The Monster became the first undisputed light-heavyweight champion of the world since the great Roy Jones Jnr a quarter of a century ago.
The Artist carried on dancing after the final bell in the belief that the glory should have been his.
Artur Beterbiev was somewhat sympathetic in victory. Dmitry Bivol was partially generous in defeat.
The judges were split. One had it a draw. The two scored it to Beterbiev 115-113 and 116-112.
The crowd in the Kingdom Arena did not know what to make of it. In their Saudi Arabian infancy the crowd simply cheered.
Artur Beterbiev has become the first undisputed light-heavyweight champion of four-belt era
Beterbiev was taken the distance with one judge scoring it 114-114, while the other two went 115-113 and 116-12 in Beterbiev’s favour
Either the decision was going to be divisive.
Some over-heated critics screamed robbery, their eye caught by Bivol’s intermittent flurries of combinations. Others, myself included, nodded sagely in recognition of Beterbiev being the aggressor and timing his onslaughts at critical moments. A draw might have been a generally acceptable conclusion.
It made for a grandstand event but it was not the classic which had been predicted. And which boxing was craving would mark a renaissance of the glorious 80s. No Sugar Ray Leonard or Marvin Hagler here.
In that sense a faint disappointment as Beterbiev admitted that he was below his destructive best which had pounded out brutal KOs in all his previous fight. And conceded that even though he thought he had inflicted sufficient punishment for a narrow victory he felt ‘a little lucky’ that two of the judges saw it that way.
Bivol did the best he could. At times outclassing Beterbiev and able to withstand the power punches towards the end and so become the first opponent to take him the 12-round distance. Just, as it happened, during a testing last two rounds.
A good night was had by all. Although not a truly great fight between the Russians.
Both expressed willingness for a rematch. It would be worth watching but not as lofty in expectation as this.
Dmitry Bivol was devastated after the loss but refused to make any excuses in his post-fight interview
The bout was one of the best boxing spectacles to be seen in recent times, with both men enjoying a fair share of success at the Kingdom Arena
Hardly any Riyadh residents had turned up for the free-to-watch events during fight week.
The Kingdom Arena was not exactly in a ferment of expectation as the evening ploughed through a job-lot of the obligatory undercards.
Although there was curiosity as to why Ben Whittaker was gifted a technical draw after he and Liam Cameron fell through the ropes at the end of their fifth round and only he failed to clamber back into the ring.
The decision was based on them being level on points at the time, the rationale that Whittaker’s foot was hurting too much for him to continue.
Cynics noted that Ben the ballerino had long stopped dancing and that the momentum was with the unconsidered Cameron.
Whittaker can be given the benefit of the doubt this time. He is still a work in early progress, but lessons need learning – especially in regard to stamina – if he is to be a vital cog in boxing’s next generation, which he had excited many to believe.
The first women’s world title fight in Saudi Arabia may have been socially significant but the event was more like shadow boxing than even sparring. The early-comers had long lost interest before Australian Skye Nicolson was judged to have beaten her English challenger, Raven Chapman, by the few brush strokes more of the gloves.
Chris Eubank Jr duly stopped a Pole so much smaller that he looked more like a tent peg as he reached up to touch gloves. Conor Benn, of course, irritated everyone by jumping into the ring like a joke-in-the-box to pester Eubank for a fight which no-one knows whether or when it might take place – in the name of their fathers.
Ben Whittaker (right) was gifted a technical draw after he and Liam Cameron (left) fell through the ropes
Chris Eubank (left) and Conor Benn (right) faced off once again after the former’s victory
Frazer Clarke (right) suffered a damaging defeat in the first round at the hands of Fabio Wardley (left)
Fabio Wardley and Frazer Clarke had promised the Saudi purse fillers a reprise of their bloody fight of the year contender. The Sheiks of Araby got 148 seconds for their money. Wardley kept his British heavyweight title with a huge right for the first knock down, then a clubbing of blows which left Clarke seated like a giant, broken doll against a corner post.
But none of this was why we were here. Nor solely for the spectacular son-et-lumiere which His Generous Excellency Turki Alalshikh likes music super stars to entertain invited celebrities and to raise the curtain on the winter-long Riyadh Season of sports, concerts and cultural events. Much as the pounding beat and the scorching flames raised the temperature.
No. The candle to which we flocked like moths was the staging, at long last, of the fight between the two finest light-heavyweights on the planet.
Yes, Beterbviev vs Bivol. Yes, for the undisputed world title. It had potential to be a throw-back fight for the ages.
