ARTHUR Beterbiev-Dmitri Bivol did not disappoint. It was fought in ebbs and tides with both men having their moments. In the end, Beterbiev’s hand was raised in victory via a majority decision that did not sit well with a few fans and pundits.
I had Bivol ahead by two points, but I am totally fine with the verdict as it truly could have gone either way with several rounds being too close to call.
I actually lost a friendly wager in this fight, but how could I truly lose when I will be having dinner with one of Cebu’s most influential business moguls.
Plus, with fights ending in some iteration of controversy like this -- a rematch is always in the offing. In the end, us fight fans end up as the winners.
THE FIGHT. Bivol was the more active fighter in the early rounds, unloading jabs and hooks in the middle of the ring. Beterbiev would do most of the stalking and he would connect with several good right hands.
Action picked up in Round 4 with Bivol landing a nice combination and Beterbiev answering with a thudding right hand a few sequences later.
In Round 7, Bivol lands another combination that has the crowd excited but in Round 8, Beterbiev walks him down landing some good right hands.
In Round 9, Bivol again unloads several punches on an advancing Beterbiev which wins him the round. Beterbiev comes back strong in the 11th, landing several unanswered punches on a seemingly tiring Bivol, but the latter holds his own in the the 12th and the fight ends with both men on their feet.
AFTERMATH. It appears that Bivol (23-1, 12KOs) was ahead in the cards after the ninth but lost the championship rounds, leading the way to the Beterbiev victory. In an interview, Bivol himself admitted he could have done more and done better, and so with that I hope fight fans are at peace with the verdict.
Between the two, I think it is Bivol who has room for improvement. At age 39, Beterbiev (21-0, 20KOs) will be his usual self in a rematch. The question is whether or not Bivol can sustain the frenetic face and fight more consistently for 12 rounds the next time these two fighters face each other.
LAST ROUND. It’s on one of my best buddies and one of the best lawyers in Cebu, Atty. Alan F. Siu, who recently celebrated his birthday.