Promoter Eddie Hearn was furious after watching Dmitry Bivol lose what he felt was a questionable 12-round majority decision to Artur Beterbiev on Saturday night in Riyadh.
What made Hearn’s kettle boil was the judge’s 8-4 beating of Beterbiev (21-0, 20 KOs), which saw him not showing what was happening inside the ring.
Hearn’s 8-4 Score for Bivol
Hearn says he defeated Bivol (23-1, 12 KOs) 8-4, which the fans saw as worse than the one they gave Beterbiev. The way Bivol folded in the last half of the tournament makes it impossible to see him deserving of the 8-4 score given by Hearn.
With all the moves Bivol was using, he still crumbled under Beterbiev’s pressure in rounds 8 through 12. That was accompanied by Bivol moving non-stop. What would have happened if Bivol had chosen to stand against Beterbiev? What Hearn can say because he will have to face a big truth.
Bivol lost his WBA title to IBF, WBC, and WBO light heavyweight champion Beterbiev on Saturday night, who is now a four-time undefeated champion after beating him at the Kingdom Arena.
Points
– 114-114
– 115-113
– 116-112
“Eddie Hearn always talks about me and it’s not good,” said Artur Beterbiev on iFL TV, reacting to being told that Eddie Hearn was unhappy with the scorecards after his win over Dmitry Bivol. “Yes, I think so,” said Beterbiev when asked if he would like a rematch with Bivol after being told that Honorable Turki Alalshikh wanted a rematch.
“Maybe because I hit the third boy. Maybe that’s why he’s always crying about me,” said Beterbiev, hitting one of Hearn’s players.
Hearn is concerned that Beterbiev beat one of his boxers, but this one is tough to swallow because the loss ruined Bivol’s chances of fighting Canelo Alvarez next. That fight was going to make a lot of money.
“He is more humble than me because if you work all your life, and you do a game like that, to have it taken away from you is not fair,” said Eddie Hearn speaking to iFL TV about his fight with Bivol.
“I had it 8-4, 7-5 [for Bivol]but for someone to score the fight 116-114, he gives Dmitry Bivol four rounds in that fight. That judge should never serve again,” Hearn continued. “It is a shame that in a big fight and on a big stage what is happening.
“He [Bivol] I won’t say it, but I will say it. “He should be the undisputed champion tonight,” Hearn said.
The judges felt that Beterbiev was the better fighter, and made the right choice. Bivol was tired and couldn’t fight hard enough in the later part of the battle when he needed to be aggressive.
“He hits hard, but not in the way people describe him as hitting hard,” Bivol said when asked about Beterbiev’s power. “Yes, it is difficult. Look at my eye. He landed a lot of punches on my left hand, and you can see my bruises. Yes, he is tough, but we can face these tough fights.”
“Your Honor said, ‘Wrong decision. We’re doing a rematch,” Hearn said. “He speaks with his fingers, he keeps his word. I am surprised because of him. He is an incredible athlete. The way he took this defeat is a lot better than I would have taken it, but that’s the kind of man he is. Respect to both fighters. This man should be the undisputed champion tonight.”
Bivol Then Moved
The judges had the final say, and felt that Bivol had not done enough to win the competition. If Bivol had not been so exhausted and embarrassed in the last five rounds, he would have won. He spent from the 8th to the 12th round running around, trying to keep himself from going into the submission. If Bivol had shown bravery, he would have been kicked out because he has withered even from running.
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