Day of Reckoning round-up: Dmitry Bivol enjoys routine win over Lyndon Arthur, Filip Hrgovic defeats Mark de Mori - Eurosport
At the 'Day of Reckoning' event, Dmitry Bivol, the WBA light heavyweight champion, easily won a unanimous decision against Lyndon Arthur, Britain's IBO world champion.
Bivol made a name for himself in the boxing industry through a remarkable victory against Canelo Alvarez in the light heavyweight category. However, the boxer is still anticipating the opportunity to challenge fellow Russian, Artur Beterbiev. Beterbiev holds the remaining three belts in the 175lbs category.
He fought against Lyndon Arthur, a fellow British boxer who held the WBO interim title for a short time before Anthony Yarde.
Arthur was the obvious disadvantaged fighter when facing off against a skilled and unbeatable opponent, and it was apparent right away that he was being evaluated.
Bivol's most recent fight took place in 2022 against Gilberto Ramirez, which he won easily. This victory allowed him to maintain his WBA title and eliminate concerns about his lack of action leading up to a more significant match in 2024.
Bivol, who's 33 years old, began the match with a strong sense of self-assurance and skill. During the first round, the IBO champion only landed a maximum of 10 punches on him. By the second round, Bivol was able to maneuver around Arthur's defense instead of attempting to break through it.
Bivol underwent a surgical procedure on his hand earlier this year. However, any worries about his level of comfort were dismissed quite swiftly as he launched an unstoppable and uninterrupted series of jabs. In the first five rounds of the match, he appeared to have a continuous winning streak so far.
On the seventh round, the fighter who holds the WBA title didn't seem to have exerted too much effort and was at ease during the break. However, on the eighth round, there was a shift in the tempo when Arthur landed a good punch to the body. This caused Bivol to retaliate with a rapid succession of punches.
On the 11th round, Bivol took charge of the fight and delivered a strong series of punches to Arthur's body, causing him to fall to the ground. The referee counted to eight before the round ended.
During the 12th round of the match, Bivol made an attempt to finish things off quickly. The referee seemed to be waiting for a powerful punch to end the game, but Arthur was able to avoid it by finding a grip. He managed to hold on and survive the last attacks of the round. In the end, the judges unanimously declared Bivol the winner with a score of 120-107. Next year, Bivol could face a unification fight against Beterbeiv.
Filip Hrgovic celebrated the 'Day of Reckoning' with a simple win against Mark de Mori earlier on.
The boxer from Croatia, who is currently recognized as the top fighter by the IBF and expected to challenge heavyweight champion Oleksandr Usyk next, easily won his latest fight with a first-round TKO victory over his opponent.
Many people did not think the person from Australia would pose a challenge for Hrgovic. The referee ended the fight after less than two minutes due to a powerful punch thrown from a distance by Hrgovic. Additionally, the Australian's team surrendered by throwing in the towel.
By staying active, Hrgovic will maintain his focus while anticipating the outcomes from the highly anticipated showdown between Usyk and Tyson Fury, who are likely to face each other in the beginning of 2024. This strategy allows Hrgovic to keep his competitive edge until he faces his own next opponent.
Earlier that evening, Jai Opetaia, the previous champion of the International Boxing Federation's cruiserweight division, relinquished his title to defeat Ellis Zorro. The boxer from Australia had his IBF title taken away after failing to compete against the required opponent, but he impressively protected his Ring magazine championship by unleashing a powerful left hook during the first round.
At 31 years of age, he has managed to stop his opponent in 14 out of 17 fights.
In an attempt to gain more recognition and climb the ranks, 34-year-old Russian boxer Arslanbek Makhmudov experienced a loss by stoppage to Agit Kabayel, the current European heavyweight champion.
During the fourth round, Makhmudov had to take a pause of nine seconds in the corner because Kabayel gave him a succession of strong punches, which made Makhmudov drop down on his knee. This happened thrice, leading to Kabayel's win.
Kabayel's patience and endurance paid off in the end, but the fact that the larger opponent was not physically fit raises concerns about his ability to make a comeback and contend for a championship again.
In the beginning of the evening, Frank Sanchez and Junior Fa faced off in the opening fight.
The undercard began with Sanchez triumphing over Fa with a TKO in the seventh round. The match started cautiously and both boxers seemed wary of each other for the first six rounds. However, Sanchez landed a solid right cross that shifted the momentum in his favor, and he was ultimately able to secure the victory.
After executing a harsh sequence, the Cuban boxer delivered a final punch with a powerfully destructive right hand to maintain his undefeated status after 25 matches.
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