Dmitry Bivol Takes Bold Step After Artur Beterbiev Scorecard Controversy

Artur Beterbiev (21-0, 20 KOs) made history on October 12 by defeating Dmitry Bivol (23-1, 12 KOs) for the undisputed light heavyweight crown in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia. It was a captivating main event, supported by an impressive undercard, and immediately after the scorecards were read (114-114, 115-113 and 116-112), Eddie Hearn and Turki Alalshikh among others made it clear they felt Bivol had done enough. It’s now been reported that Bivol has formally requested that the four sanctioning bodies order an immediate rematch following his majority decision loss to Beterbiev.

Dmitry Bivol Pushes for Rematch After Artur Beterbiev Scorecard Controversy

Attorney Cites 1999 Lewis vs. Holyfield Controversy

Beterbiev outpointed Bivol to claim the WBA light heavyweight title while retaining his lineal title and the WBC, WBO and IBF belts in what was a captivating fight, supported by a stellar undercard. The victory for the Montreal resident has made him the first undisputed champion in the 175-pound division since Roy Jones Jr. Victory for King Artur also ensured he is the first undisputed champion of the four-belt era in the 175-pound division.

Dan Rafael via his Fight Freaks Unite Substack and other outlets reported that on Wednesday Patrick English, Bivol’s attorney has sent a letter to all the presidents of the organisations seeking an immediate rematch. English cited in the letter one of the most controversial decisions in boxing history when Lennox Lewis and Evander Holyfield fought to a controversial draw with many feeling Lewis deserved the decision. Interestingly, English is the longtime attorney for Main Events who promoted Lewis.

The letter began: “In 1999 I had the honor of representing heavyweight champion Lennox Lewis.”

It continued: “On March 13 of that year he fought heavyweight champion Evander Holyfield at Madison Square Garden to unify the IBF, WBA, and WBC championships. The result of that bout was among the most controversial in history, with a highly disputed draw. Boxing fans demanded a rematch. The fighters wanted a rematch. I filed an appropriate petition with the ratings organizations for a rematch. The presidents of the ratings organizations quickly got together and ordered a rematch. Today I make this petition on behalf of Dmitry Bivol.”

English added on behalf of Bivol: “The circumstances are similar to Holyfield/Lewis. … The result was a hotly disputed majority decision which Beterbiev won on the cards. To say that the decision was hotly contested is an understatement.”

Looking to further support their claim English also included a list of boxing people – and media personnel who scored the bout in favour of Bivol.

Reaction to the Scorecards

Vadim Kornilov the manager of Bivol spoke to Fight Freaks Unite and said: “Due to the fact that this fight was quite controversial we proceeded with a rematch request and protest of the decision with all of the sanctioning bodies.”  He continued: “And we are still working on the possibility of a review of the 116-112 scorecard.”

Turki Alalshikh also had his say after the fight: “I don’t think the result is fair, in my opinion,” Alalshikh said. “The two fighters (are) like my brothers, OK? But I think Bivol (won) two rounds more. I don’t know why the result (is) like this, but in my opinion, I will focus and I will try to do the rematch. They deserve it, they deserve it. If they accept, we will do it.”

Eddie Hearn was far from happy with the verdict and said after the fight: “They knew they’d lost the fight,” Hearn said on fight night of the body language from Beterbiev and his team. “116-112 Beterbiev? You gave Bivol four rounds? This is a joke. Of course (we want a rematch). He was robbed of the undisputed championship tonight. I cannot believe you could give Bivol four rounds. It’s absolutely disgusting.”

Top Rank chairman Bob Arum also had his say: “I thought Beterbiev won the fight 7-5 (in rounds), particularly because he came on in the late rounds to sweep the late rounds, which he had to do to win the fight,” Arum told Fight Freaks Unite.

Arum also addressed a possible rematch, and said: “Turki, who loves boxing, wants to see a rematch and I think the public would love to see a rematch,” Arum said. “But again, because the Riyadh Season ends in February, the earliest date for a rematch would be next October (when the next festival begins).”

He added: “So it may mean that each of these guys fight one more time against other opponents, and then for October of next year they do the rematch. I think that is the likely, from a business standpoint, the likeliest thing that will happen and I think that’s a reasonable thing — if guys take interim fights, if they’re amenable to it.”

Concluding the request to the organisations, English summarised: “Our request is a simple one. As was done in 1999 with Holyfield/Lewis we request that the presidents of the organizations jointly require a rematch next for the undisputed light heavyweight championship.”