Riyadh, Saudi Arabia – Dmitry Bivol stunned the boxing world on Saturday night, defeating Artur Beterbiev by majority decision to claim the undisputed light heavyweight title in a thrilling rematch. The bout, held in Saudi Arabia, saw Bivol exact revenge for his previous loss to Beterbiev, with the judges scoring the contest 114-114, 116-112, and 115-113 in his favor. The victory catapulted Bivol’s record to 24-1, while Beterbiev, suffering his first professional defeat, dropped to 21-1.
Bivol, 34, showed incredible poise and skill in the ring, repeatedly connecting with clean shots that left Beterbiev’s face marked with welts by the end of the fight. Beterbiev, a 40-year-old powerhouse from Russia, was aggressive throughout, but Bivol’s defense, counterpunching, and jab made the difference in the 12-round war.
The first meeting between these two fighters in October had seen Beterbiev win by majority decision, but Bivol’s performance on Saturday night turned the tables, forcing a potential third fight into the conversation.
With the final bell, the judges awarded Bivol the victory, handing him the undisputed light heavyweight title. Despite the loss, Beterbiev showed his usual toughness, but it was Bivol’s tactical brilliance that earned him the win and the chance to potentially settle the score in a third fight.
Bivol is now the WBC, WBA, WBO, IBF, IBO, and Ring Magazine light heavyweight champion.
Shakur Stevenson defends WBC lightweight title with stoppage win over Josh Padley.
Taking the fight on just two days’ notice after Shakur Stevenson’s original opponent pulled out, British lightweight contender Joe Padley was thrown into the ring under challenging circumstances. However, even with a full training camp, it’s hard to imagine the outcome would have been any different.
Stevenson, the WBC lightweight world champion, put on a dominant performance, knocking Padley down three times in the ninth round. After the third knockdown, Padley’s corner had seen enough and threw in the towel, prompting the referee to stop the fight.
Early on, Stevenson was more tactical than aggressive, easing into the bout as he studied his opponent. By the middle rounds, he began to find his rhythm, picking up the pace and landing solid shots. In the ninth, Stevenson unleashed a flurry of brutal body shots that left Padley unable to continue.
Stevenson, now 27, improved to 23-0 with the win, while Padley, 29, suffered his first defeat, dropping his record to 15-1.
Artur Beterbiev vs. Dmitry Bivol 2 full card results
- Dmitry Bivol def. Artur Beterbiev (c) (MD 12) to win the WBC, WBA, WBO, IBF and Ring Magazine light heavyweight titles
- Joseph Parker (c) def. Martin Bakole (2/12 KO) for the WBO interim heavyweight title
- Shakur Stevenson (c) def. Josh Padley (TKO 9/12) to retain the WBC lightweight title
- Carlos Adames (c) draws w/ Hamzah Sheeraz (SD 12). Adames retains WBC middleweight title
- Vergil Ortiz (c) def. Israil Madrimov (UD 12) to retain the WBC interim super welterweight title
- Agit Kabayel def. Zhilei Zhang (TKO 6/12) to win the vacant WBC interim heavyweight title
- Callum Smith def. Joshua Buatsi (c) (UD 12) to win the WBO interim light heavyweight title
