Bivol-Beterbiev III: Did Beterbiev Play It Safe for a Trilogy?

Dmitry Bivol and Artur Beterbiev will meet in a trilogy match if the Saudis want to see them fight again. Promoter Bob Arum says the Saudis are “enamored” with this light heavyweight match-up despite neither fighter being a “major draw.”

Bivol (24-1, 12 KOs) currently holds the undisputed 175-lb championship after defeating Beterbiev (21-1, 20 KOs) by a questionable 12-round majority decision in their rematch on February 22nd in Riyadh.

Saudi Trilogy Push

Many boxing fans saw it as a draw, as I did, but two of the judges went with Bivol in what some felt was to quiet the controversy over their first fight on October 12th. This writer had Beterbiev winning the first and saw the rematch as a clear draw. Bivol did NOT win either fight due to his running and holding.

Whatever chance Bivol had to win the rematch last February in a true sense, he lost it when Beterbiev beat the living daylights out of him in the twelfth round. Artur walloped Bivol throughout the final round, making a mess of his face. The judges gave it to Bivol, but he didn’t really win that fight. That should have been a draw.

Rematch Scores

115-113 – Bivol
116-112 – Bivol
114-114

“Neither Bivol nor Beterbiev are a major draw. They’re great fighters, but they’re not major draws.  They were compensated accordingly, Bivol by his promoters and Beterbiev by his promoters, including us,” said Bob Arum to Sky Sports News about the two Artur Beterbiev vs. Dmitry Bivol fights.

“The Saudis, rightly so, are enamored by that matchup, and they have supported the fighters in both fights by paying them big purses. Bigger purses than they’ve ever had before. So, if they want the fight to happen, the Saudis do, and obviously, the only way the fighters will go is to fight each other. There should be a rubber match because of how close the two fights.

“That would put a final caption on their competition and I would hope their next fights would be against each other,” said Arum about Beterbiev and Bivol.

Strategic Leniency?

Interestingly, Beterbiev dominated rounds two through six and stopped throwing punches from rounds seven through eleven. It was weird. Then, in the twelfth, Beterbiev turned it on like a light switch and effortlessly resumed beating the tar out of Bivol.

That was VERY strange. Some boxing fans believe Beterbiev intentionally took it easy on Bivol to ensure a third fight between them because if Artur had won, there would have been no point in a trilogy match. He’d be 2-0 against Bivol.