Dmitry Bivol got his revenge over Artur Beterbiev in another thrilling classic to set up a potential third meeting.
Beterbiev and Bivol met in a mouth-watering second instalment of their light-heavyweight rivalry with the undisputed crown on the line again in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia.
The former captured the four belts last time out in a modern-era epic, taking the decision on the judges’ scorecards which some in the boxing fraternity viewed as contentious.
But slick-moving Bivol got his chance at immediate revenge against the power-punching champion in ‘The Last Crescendo’.
It once again went the full 12-round distance in a captivating and spectacular spectacle, as once again the operators proved near impossible to separate.
But a winner was declared by majority decision, with Bivol this time getting his revenge.
The scores were read out at 116-116, while the two scorecards were in his favour at 116-112 and 115-113.
He now becomes the undisputed king taking Beterbiev’s belts, and there are now widespread calls for the pair to do battle for a third time.
The atmosphere came alive in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia as both Beterbiev and Bivol were once again set to treat the crowd to what promised to be a barnstorming classic.
Bivol had started the more positive in their last showdown, and he looked to do the same with a stiff lead left jab tapping away early on.
Beterbiev is notorious for his aggression and crunching power, and he patiently stalked Bivol while taking centre ring, looking to gain early access through the guard.
He looked to let the famous right hand go and it landed in spells, but Bivol had started well and was able to land counter combinations in the southpaw stance.
The third round was boxed at a more frantic pace, as Bivol looked to duck and dive from the ferocious power punches of Beterbiev but the pair lit up the arena in huge exchanges.
It appeared to send the fight bursting into life with the promoters including Saudi boxing chief Turki Alalshikh drawn to their feet.
Pressure came from the champion as he teed off at a frightening tempo with Bivol circling and trying to stay out of range in the fourth and fifth.
The tides were turning in the favour of Beterbiev with Bivol slowing his footwork and taking some heavy artillery.
But Bivol continued to try and plug away and the champion had some marking appear on his right eye as things burst into life again before the midway point.
And his feet were picked up and he got his fluid style back up and running in the eighth, boxing well and taking the sting back out of Beterbiev’s flow.
It was again a difficult contest to score with both fighters having their success in waves, with two of the sport’s best pound-for-pound operators again producing a war.
Bivol was coming on the stronger late on as the championship rounds approached, with Beterbiev appearing the slightly more fatigued of the two great warriors.
But it was still a frightening high-level spectacle, and a huge roar went up again as the bell sounded for the final period.
Despite his titanic efforts, Beterbiev and Bivol’s faces both looked battered and the latter suffered a cut late on as the champion turned the screw.
But it wasn’t enough as Bivol got his revenge in simply incredible fashion, making the fight 1-1 between the two epic rivals.
David Benavidez was ringside and wanted to challenge the winner, but Bivol insisted he will now rest before considering his next option.
It appears destiny for the pair to meet again in the ring, to cap off one of the sport’s most epic rivalries.
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