Beterbiev beats Bivol to become undisputed light heavyweight champion

By The Associated Press

RIYADH, Saudi Arabia (AP) — Artur Beterbiev beat Dmitry Bivol by a points decision to become the first undisputed light heavyweight champion in the division for more than 20 years. The 39-year-old Beterbiev (21-0, 20 KOs) had won all 20 of his previous fights by knockout but was forced the distance by his fellow Russian rival in a Riyadh fight that had several swings of momentum and was almost too close to call. In the end, two judges scored it 115-113, 116-112 for Beterbiev, with a third judge scoring it as a 114-114 draw. It was the first undisputed title fight in the division since 2002 and was the first time all four major world titles, WBO, WBA, IBF and WBC, have been up for grabs in the four-belt era.