Beterbiev Hearing: “Always There”

Artur Beterbiev was not happy to hear Dmitry Bivol’s promoter, Eddie Hearn, commenting that he did not agree with the decision of their last fight on October 12. Beterbiev (21-0, 20 KOs) looked upset, saying that Hearn always has something “to disagree with too.”

Hearn was healthy after three-time light heavyweight champion Beterbiev defeated his star, WBA champion Bivol (23-1, 12 KOs), scuppering his plans for a headline rematch with Canelo Alvarez. How many chances will Bivol get if he loses again and is given another fight against Beterbiev?

He didn’t want to fight when the situation was difficult last night and he ran when things got hot. While some fans thought Bivol should have won the first fight with Beterbiev, they clearly made up their minds after the first five rounds because his white submission flag was going up from the sixth round on. He did not fight him and turned his tail and ran from the sixth onwards. Hearn helped muddy the waters by complaining incessantly about the decision, but Bivol clearly lost.

I know that there was a lot of money that was not good if Bivol had won because it would have been a fight with Canelo. If Bivol had won, do you honestly believe that Beterbiev would have been given an instant rematch?

There is no way on Earth. It could have been Canelo vs. Bivol 2. As for Beterbiev, he would have to return to the top by fighting the winner of the fight between David Benavidez and David Morrell, because he is not connected well. Bivol.

Will Beterbiev spoil things?

Hearn hoped that Bivol could capture Beterbiev’s three titles and use the undisputed 175lb championship as bait to get Canelo to step up to face him. Beterbiev shattered everything with a relentless attack on the timid Bivol boxer, chasing him around the ring for the last six rounds to win a 12-round majority decision by scores of 115-113, 116-112, and 114-114.

I agreed with the 8-4 score for Beterbiev, but it was funny, if not predictable, that Hearn threw the match after that, complaining that Bivol deserved to win. He hadn’t. The only way you can give Bivol a win is if the judges stop scoring the fight after six rounds. If this had been six rounds, Bivol would have won easily.

Hearn’s fighter, Bivol, gets another chance against Beterbiev in their rematch on February 22 in Riyadh. If Bivol can’t win this fight, it’s a waste of time to have a trilogy. If Bivol wins, he will have the titles to attract Canelo. If that fight doesn’t happen, there’s always the trilogy with Beterbiev that Bivol can fall back on.

If he loses on points, Hearn will probably scream blood and complain that Bivol deserves another win.

It will be interesting to see if Turki Al-Sheikh sympathizes with Hearn’s complaints and gives Bivol another undeserved fight instead of giving the winner of David Beterbiev vs. David Morrell opportunity.

“Yes, you did a good job. We can say that it is the hardest fight of all,” said Artur Beterbiev to BoxNation when asked if Dmitry Bivol is the hardest fight of his life so far. “Eddie Hearn always disagrees with something,” said Beterbiev, reacting to being told that Bivol’s promoter, Eddie Hearn, disagrees with the decision of their last fight on October 12. “It’s always just something.

“I feel honored to be the main event on this card. They fought a lot. It was a great experience. It’s surprising that they did a good job in boxing,” said Beterbiev about the Saudis.

“It was a good fight; it was good for boxing fans,” said Bivol to BoxNation about his previous fight with Beterbiev. “It’s not the best fight I’ve ever had, and it was a good lesson for me. I learned a lot from this fight, and I have to improve myself. I like to fight in Riyadh because they do good events, big events. Every fighter wants this, and I look forward to coming back.

“Yes, each camp is different, we have also made changes, which I will talk about after the war. I am happy that I got this opportunity,” said Bivol.

Revenge in mind… 💭

🎥 @bivol_d | #BeterbievBivol2 | #RiyadhSeason | Feb 22, live on DAZN | @Turki_alalshikh pic.twitter.com/hPwhSjeEJd

– DAZN Boxing (@DAZNBoxing) January 17, 2025