Artur Beterbiev emerged victorious following yesterday’s compelling undisputed light heavyweight clash against Dmitry Bivol, claiming a highly contentious majority decision.
The 39-year-old proved that he is still at the top of his game, despite several concerns over his age and recent knee injury being expressed prior to the fight .
But still, many fighters including Ryan Garcia believed that Bivol was robbed of a deserving victory, with the judges’ scorecards now being placed under a microscope.
And so, due to the divisive nature of Artur Beterbiev’s win, many fans are clamoring for an immediate rematch, with boxing power broker Turki Alalshikh also giving his verdict.
Turki Alalshikh confirms intentions for an Artur Beterbiev vs Dmitry Bivol rematch
Despite two judges scoring the bout in favor of Beterbiev – with Glenn Feldman’s card reading 115-113 – it is Pawel Kardyni’s scorecard of 116-112 that has sparked a heated discussion within the boxing fraternity.
While Dmitry Bivol has been gracious in defeat, he too feels as though the decision was unjust, expressing his desire for a second encounter with his countryman.
And yet, it seems that the only man who has the power to grant Bivol’s wishes is Alalshikh, the Chairman of the General Entertainment Authority in Saudi Arabia.
“This was one of the great fights of the last 20 years I think, but I don’t think the result was fair, in my opinion,” Alalshikh told The Stomping Ground.
“The two fighters are like my brothers, but I think Bivol won two rounds more. I will focus and I will try to do the rematch. If they accept, we will do it.”
Artur Beterbiev and Top Rank’s Carl Moretti hit back at Dmitry Bivol’s team
Regardless of the outcome, it must be said that Beterbiev’s performance – after he suffered a ruptured meniscus prior to the originally-scheduled contest on June 1 – was truly remarkable.
Bivol, too, showed tremendous resolve to maintain his elite movement in the later rounds of their terrifically close dustup.
In their post-fight press conference, though, Top Rank vice president Carl Moretti remained convinced that there was just one deserved winner.
He said: “Look at Artur’s face and then look at Bivol’s face. Something was hitting him, it wasn’t a ghost.”
That said, with Alalshikh confirming that he felt Bivol should have come away with all the jewelry at 175 lbs, the pair may be forced to plan their next training camps sooner than expected.