Dmitry Bibolu became the world's indisputable light heavyweight champion after introducing Altul Beterbiev in another absorbing and epic contest of great technical skills and deep courage. Bivol, who lost a majority decision to the 40-year-old former champion more than four months ago, won the rematch and sweetest reds early on Sunday morning in Riyadh.
The score was exactly the same as in October – one judge ruled a 114-114 draw, while two other officials reached a verdict of 116-112 and 115-113, but important differences The winning margin was announced, which is in favor of the appropriate Bivol.
Beterbiev and Bivol are two of the least proven men in boxing, and both prefer to prefer to talk. Woven a sparkling silver tunic, Bibolu seemed appropriate to walk quickly to the ring and occasionally stretch his gloves to touch the audience's praises. Beterbiev marched resolutely through the same corridor, dressing in a mediocre black T-shirt and black trunk, cutting off a more stern figure.
After he was introduced by Michael Buffer, in the typical honey gravita style of the venerable MC, Biboru raised his arms in a salute. Beterbiev simply jogged on the spot before matching Vibor's gesture when his name was yelled to the rafters.
The chant of “bi-vol, bi-vol, bi-vol” The tension echoed around the arena as it was deeply cut. The two men carefully followed each other. Bivol was less offensive than he began his first fight as part of a strategy to save his energy for the decisive later period of the match. The round ended with Beterbier Flanding, but Bibolu was a little more accurate in that opening stanza.
An obvious pattern soon emerged as Beterbiev stalked the stolen bivol with raw aggression. He is a terrifying being, but the relentless Bibolu fought back with a sharp punch. However, his own plan seemed to focus on bringing true ferociousness from the start, in order to drain his clinical clarity and energy vivol, so Betterviev stayed after him. I did.
But Bivol is a great class and a calm fighter, and in the third, when a bundle of punches flew from him, he cut Beterbiev with a smooth combination. Betterviev responded and slammed Bivol on the bell's body. He maintained the pace of his fourth offense, and Bibolu was forced to retreat and focus on defense and self-preservation. In the increasingly dark and threatening storm brought by Beterbiev, there was little time, or room for Biboru to counter.
The battle of rivets was beginning to unfold. When he gathered there was a dip in Beterbiev, but Bibour nailed him with a slink combination and a hard, beautiful right hand. Such brazenness fueled Beterbiev, who finished the round hard and put in several major blows, including a right-handed right in a damage straight that seemed to shake up the challenger.
Bibolu had to absorb the stiffer punch, needed to maintain his discipline and nerves as they approached the midpoint of the clenched fight. He landed a more eye-catching punch flight, temporarily denying Beterbiev's ruthless hostility.
The red markings looked like Beterbiev's forehead, but in the seventh round he resumed his determined pursuit. Bibolu couldn't allow him to relax in the face of suffocating pressure, but he still landed a more effective punch. The engineer needed all his composure and skill to keep the looting Beterbiev at bay before connecting with the amazing right hook. His confidence continued to bounce lightly on his toes and make his left jab. The fight began to shake his path again after winning the eighth consecutive rounds with a particularly impressive style.
In round nine, Bibolu once again held the initiative first. He even made a mistake with Betterviev on a wild swing, then cracked him with four consecutive unanswered punches. When he heard his conviction it turned into a Vivol Masterclass.
The fight was still on the knife edge as the true championship round was nine minutes remaining and Betterviev came out fast on the 10th. But Bibolu manages to slow him down with a punch. The champion still chased him, but Biboru jabed his head and slammed Beterbiev hard into his body. Bibolu was then forced into the corner, but he fought back again.
The chant of 'bi-vol, bi-vol, bi-volReopened in the '11th round, he caught Beterbiev with another peach on his right hand. Even if Beterbiev strengthened the strength, Vibor refused to wilt.
Beterbiev's Corner told him he had to win the final round to get the chance to hold his world title and an unbeaten record. But Bivol trained too hard and was intensely focused for a very long time to escape victory. He cracked Beterbiev with another trademark combination with less than a minute left. Beterbiev made one last step forward and landed on the withered left.
They were standing up at ringside as these two extraordinary champions were traded at the final bell. The bivol was cut off above the swelling left eye, and immediate attention was required to suppress blood flow. Betterviev smiled calmly as his gloves were removed and the drunken rap was cut from his hand. It was a burning contest and they were waiting for the final verdict.
The draw was first announced, and Bibolu appeared to be struggling. After the next two scorecards were read out in the favour of the winner, they had to pause once more before Buffer screamed the magic words “And the new…”
Biboru covered his face with peace of mind, then raised his arms in joy. Four belts were covered in shoulders, causing him to shed tears.
Asked to identify the difference between the two marginal outcomes, Biboru smiled tiredly. “Just me,” he said. “I was good. I was pushing myself more. I was more confident. I got lighter. I just wanted to win that much today. I was. I was. Just said he could start from the beginning to deflect me and get in the way. To be honest, keeping him at the distance of the first four rounds was tough. And I said, I saw that I was tired too, but I had to be smarter. I had to punch cleaner, and I did.”
The inevitable queries continued. Was he ready to face Betterviev in the unforgettable trilogy rubber match? “I'm ready for any challenge,” Biboru said. “But I've had some injuries and I was using anti-inflammatory so I want to rest a little. [medication] Almost the whole camp. I want a little time to relax and come back. ”
The defeated man is dull. “I don't want to talk about this decision,” Betterviev reluctantly added, “I don't want to talk about this decision.” “Congratulations, Vibor [and] Bibolu's team…I think this battle was better than the first one, but now it's time to come back. ”
Betterviev asked the same question as Bivol about his third match. “In fact, I didn't want a second fight. That wasn't my choice. But it's fine. I'm going to have a third fight.”
Betterviev refused to wave Biboru's hand before leaving the ring. He repeatedly thrusts his fingers in the direction of the new champion.
After these two great fighters recover from such a fiercely exhausted battle, the decisive conclusion to their simmering competition is fascinating.
