Dmitry Bivol’s team has reportedly filed a protest with the four sanctioning bodies (IBF, WBA, WBC and WBO) to order an immediate rematch against undisputed light heavyweight champion Artur Beterbiev.
This pointless move on the part of Bivol’s team because His Excellency Turki Alalshikh has already said he wants to make the Beterbiev-Bivol rematch. Beterbiev says he is open to a second fight. It is up to Turki whether he wants to take up the fight.
If he wants Beterbiev to fight someone else next, like Canelo Alvarez or David Benavidez, that’s what will happen. Team Bivol filing a protest will not affect what happens next.
Turki will decide. American fans won’t complain if Beterbiev faces Canelo or Benavidez next. These will be far more entertaining fights for the boxing public than watching Bivol run laps around the ring for 12 boring rounds with Beterbiev chasing him all night.
According to Jake Donovan, Bivol’s team’s appeal is based on their belief that “most viewers” thought Bivol won the fight against Beterbiev last Saturday night in Riyadh. Team Bivol also requested to review judge Pawel Kardyni’s 116-112 scorecard.
It seems like a waste of time. Even though the score was reduced to 115-113, Bivol still lost the fight. There is no gain on Team Bivol’s side by having it suffer a slightly smaller loss.
It is unclear where Team Bivol gets the information to prove that the “majority of viewers” let Bivol win. It seems like guesswork more than anything. How in the world do you prove that the majority of viewers let Bivol win?
The judges scored the fight for IBF, WBC and WBO light heavyweight champion Beterbiev (21-0, 20 KOs) by a 12-round majority decision with scores of 114-114, 115-113 and 116-112. Bivol was ineffective after the sixth round and mostly moved around the ring after getting hurt in the seventh.
Beterbiev stalked Bivol around the ring in the second half of the contest, tagging him with heavy shots when he could catch up. Bivol nearly ran for the last six rounds, and he looked tired and mentally drained during that portion of the fight.
Bivol looked like him mentally checked of the fight after the seventh round, and the remaining five rounds saw him in 100% survival mode. He was just trying not to get knocked out, and that wasn’t entertaining for the average fan.
He fought well during the first five rounds when Beterbiev was tentative to attack him, but after the fifth it was all downhill for Bivol. Speaking after the fight, promoter Eddie Hearn said that Bivol had won either four of the first five or all five in his opinion. He made Bivol win 8-4, which did not fit in the battle that took place.
“Told that Dmitri Bivol’s team has lodged a protest with all four sanctioning bodies seeking an immediate rematch with Artur Beterbiev. The basis for appeal is the belief that the majority of viewers made Bivol win. Complaint draws parallels to Lewis-Holyfield I,” said boxing insider Jake Donovan X.
It makes Bivol’s team look like sore losers as they have to do it for a rematch to happen with Beterbiev. A second fight will take place, but it’s up to Turki whether he wants it next or after Beterbiev fights someone more popular. There are several fighters that fans worldwide would prefer to see Beterbeiv fight next over a boring rematch with Bivol.
Options for Beterbiev
- Canelo Alvarez
- David Benavidez
- David Morrell
- Joshua Butter
“There are people who think Beterbiev won the fight, but most feel Bivol won it,” said Eddie Hearn. Matchroom Boxing about his belief that most fans think Bivol won the fight against Beterbiev last Saturday. “He might want to put it right in everyone’s mind, but we’ll see what kicks up in the next few weeks and talk to His Excellency and see how that fight can fit into the Riyadh season schedule and go from there.
What needs to happen is that Bivol needs to earn the rematch against Beterbiev instead of it being handed to him on a silver platter by defeating Morrell, Benavidez or Buatsi. If Bivol can beat one or two of those fighters, he deserves a rematch. I don’t think Bivol has the chin, offensive firepower or mental toughness to defeat any of them. Buatsi would knock out Bivol.
