Artur Beterbiev fights against Dmitry Bivol – boxing results

Unified IBF/WBC/WBO light heavyweight champion Artur Beterbiev (21-0, 20 KOs) put in a strong performance in the second half of the contest, defeating WBA belt holder Dmitry Bivol (23-1, 12 KOs) by 12 rounds The majority decision to become the undisputed champion took place on Saturday evening at the Kingdom Arena in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia.

Bivol landed some good combinations in the first half, but was often on the bike during the championship rounds, allowing Beterbiev to dominate. Bivol focused on thrusting and throwing thrusts instead of asserting himself the way he needed to.

Beterbiev's pressure and power were factors in his decision. He carried the fight through for most of the 12-round contest, particularly in the crucial second half.

The results: 114-114, 115-113 and 116-112.

The 33-year-old Bivol excelled in the first half of the fight, stabbing, executing combinations and staying out of reach of Beterbiev's hard punches. At the beginning, the previously unbeaten Bivol looked just as good as he did in the fight against Canelo Alvarez.

In the middle of the competition, in the sixth round, everything fell apart for Bivol. He knocked out Beterbiev in the sixth round with a series of punches that sent the floor into a frenzy, believing they might be on the verge of a knockout.

This sequence awakened Beterbiev, ignited his fighting spirit and from that point on he attacked Bivol non-stop. Beterbiev went into search and destroy mode in rounds 6-12, allowing Bivol to flee. The only round that Bivol seemed to win in the second half of the fight was the tenth, which was a close call.

Beterbiev was constantly on the attack in rounds 10, 11 and 12, landing big, flashy punches. In the 12th game, Bivol decided to move and hold, leaving this round to Beterbiev.

In hindsight, Bivol made a big mistake because he should have stayed away and fought hard in the last round. However, given Bivol's punishment in the 11th round, he lacked the confidence to work with Beterbiev the way he needed to in the final round.