Hearn: What other fight is there for Beterbiev than rematch with Bivol?

by Keith Idec

Eddie Hearn doesnโ€™t think any objective observer could convince him that Artur Beterbiev won six rounds against Dmitry Bivol on Saturday night, let alone eight.

As certain as Bivolโ€™s promoter is that Bivol deserved to win their light heavyweight championship unification clash, Hearn conveyed confidence during their post-fight press conference that his fighter will get an immediate rematch. Turki Alalshikh, chairman of Saudi Arabiaโ€™s General Entertainment Authority, told Bivol, Hearn and others at ringside that he wants to schedule a second bout between Beterbiev and Bivol as soon as possible.

The GEA financed the entire card headlined by Beterbiev-Bivol at Kingdom Arena in Riyadh, the capital of Saudi Arabia. Beterbiev (21-0, 20 KOs), who won a majority decision, and Bivol (23-1, 12 KOs) each earned approximately $10 million for a long-awaited bout that crowned boxingโ€™s first fully unified 175-pound champion of the four-belt era.

Hearn, chairman of Matchroom Boxing, doesnโ€™t think anything other than a rematch versus Bivol makes sense for the injury-prone Beterbiev, who will turn 40 in January.

โ€œYeah, I mean, โ€˜His Excellencyโ€™ [Alalshikh] said, โ€˜Wrong decision. We do a rematch.โ€™ โ€ฆ We know heโ€™s a man of his word,โ€ Hearn said. โ€œWe know he supported Dmitry Bivol. We thank him so much, not just for the opportunities for Dmitry Bivol, but what heโ€™s given boxing tonight by making that fight. And there has to be a rematch because Artur Beterbiev, you know, thereโ€™s always gonna be the controversy of that fight.

โ€œAnd heโ€™s a true champion. What other fight is there for Artur Beterbiev? I mean, the whole world will want to see that again. The whole world will know. You know, Iโ€™m sure thereโ€™s some that found a Beterbiev victory. But everybody I know that knows boxing didnโ€™t tell me that at ringside.โ€

Judges Pawel Kardyni (116-112) and Glenn Feldman (115-113) disagreed with Hearnโ€™s assessment. They scored eight and seven rounds, respectively, for Beterbiev because the Russian champion pressured Bivol for most of their 12-round encounter and landed the flusher punches regularly against a cerebral, fleet-footed technician who tried to out-point him while typically moving backward.

Judge Manuel Oliver Palomo gave Beterbiev and Bivol six rounds apiece (114-114).

Alalshikh thinks all three judges got it wrong.

โ€œI donโ€™t think the result is fair, in my opinion,โ€ Alalshikh said as he walked away from ringside. โ€œI think it is as least for Bivol [by] two rounds โ€ฆ the two fighters like my brother, OK? But I think Bivol [won] two rounds more. I donโ€™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.โ€

Beterbiev, 39, and Bivol, 33, expressed equal interest in fighting again next.

โ€œWe should ask boxing fans,โ€ said Bivol, who refused to make what he considered โ€œexcusesโ€ for his first professional loss. โ€œDo they want this rematch? If they want [it], I would like to give this rematch and I would like to get this chance, of course, again.โ€

Montrealโ€™s Beterbiev, who went the distance for the first time since he was an amateur, would welcome the profitable opportunity to beat Bivol more decisively in a second fight for his IBF, IBO, WBA, WBC and WBO belts.

โ€œIf โ€˜His Excellencyโ€™ want,โ€ Beterbiev told DAZNโ€™s Chris Mannix in the ring, โ€œwe gonna do [it].โ€

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