Dmitry Bivol beat Artur Beterbiev by majority decision in Riyadh to become the undisputed light heavyweight champion, claiming Beterbiev's four championship belts and avenging his first career loss four months ago.
Bivol (24-1, 12 KOs) won 116-112 and 115-113 on two scorecards, while the third judge had a 114-114 draw. The previously unbeaten Beterbiev (21-1) won their first bout by a majority decision with the same three final scores.
Bivol turned the rematch in his favour in the middle rounds, showing off his punching precision and elusiveness. He stayed away from Beterbiev's power, which threatened to decide the bout early on, and scored with counterpunches while Beterbiev's energy flagged.
"I didn't have as much pressure like last time. I just wanted to work from the first round until the end of the 12th. I did enough," said Bivol who never looked back after dominating the early rounds.
"I was better, I was pushing myself more, I was more confident, I was lighter, I was just wanted to win so much today.
"I just told myself he could start from the beginning to destroy me and disturb me, it was hard to keep him distanced over the first four rounds. I was tired but he was tired also."
Although Beterbiev stunned Bivol with a right hand that opened a cut above Bivol's left eye in the 12th, Bivol hung on for the victory.
“I’m just so happy,” Bivol said. “I went through a lot last year ... To be honest, I lost [the first bout], and I felt a little bit easier, maybe. I didn’t pressure too much this time, like before the last fight. I just wanted to work from the first round until the end of the 12th. I hoped I did enough, and I won it.”
The main event at ANB Arena was a rematch of the light heavyweights' entertaining first title bout last October 12 at Kingdom Arena. Beterbiev won that narrow majority decision while going the distance for the first time in his career.
Bivol's supporters decried the verdict that made Beterbiev the first undisputed light heavyweight champion in the four-belt era, and several statistical measures backed up their anger. A quick rematch was natural, and the Saudi promoters made it happen atop a title fight-studded card.
“I think this fight was better than the first fight,” said Beterbiev, who later indicated that he also felt he won the rematch. “Now it’s my time to come back. Actually, I didn’t even want the second fight. It wasn’t my choice. But no problem. We’re going to do a third fight if we need.”
Bivol faded in the final three rounds of their first fight, throwing hundreds fewer punches than he managed in his career-defining upset of Saul Canelo Alvarez.
Bivol came out slugging with Beterbiev in the rematch, but Beterbiev upped his aggression and effectiveness starting in the third, closing the distance on Bivol and punishing the challenger with body shots.
Beterbiev appeared to be on the verge of a physically dominant victory, but Bivol increased his activity and counterpunching in the middle rounds to turn the fight yet again as Beterbiev tired.
“It was hard to keep him at the distance for the first four rounds, but then I saw that he was tired,” Bivol said. “I was tired, but he was tired also, and I had to be smarter. I had to punch more, clean punches, and I did.”
Bivol rose to stardom in 2022 with his impressive victory over Alvarez, thwarting the Mexican superstar’s attempt to win a world title in a fifth division. Bivol defended his WBA light heavyweight title and picked up the IBO belt in three subsequent victories before losing both to Beterbiev.
Beterbiev, a 40-year-old Russian based in Canada, had held at least one light heavyweight title belt since 2017.
Parker makes short work of Bakole
On the undercard in Riyadh, Congo fighter Martin Bakole's dream of pulling off a stunning heavyweight victory over New Zealand's Joseph Parker on just two days' notice were shattered.
Bakole only received the call to replace IBF champion Daniel Dubois for the fight in the Saudi capital on Thursday.
The 31-year-old arrived in the early hours of Saturday morning and the lumbering heavyweight quickly discovered the perils of not having time to adequately prepare or train.
The African was dropped in the second round from a sharp right from Parker before the mismatch was stopped.
Dubois withdrew from facing Parker on Thursday through illness.
At that time, Bakole was in the Congo working to close a deal on a new home.
Once financial terms were agreed, he grabbed a flight to Ethiopia and then on to the Gulf.
"I want to thank the people of Saudi Arabia and my team. Martin Bakole, thank you very much for accepting the invitation and for giving me a good fight," Parker told DAZN.
Bakole wasn't the only fighter climbing into the Riyadh ring at short notice.
Four days ago, Josh Padley, electrician by day, boxer by night, was fitting solar panels on a house in Sheffield in northern England.
But after Floyd Schofield was forced to withdraw from his WBC world light heavyweight clash with Shakur Stevenson, the call went out to 29-year-old Padley.
"Monday and Tuesday I was trawling through lofts in Sheffield installing solar panels," Padley told a BBC podcast.
"I went home that night from my day job and the call was there. We rang our nutritionist to make sure we could get to the weight safely on such short notice and then we had to do a check weight before we even booked the flight.
"We jumped in my little Ford Transit with 120,000 miles on the clock and headed out to Manchester airport to jump on a plane."
American fighter Stevenson went into Saturday's bout undefeated with 22 wins, having won world titles at super-featherweight, featherweight and lightweight.
Padley fought gamely but the fight was stopped in the ninth round after the Englishman was dropped to the canvas for a third time.
Stevenson (23-0, 11 KOs) was in control from the opening round, but the American did little to silence the critics who claim he lacks a finishing instinct before finally securing a stoppage.
