial outcome of the Beterbiev-Bivol fight has left the boxing world divided, with many fans and analysts debating the legitimacy of the decision. While Artur Beterbiev ultimately claimed the title and solidified his status as an undisputed champion, Dmitry Bivol’s strong performance raised questions about the judges’ scoring. As the demand for accountability in judging grows, a rematch could offer Bivol a chance to reclaim his standing and settle the score in one of boxing’s most intense rivalries.
