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He now has all the belts at light heavyweight. In Riyadh, Canadian Artur Beterbiev dominated Dmitry Bivol on points on Saturday, thus seizing the WBA title, the only one he was missing. He thus inflicted his first setback on the 33-year-old Russian boxer who had won his first 23 fights. It is nevertheless the first time that Beterviev (21 victories including 20 by KO) has failed to win before the limit: the judges rendered a split decision in his favor (116-112, 115-113 and 114-114 ).
It is also the first time that a boxer has managed to hold the four main world belts in this category. Promoter of Bivol, the British Eddie Hearn protested the judges’ verdict, targeting in particular the one which gave a score of 116-112 in favor of Beterviev. “It’s a charade. It is revolting that after a lifetime of hard work, Dmitry Bivol is not an undisputed champion“, he said.
A rematch could take place between the two men in 2025 although this fight, initially scheduled for last June, was postponed due to a knee injury for Beterviev.