In a rematch that surpassed their first encounter in intensity, drama, and action, Dmitry Bivol avenged his previous loss, ending Artur Beterbiev’s 12-year undefeated streak. With a masterful display of skill, precision, and strategy, Bivol became the undisputed light heavyweight champion, dethroning his fellow Russian in front of a sold-out crowd of 26,000 fans at the Kingdom Arena in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia.
(Quick side note: The title of this piece plays on the old saying, “Skill is better than strength,” emphasizing that in boxing, intelligence and technique often trump brute force.)
A Chess Match in the Ring
Bivol, 34, entered as the challenger against his 40-year-old opponent, who held the WBA, WBC, WBO, and IBF belts—titles he had defended 12 times. The judges’ scorecards mirrored those of their first fight but flipped in favor of Bivol: 114-114, 116-112, and 115-113 (our unofficial card also had it 116-112 for Bivol, whom we had picked as the slight favorite). The judges, Jean Robert Laine (Monaco), Mike Fitzgerald (USA), and Deon Dwarte (South Africa), all saw Bivol outworking Beterbiev in key rounds.
Laine scored rounds 1, 2, 7, 8, 9, and 11 for Bivol. Fitzgerald gave him rounds 1, 2, 3, 7, 8, 9, 10, and 11. Dwarte had Bivol winning 1, 2, 6, 7, 9, and 11. On our card, we only gave Beterbiev rounds 3, 4, 5, and 11.
Skill vs. Power
Bivol has long been recognized as one of the best defensive fighters in the sport today, second only—perhaps—to WBC lightweight champion Shakur Stevenson. That reputation was on full display Saturday night.
From the opening bell, Bivol’s movement frustrated Beterbiev, a relentless pressure fighter known for walking opponents down and overwhelming them with nonstop punching. Bivol, however, kept the bigger puncher at bay with sharp lateral movement, controlled angles, and his lightning-fast jab—his most potent weapon. He fired off quick combinations, stepped out of range, then darted back in before Beterbiev could adjust.
Bivol dominated the opening two rounds, but Beterbiev responded in the third, fourth, and fifth, landing his best power shots of the night. However, the challenger regained control in the later rounds, despite sustaining a minor cut over his right eye. Beterbiev never stopped pressing, but his efforts to turn the tide proved futile.
By the final bell, the outcome was clear to most observers, including both corners. The stage is now set for a trilogy fight later this year—one that Beterbiev, given his age, will be eager to secure.
Undercard Results
Promoted by Top Rank and backed by Turki Alalshikh, the head of Riyadh Season and Saudi Arabia’s Entertainment Authority, the event was billed as “the greatest boxing card in history.” It featured seven additional fights, most with world titles at stake:
• Joseph Parker (36-3, 24 KOs) stopped Martin Bakole (21-2, 16 KOs) in the 2nd round to claim the interim WBO heavyweight title. Bakole was a late replacement for Daniel Dubois.
• Shakur Stevenson (22-0, 10 KOs) retained his WBC lightweight belt with a 9th-round stoppage of Josh Pedley (15-0, 4 KOs) in his second title defense.
• Carlos Adames (24-1, 18 KOs) fought to a draw with Hamza Shiraz (21-0, 17 KOs) but retained his WBC middleweight title.
• Vergil Ortiz (22-0, 21 KOs) scored a unanimous decision win over Israël Madrimov (10-1-1, 7 KOs) to capture the interim WBC super welterweight title.
• Agit Kabayel (25-0, 17 KOs) defeated Zhang Zhilei (27-2-1, 22 KOs) via 6th-round TKO for the interim WBC heavyweight championship.
• Callum Smith (30-2, 22 KOs) outpointed Joshua Buatsi (19-0, 13 KOs) to claim the interim WBO light heavyweight title.
• Mohammed Alaqeel (3-0, 0 KOs) won a decision over Engel Gómez (8-43-3, 4 KOs).
• Ziyad Almaayouf (7-0-1, 1 KO) defeated Jonatas Rodrigo Gómez (6-21, 5 KOs) by decision.
With history made in the main event and plenty of high-stakes action throughout the card, Riyadh once again proved to be boxing’s new global epicenter. And with a third Bivol-Beterbiev clash looming, the best may be yet to come.
