It was an intense, vibrant battle, with constant dramatic actions, the one that the undefeated Russian fighters Artur Beterbiev and Dmitry Bivol gave last Saturday in the crowded arena Kingdom of Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, for the first time in history, the belts of the 4 most important boxing entities that have the control of boxing, the World Boxing Association (WBA), the World Boxing Council (WBC), the International Boxing Federation (IBF) and the World Boxing Organization (WBO), were at stake which concluded with a narrow majority and controversial decision of 115-113, 116-112 and 114-114 in favor of Beterbiev, who had won his previous 20 bouts by knockout.
As expected, the bout fully satisfied the expectations created since the announcement of the bout to the public, since it put in the ring the two most renowned fighters of today in the 175-pound division, for the enjoyment of the more than 25 thousand spectators that slightly exceeded the capacity of the luxurious facility, in these days the scene of the most important events of the millennial sport. As we pointed out at the beginning, the match provided plenty of emotions, as the protagonists engaged in an constants exchange of blows.
In the early stages of the challenge, Bivol, 33 years old, 6 years younger than his opponent who will be 40 years old in December, gave the impression that he would make use of his youth and more refined technique against a slightly less skilled opponent who usually ends violently all his matches.
Thus, in the first four or five rounds, Bivol, who entered the ring with a perfect record of 22 fights won, 12 of them by the fast way, with quick and accurate punches imposed his skill against a Beterbiev who at times did not seem to find the way to nullify the enemy offensive. It was only in the three subsequent rounds when the master of the WBC, IBO and IBF belts managed to contain, with powerful punches to the sides and to the head who was defending his WBA crown, which was in his possession since 2017 and which he had successfully exposed on 15 occasions. In those three final rounds changed the whole picture of the fight, as they allowed Beterbiev to shorten advantages and add points on the scorecards of judges Glenn Feldman (USA), Pawel Kardyni (Poland) and Manuel Oliver (Spain). The three, before an expectant crowd, handed their cards to the technical table and the ring announcer chanted them to the fans, thus: Feldman, 115-113, Kardyni 116-112 and Oliver 114, some of the verdicts were celebrated, others booed, as is usual in fights of “small decisions”, as the fans call them, as was the one that took place in the above-mentioned clash.
As it always happens, there was an immediate disparity of opinions. For many, a draw would have been fair. Others saw a slight advantage on the side of one or the other and the most opted for the realization as soon as possible of a rematch fight. We saw a narrow margin for Bivol in rounds 1-2-3-4-8-9, a draw in the 7th and a loss in the remaining 5, for a final score of 115-114 on his side. Naturally, this opinion has nothing to do with the score of the official judges, whose assessment deserves all the respect we can muster.
ROY JONES AND A BIT OF HISTORY
As noted above, this was the first time in the history of the category, in the so-called 4-belt era, in which there is a unified champion.
Exactly 25 years ago and before the birth of the WBO, the iconic former middleweight, light heavyweight and heavyweight champion, the American Roy Jones Jr. won the WBA, WBC and IBF belts. Such a feat was accomplished by Jones, who was the WBA and WBC champion, on June 5, 1999 at the Grand Casino in Biloxi, Mississippi, against Reggie Johnson, IBF titleholder, whom he beat by points in the three ballots with equal scores of 120-106.
With no intention of being smug, let us point out that I was part of the panel of judges appointed by late president of the WBA in those days, Gilberto Mendoza the other two were the Americans Chuck Hasseth and Paul Sita–of that historic bout in which Jones overwhelmed his compatriot without losing a round and with two knockdowns, in the first and third bouts in a place full of fans, among them the legendary basketball star Michael Jordan, to whom Jones offered his performance, from the ring and shouting.
