Bivol’s Revenge: He Struggles, Rallies, and Defeats Beterbiev!

The WBC, WBA, IBF, and WBO light heavyweight world titles have a new owner, and his name is Dmitrii Bivol. The talented Russian fighter defeated his compatriot Artur Beterbiev in a hard-fought match, avenging the intriguing battle from last October, where he had left the ring empty-handed. Once again, the official verdict was a Majority Decision with the following scorecards: 114-114, 113-115, and 112-116. However, this time, the two judges who deviated from the draw favored Bivol, allowing him to reclaim the throne.

For two and a half rounds, it seemed like a repeat of the first fight. Just like in October, Beterbiev started the contest by staying in the center of the ring, studying his opponent’s moves, while Bivol anticipated his intentions with a flurry of jabs and moved with incredible agility on his feet.

Nothing surprising so far: in the early moments of a fight, with a full gas tank and peak athletic freshness, Bivol could probably outbox Godzilla. It was easy to predict that the Kyrgyzstan-born boxer would claim the early rounds on the scorecards.

However, the fierce Russian bear woke up earlier than it did four months ago. Beterbiev unleashed his power in the thrilling third round, forcefully entering the fight and making his opponent taste the first doses of his notorious brute strength.

Energized by his success, the reigning champion went all-in, going on a rampage in the next two rounds, chasing his rival around the ring and bombarding him with relentless two-handed combinations. Sure, many of the Dagestani’s punches landed on Bivol’s arms and gloves, but those that pierced through his guard or landed to the body were enough to put him in serious distress.

At this stage, the challenger’s approach was somewhat surprising. Bivol did not try to fight fire with fire, countering his opponent’s wild assaults with his best weapons. Instead, he chose to set aside his traditional in-and-out style and sharp counters, lowering his work rate and focusing almost entirely on damage control.

Only in the sixth round did Bivol show his first timid signs of awakening, although, in the final seconds of what had been a well-managed round until then, he had to absorb a devastating missile to the face—something he withstood only thanks to his remarkable chin.

Many spectators at the halfway point likely thought Beterbiev had everything in his favor to take over the second half of the fight and break down his opponent’s remaining resistance. However, at least two factors suggested the fight was still wide open.

The first was that the champion, at 40 years old, was highly unlikely to sustain a frantic pace for too many consecutive rounds. The second was that Bivol had yet to play his best cards, suggesting that he was merely waiting for the right moment to start weaving his web.

With his containment strategy—almost a Russian-style “rope-a-dope”—the challenger had forced Beterbiev to expend huge amounts of energy without ever giving him the decisive opening. From the seventh round onward, he began to reap the rewards of his approach, coming out of his shell and gradually increasing his output.

A seemingly exhausted Beterbiev saw control of the fight slip through his fingers, and round after round, he struggled against his opponent’s brilliant mid-range work. Bivol no longer allowed himself to be pushed against the ropes, outpacing Beterbiev in both speed and cleverness. This is how Bivol completed his comeback, reaching the championship rounds ahead on the scorecards and with momentum on his side.

At that point, Beterbiev’s fans, recalling what had happened in October—when their fighter closed the match in spectacular fashion, going all out in the final three rounds—hoped for a decisive final push. But this time, Bivol’s energy management had been far more calculated, to the point that the eleventh round was arguably his best of the entire fight.

Only in the latter half of the final round did Beterbiev manage to mount a desperate attempt to overturn the result. But it was too little, too late—the fight had already slipped away, as Bivol had done enough to secure the victory.

Personally, I scored the fight with a four-point advantage for the challenger, just like judge Mike Fitzgerald. I also find Deon Dwarte’s 115-113 reasonable. Even Jean-Robert Laine’s 114-114 draw doesn’t outrage me, as some rounds were hard to score, though in my view, Dmitrii Bivol did enough to claim the belts.

After twenty-four rounds, we can safely say that the overall level of these two extraordinary fighters, at this stage of their careers, is extremely close. If they could fight each other ten times without aging, we would likely see ten decisions followed by heated debates over who won an extra round or two.

Nonetheless, I believe a third fight to complete the trilogy and definitively settle this incredible rivalry is now absolutely necessary.

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