Boxing News

Home

Quizzes

Newsletter

TASS

Artur Beterbiev vs Dmitry Bivol 2 Fight Results: Bivol Earns Majority Decision

Originally posted on Fights Around The World
By Abraham Gonzalez | Last updated Feb 22, 2025 9:36 PM ET

Dmitry Bivol (24-1, 12 KOs) got the redemption he was looking for and became the undisputed light heavyweight champion as he scored a majority decision over Artur Beterbiev (21-1, 20 KOs) in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia on Saturday afternoon.

The judges saw this one 114-114, 116-112, and 115-113 as Bivol took over the second half of the fight, ultimately leading to his decision victory. According to CompuBox, Beterbiev out-landed Bivol 50-43 in rounds three through five with Bivol landing a total of 170 punches- the most by a Beterbiev opponent.

The opening round was a game of chess consisting of a foot positioning battle and jab fest. Bivol was more flat-footed than he had been in previous fights, while Beterbiev began quicker than normal with pressure and his overhand right. Bivol used every bit of the ring in the second round as he used his feet and left jab to keep Beterbiev on the outside. Bivol had a hard left stab jab that would land on Beterbiev’s stomach, making his opponent step back. Beterbiev landed a few shots, but they had a big impact when he did.

In the third round, Bivol consistently landed 4-5 punch combinations as Beterbiev could not catch up to him until late in the round. That’s when Beterbiev began to pour it on as he landed a left hook to the body, followed by an overhand right which buzzed Bivol. The round ended with both fighters going blow for blow. Beterbiev had his foot on the gas in the fourth round as he came after Bivol with left hooks to the body, shotgun left jabs, and overhand rights. Bivol was having a hard time recovering from the body shots but was still able to land those big combinations towards the end of the round.

Beterbiev continued his dominance in the fifth round as the body attack slowed Bivol down, allowing Beterbiev to land his big right hands. Bivol tried to keep Beterbiev off of him with his left jab, but it was not working throughout the round as Beterbiev was landing at will. Bivol regained control of the fight in the sixth round, but towards the end, Beterbiev landed a right hand that hurt Bivol. That punch took away all of the good work Bivol did throughout the round.

In the seventh round, Beterbiev took a breather as Bivol worked behind his jab to set up his combinations. Bivol carried his momentum from round seven to eight as Beterbiev appeared a little tired at this point of the fight. Bivol, with his flash combinations, kept Beterbiev from unloading his big punches.

In the ninth round, Bivol showed his brilliance by using next-level feints, footwork, and combination punching to keep Beterbiev off of him. Bivol was in control of the fight at this point.

In the championship rounds, Bivol lived up to his word and said he would do more in this fight, and he did just that. Bivol boxed beautifully, while Beterbiev applied a ton of pressure. The 11^th round was super close, and in the final round, both men went out like the warriors they are. Beterbiev landed a huge right hand that hurt Bivol but could not finish him.

This was a great rematch that is worthy of a third fight if they decide to go down that road.

This article first appeared on Fights Around The World and was syndicated with permission.

More must-reads: