Day of Reckoning undercard: Dmitry Bivol shuts out Lyndon Arthur over 12

In the Day of Reckoning boxing event held in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, Dmitry Bivol fiercely defended his WBA light heavyweight title against Lyndon Arthur. A snapshot of their match was captured by Richard Pelham/Getty Images.

Where was this person throughout the whole year?

Dmitry Bivol received a prestigious recognition as the 2022 Fighter of the Year from Ring Magazine thanks to his dominant, all-around performances against the highly-regarded fighters Canelo Alvarez and Gilberto Ramriez. Both of these victories were unanimous decisions, which notably solidified Bivol's status as the WBA light heavyweight champion.

And after that... there was a sudden halt. Bivol's triumphs had given him a boost in his career, which, unfortunately, he lost by taking a break for most of 2023. His crew spent almost a year trying to arrange a rematch with Alvarez and setting up a match with Arthur Beterbiev for the 175-pound championship that was undisputed, which didn't advance his career as expected.

However, in case the boxing industry had disregarded Bivol's exceptional skills, he made sure to remind us by impressively outshining the talented Lyndon Arthur during the twelve rounds on the undercard of the huge Day of Reckoning event in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, earning him the top spot in The Ring's light heavyweight rankings.

Bivol, with a record of 22 wins and 12 knockouts, successfully defended his WBA belt for the 10th time. He managed to score a knockdown in Round 11 and win by unanimous decision with scores of 120-107.

The Russian who is just 33 years old commenced with a strong offence at the start, maybe wanting to recover the time he lost. He attacked Arthur by keeping him back with a straight punch and throwing a quick yet smooth combination of two or three punches. Bivol aimed for Arthur's body when he managed to corner the poor-performing British fighter within the first half of the match. However, he later got comfortable with his regular methodical tempo during the second half. He was pleased to maintain a good distance and keep hitting Arthur before he could counter.

The picture was taken by Richard Pelham from Getty Images.

Bivol, who is ranked as the fifth best pound-for-pound boxer by The Ring, failed to deliver a knockout blow to Arthur. However, at the end of the 11th round, Bivol was able to make Arthur kneel with a hit to the body. In the final round, Bivol attempted to secure a knockout at the start and end, but unfortunately, it did not happen. Despite his efforts, he was unable to stop Arthur from winning. Arthur, who is from Manchester and is a clever strategist, managed to withstand Bivol’s attacks and come out on top.

Arthur is a skilled boxer with a record of 23-2 and 16 KOs. He showed some impressive moments in the later rounds of the match, where he stood his ground, delivered a solid body shot in Round 8, and strategically threw jabs. However, he faced off against an elite boxer, and the difference in their performance levels was clear. Despite Arthur's efforts, he couldn't match his opponent's skill.

Bivol is now focusing on another top-tier boxer in the light heavyweight category, Artur Beterbiev, who has never been defeated and will soon be guarding his WBC, IBF, and WBO championship belts against Callum Smith in January.

Bivol expressed that he found the 12 rounds with Arthur to be beneficial for him. He was pleased to have gotten the opportunity to fight at the end of the year. This fight helped him to visualize his path to reaching his ultimate goal of becoming undisputed, which involves fighting the winner of the Beterbiev-Smith match. He is optimistic that his next fight will take place in 2024.

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Get ready for the upcoming release of the 2023 Awards issue! Simply download the latest app and you'll be able to read it completely free of charge. With a subscription, you can even gain access to over ten years' worth of past publications. Who will emerge as the Ring's Fighter of the Year for 2023? The answer lies within the highly anticipated issue.