David Benavidez Feels Like Dmitry Bivol ‘Won’ Against Artur Beterbiev

David Benavidez (29-0, 24 KOs) is certain that Dmitry Bivol (23-1, 12 KOs) won his fight against Artur Beterbiev (21-0, 20 KOs).

Beterbiev faced Bivol at the Kingdom Arena in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia on October 12. At the end of the 12 rounds, he was declared the winner by decision, retaining his belts and winning the WBA (Super), IBO, and vacant The Ring light-heavyweight titles. This, in turn, also made him the first boxer to become the undisputed light-heavyweight champion since Roy Jones Jr. However, Benavidez felt like the scorecards were off, and Bivol won the fight by a few rounds.

“To be honest with you, I felt Bivol won. I think Beterbiev had some good fights, but I honestly felt Bivol won by one or two rounds. I think if they score it correctly, like how this AI judge did pretty good this past week; I think Bivol wins again,”he said while talking to BoxingScene.

The fight in October was a close one, with both fighters going head-to-head. Bivol, however, controlled most of the fight during the first half, owing to his impressive jab and sensational footwork to back it up. While he was able to counter a lot of Beterbiev’s punches, the impact still remained, and he continued to put pressure on Bivol’s guard.

At the end of the fight, the judges scored 115-113, 116-112 and 114-114 in Beterbiev’s favor. Benavidez, on the other hand, believes that the combinations and footwork were enough to see why Bivol won the fight. “If you’ve just seen the first fight, Bivol was using his footwork really well. I think he was throwing more eye-catching combinations, and I feel like because of that, he won,” he said.

“I Think It’s Realistic”

Meanwhile, Benavidez is also looking forward to fighting the winner of the potential Bivol vs Beterbiev rematch in February. In the same interview, he opened up about the prospects of the fight in the event of his victory against David Morrell.

“I think it is realistic because we’re already talking to Turki Alalshikh. So, obviously, I’m with PBC, so they would have to go to them. But I mean, it’s just a fight that makes sense for everybody,” he said. “I think Turki Alalshikh is pretty good at going in there and making the fights happen. There’s going to be a lot of money for everybody when this fight happens, so I think there’s something we could do.”

Joshua Ben Joseph

Joshua Ben Joseph is a Boxing writer renowned for his unparalleled coverage of live events and insightful interviews with prominent athletes in the world of combat sports. With a career spanning over several years, he has authored more than 800 articles. As an experienced editorial cartoonist and investigative journalist, Joshua has a keen eye for detail and a passion for delivering quality content. Aside from his writing, Joshua is an avid powerlifter and solo traveler, embodying the same spirit of determination and exploration that he brings to his work. With a deep love for the sport of boxing that dates back to childhood, he is committed to delivering the highest quality content and helping to build a more transparent and credible industry.

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