Bivol was class in defeat, as expected, and praised Beterbiev; they had shared a unique respect for each other during the months and months it took to finally get the pair in the ring. They had also shared six years and nine months as world champions before the final bell separated Bivol from his belt.

Dmitry Bivol’s team expressed frustration with the judges' scorecards after he lost a majority decision to Artur Beterbiev on Saturday night at Kingdom Arena in Saudi Arabia, a result that crowned Beterbiev as the undisputed light heavyweight champion.