Dmitrii Bivol Files Appeal With WBC, WBA, IBF, WBO To Force Instant Rematch With Artur Beterbiev
RIYADH, SAUDI ARABIA. OCT 12: Artur Beterbiev v Dmitry Bivol fight night for Undisputed Light-Heavyweight Championships, IV Crown Showdown, Riyadh Season. 12th October 2024. Kingdom Arena, Riyadh, Kingdom of Saudi Arabia. Queensberry Promotions. Credit: Leigh Dawney/Queensberry Promotions
Dmitrii Bivol wants to take it back with Artur Beterbiev and he wants a lot of support to make it happen.
Ring has confirmed that Bivol’s team has applied for an immediate return to all four sanctions regimes. The basis of the appeal is the majority’s belief that the long-time reigning WBA light heavyweight title should have been vacated on Oct. 12 RING/undisputed championship in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia.
Beterbiev (21-0, 20 knockouts) won their fight by majority decision. The takeaway among many observers was that Bivol (23-1, 12 KOs) had done enough to fully bridge the gap. However, he failed to win on any of the three official cards—114-114 even, 115-113 and 116-112 for Beterbiev.
With the victory, Beterbiev was crowned RING and WBA. He retained his WBC, IBF and WBO titles. All in all, he earned the honor of being the first undisputed light heavyweight champion since Roy Jones was dethroned in 2002.
Among those who saw Bivol succeed was the organizer of the event, Turki Alalshikh, chairman of the General Entertainment Authority of Saudi Arabia.
“This was one of the biggest battles of the 20 years I think,” Aalshikh said Stomping Grounds’ Charlie Parsons. “But I don’t think the result was right, in my opinion. These two fighters are like brothers, but I think Bivol won the other two rounds.
“I will focus and I will try to repeat. If they agree, we will do it.”
The Bivol side took the extra step of getting more reinforcements. His legal team has contacted the heads of the four sanctions agencies, according to a letter obtained by A ring.
“Because this fight was so controversial, we continued with the rematch request and the opposition to the decision in all the sanctioning bodies,” Vadim Kornilov, Bivol’s long-time manager, told The Ring in a quote. “And we’re still working to get the 116-112 scorecard revised.”
The last part is about judge Pawel Kardyni, whose 116-112 card was based on public opinion. Kornilov has asked for a full review of his scorecard, although such matters are usually dealt with at the speed desired by (deliberately) punitive bodies.
Bivol’s legal team was also involved—and showed similarities—in a highly controversial decision more than 25 years ago.
The universal takeover was that Lennox Lewis did more than enough to defeat Evander Holyfield in their undisputed heavyweight rematch in March 1999. The British tower was forced to accept an unpopular split decision at Madison Square Garden in New York City.
It issued a unanimous decision to all parties involved—including the sanctioning bodies—that there should be no repeat next time. That was the course of action, where Lewis defeated Holyfield eight months later in Las Vegas.
“The outcome of that fight was among the biggest fights in history, and the draw of the conflict,” argued attorney Patrick English, who represents all of Kornilov’s clients and is a longtime attorney for Main Events. “Boxing fans want a rematch. The players wanted a replay. I have filed an appropriate complaint with the rating agencies for a retrial.
“Today I make this request on behalf of Dmitrii Bivol. The conditions are similar to Holyfield/Lewis. Dmitrii Bivol, former WBA Champion fought Artur Beterbiev last Saturday night. Bivol held the WBA and IBO Light Heavyweight titles while Beterbiev held the IBF, WBC, and WBO titles. The result was a controversial majority decision that won Beterbiev the tournament
cards. To say that this decision was heavily contested, is an understatement.”
The complaint included numerous press clippings from publications previously owned by Bivol. It also cited public statements made by promoters Eddie Hearn (Bivol’s promoter) and Frank Warren, who believed Bivol had won. Hearn took it a step further and announced that everything Bivol had worked for as a titleholder for seven years was taken away from him by judgment of ineligibility.
A survey conducted by The Ring was not so thorough.
Bivol was considered the winner by nine out of 21 industry insiders and experts. Five felt that Beterbiev had won, while another seven either had a draw or were “undecided.”
The combined results of a points poll conducted by Boxing News+—led by Rob Tebbutt, the fight’s leading late-night pizza expert—had Beterbiev 115-113.
However, Bivol and his team are ahead of the majority opinion and those in power to force a rematch.
“Mr. Bivol has asked for a retrial,” emphasized Bivol’s legal team. “The promoters of the fight, Eddie Hearn, Frank Warren, and Turki Alalshikh said they think the rematch is valid.
“Mr. Beterbiev said that if the promoters want a replay, he agrees to do so.”
Bivol has held the full version of the WBA light heavyweight title since Nov. 2017. He made eleven successful defenses of the belt and was honored as the 2022 Fighter of the Year.
His reign was one week longer than Beterbiev’s IBF title during their light heavyweight meeting. After Saturday’s result, Beterbiev is second only to Knockout CP Freshmart as the longest-serving male manager in the sport. Freshmart (25-0, 9 KOs) has held the WBA strawweight title since June 2016.
