Artur Beterbiev has called for a trilogy bout with Dmitry Bivol after losing their much-anticipated rematch in Saudi Arabia on Saturday night.
Bivol exacted revenge for his October defeat to Beterbiev to become the undisputed light-heavyweight champion.
Beterbiev previously handed Bivol his first career defeat on a close majority decision. The two rivals again fought a clash of the highest quality with Bivol this time taking the majority decision win.
Speaking to DAZN after the fight, Beterbiev said: “I don’t want to talk about the decision, it’s tough. Congratulations to Bivol’s team.
“I thought this fight was better than the first but we’ll see. Now is my time to come back. I didn’t want the second fight, it wasn’t my choice but no problem. We’re gonna do a third fight.”
Head of Queensberry Promotions, Frank Warren, said the boxing fight was a ‘privilege to watch’ and that a trilogy is likely.
“It’s one you’ll never forget. Two great fighters, probably the best of their generation and probably of the 21st century.
“An unbelievable fight, much better than the first one and they gave their all and we’re going to probably get a trilogy out of it.”
What Were The Judges’ Scorecards?
The scoreboards mirrored their first fight but this time they leant in favour of Dmitry Bivol over Artur Beterbiev – raising the possibility of a deciding trilogy bout.
This time the judges scored it 114-114, 116-112 and 115-113 in favour of Bivol. The scores were exactly the same but in favour of Beterbiev when they fought in October.
Bivol started the fight in style getting the better of Beterbiev with his jab. However, Beterbiev came alive in the middle of the fight applying intense pressure from the fourth to sixth rounds in particular.
Though this time Bivol found a second wind and finished the fight off strongly. He got the advantage in four of the last six rounds with two of the judges and five with the third.
Both fights between Bivol and Beterbiev were scored the SAME 😳
The first for Beterbiev, the second for @bivol_d 👀#BeterbievBivol2 | #RiyadhSeason | @Turki_alalshikh pic.twitter.com/oC2SdVhHhS
— DAZN Boxing (@DAZNBoxing) February 23, 2025
Beterbiev Vs Bivol Punch Statistics
The punch statistics back the judges’ decision to give Dmitry Bivol the victory over Artur Beterbiev.
As per GiveMeSport, Beterbiev landed 121 out of 688 punches (17.59%) compared to Bivol who connected with 170 out of 547 (31.08%.
Beterbiev landed 43 out of 426 jabs and Bivol connected with 85 out of 344. In terms of power punches, Bivol landed an impressive 85 out of 213 compared to Beterbiev’s 78 of 262.
If there is a trilogy bout, Beterbiev will be hoping to be more successful with his punches against Bivol than he was on Saturday night.
Beterbiev Vs Bivol: Undercard Results
Here is how the rest of the card played out on Saturday night;
- Callum Smith beat Joshua Buatsi via unanimous decision
- Agit Kabayel beat Zhilei Zhang via a sixth-round knockout
- Vergil Ortiz Jr beat Israil Madrimov via unanimous decision
- Carlos Adames fought to a draw with Hamzah Sheeraz
- Shakur Stevenson beat Josh Padley via a ninth-round TKO
- Joseph Parker beat Martin Bakole via a second-round TK
What’s Next For Dmitry Bivol?
One option for Dmitry Bivol is a trilogy bout with Artur Beterbiev.
It is an option that makes sense given that they are 1-1 from their first two bouts with a decider often customary in these situations.
Another option for Bivol would be a bout with David Benavidez who appeared to be the likely option for Artur Beterbiev if he had emerged victorious.
