Dmitry Bivol’s manager has vowed to submit an official protest against the scoring that saw his fighter narrowly beaten by Artur Beterbiev on Saturday night.
Beterbiev outdid Bivol via majority decision in Riyadh to become the first undisputed light heavyweight champion of the four-belt era.
While one judge had a draw at 114-114 and another gave Beterbiev a 115-113 win, there was outcry after Pawel Kardyni awarded Beterbiev a 116-112 victory.
Bivol’s promoter Eddie Hearn claimed it was an ‘absolute joke’ and that his fighter, never before beaten, had been ‘robbed’ – though he would have lost even if Kardyni had awarded a closer score.
‘We’re going to file a protest on Monday,’ Bivol’s manager Vadim Kornilov told BoxNation.
Dmitri Bivol’s manager vowed to file a protest against the scoring in his loss to Artur Beterbiev
Bivol lost by majority decision and there was outcry against one card of 116-112 to Beterbiev
‘I think the judge has to at least have some kind of responsibility for what he did.
‘It’s becoming very destructive to the sport what they’re doing.
‘These organisations (sanctioning bodies) have supervisors, the supervisors are friendly with the judges, they’re hugging the promoters, it’s beginning to look like a scheme.’
Kardyni is an experienced judge, having scored fights since 2001, and has also been a referee for the last three years according to BoxRec. He was also a judged at Bivol’s previous fight were he stopped Malik Zinad in the sixth round.
Bivol’s manager Kornilov continued: ‘This judge has done a lot of fights and he has been good in other fights.
‘It would be good if they can sit him down and have him count the punches landed.
‘I want to see his 116-112 card and how he counted the landed punches from Beterbiev on Bivol and which ones he was counting to get to that scorecard.
‘One of the supervisors was tapping the Top Rank guys and congratulating them before the decision was (announced).
Eddie Hearn said Bivol was ‘robbed’ and thinks judge Pawel Kardyni ‘should never work again’
Beterbiev became the first undisputed light heavyweight champion of the four-belt era
Bivol was devastated after the loss but refused to make any excuses in the aftermath
‘What is that about? What kind of buddy-buddy relationship do they have there? Where is the professionalism of the sport?’
That is the same allegation Hearn made. The promoter claimed Beterbiev’s team were told he was on course to lose the fight in the 10th round, before he surged to victory, and that they knew the final result before it was announced.
Bivol himself refused to be dragged into any speculation about the allegiances or behaviour of the judges.
‘My job is to go to the ring and do everything perfect and leave with the belts, that is it,’ he said.
‘Don’t ask me about judges, which score I think, how many rounds I won or this and that.
‘It doesn’t matter, I will move forward. Everything I have to do better than this fight [in the rematch].’
Beterbiev has now won all 21 of his professional fights and this was the first time he was taken the full distance.
Bivol has won 23 of his 24 fights, 12 of them by knockout.
Beterbiev was taken the distance with one judge scoring it 114-114, while the other two went 115-113 and 116-12 in his favour
Saudi boxing chief Turki Alalshikh said he will try to organise a rematch if it is wanted
While gracious in defeat, Bivol has called for a rematch. His promoter, Hearn, was incensed. Saudi boxing chief Turki Alalshikh said he will try to arrange a rematch.
Hearn said: ‘I don’t want to disrespect Beterbiev, they are two of the greatest fighters of our generation but you saw the body language of his team. They were in the corner, they knew they had lost the fight. 116-112 to Artur Beterbiev. You gave Bivol four rounds.
‘This is an absolute joke. It was a seven-five, eight-four fight to Bivol. He was cruising the fight. He gave up some rounds at the end of the fight but he won. They knew they had lost the fight.
‘They were telling him in the corner, you have to knock him out to win the fight. I can’t believe it. He was robbed of the undisputed championship tonight. I can’t believe it.’
He added: ‘I find it sickening that after a lifetime of hard work Dmitry Bivol is not undisputed champion tonight… This judge should never work in the sport again.’
