Artur Beterbiev defeated Dmitry Bivol by majority vote to become the undisputed light heavyweight champion of the world, and one of the most anticipated fights in boxing lived up to expectations in Saudi Arabia.
In a contest that could have ended either way, 33-year-old Bivol won the earlier rounds with his excellent moves and combinations.
Another undefeated Russian, Beterbiev (39), refused to be deterred and stormed back into the fight with relentless pressure and hard punches.
With scores of 114-114, 115-113 and 116-112, Beterbiev becomes the first undisputed champion of the division since 2002 and the first in the history of four belts.
“I don't feel bad. I didn't do well today. I wanted to box with more quality,” said the humble Beterbiev – currently the WBC, WBA (Super), IBF and WBO champion.
Bivol was defeated for the first time in 24 fights.
“I am a warrior. “I don't know, I did my job but I felt I could have done better, but that's just the opinion of some judges,” he said.
Main support Fabio Wardley defended his British heavyweight title with a spectacular first round victory over Frazer Clarke in a rematch March contender for fight of the year.
Wardley, 29, landed a heavy, curved right hand, hurting the challenger, and floored him with another brutal right.
A dazed Clarke miraculously got back to his feet, but was unable to continue as the referee stopped the fight.
The fight for purists is causing a stir
Two undefeated champions with different but equally effective fighting styles put on a top-flight matchup in a fight that had boxing purists salivating.
The alert Bivol shined early on as he moved around the ring, working behind the jab and unleashing clever combinations.
Despite his formidable strength, two-time Olympian Beterbiev's boxing skills often go unnoticed. He continued to take Bivol down and in the fifth over he fired a brutal body shot.
When it seemed that Bivol was tired, he responded with a series of shots to control the pressure for a moment, but Beterbiev was not about to give up.
Both champions suffered injuries during the Magnificent Seven. Bivol's combination stunned Beterbiev, who sprung into action seconds later and finished the round with some ferocious power shots.
Beterbiev's corner told him he needed a knockdown as the fight entered the championship round.
He failed to find the final punch to maintain his perfect knockout record, but finished the fight on top, winning rounds 10, 11 and 12 on all three judges' scorecards.
Beterbiev's historic victory in the Middle East will undoubtedly strengthen his position among the all-time light heavyweight champions, but after such a fierce and exciting fight, the boxing community will demand a rematch.
However, Bivol's promoter Eddie Hearn said he was “disgusted” by the decision.
“I don't want to be disrespectful to Beterbiev, but this referee should never work again,” Hearn said.
“They are both great players. None of us in the row managed to win Beterbiev. We entered the ring and I look around for Beterbiev and everyone is depressed.”
Wardley cleans out Clarke in one round
Wardley and Clarke couldn't separate themselves in their first action-packed fight on Easter Sunday, but the rematch was clinical.
Olympian Clarke leaned on his amateur pitch in the first minute with a clever double jab, but Wardley – who had just a handful of unlicensed white collar fights before turning professional – unleashed all his strength to score his 17th stoppage in 18 wins.
“I have the power of dynamite in both hands. When I hurt someone, I know I can get rid of them,” said the undefeated Wardley, who won his 18th professional fight.
Clarke received medical attention in the ring and then went to congratulate the champion. The 2020 Olympic bronze medalist left the competition before the results were announced.
“I can't help it, war in name and war in nature,” Wardley said. “When I hurt my enemies, there will be no salvation for them unless the bell rings.”
He is currently moving beyond the national level and plans to take a path to the global level.
With Wardley and IBF champion Daniel Dubois and prospects like Moses Itauma, the future of British heavyweight boxing is bright.
