To rematch or not to rematch?
That is the question still being sifted through the desert sands after the over-heated sabre rattling which followed one Cossack defeating another in the battle to reign beyond dispute as boxing’s world light-heavyweight champion.
The duel had been close. The scoring tricky. The decision split. The controversy inevitable.
None of that justified the howls of theft as the sun rose over the myriad minarets of Riyadh. But there are always fanatics in the shadows.
Artur Beterbiev was adjudged the victor over Dmitry Bivol. By majority not unanimity. Narrowly but not scandalously.
Artur Beterbiev was crowned the undisputed light-heavyweight champion of the world
Beterbiev beat Dmitry Bivol in a showdown that could have gone either way in Saudi Arabia
There was no gloating from the first holder of all the Aladdin belts in this division of the hardest game for a quarter century.
Beterbiev admitted he was not at his monstrous finest and felt a mite fortunate that two of the three judges saw he had done just enough power punching to carry the night.
Bivol put the swirling dervishes in his camp to shame by scorning excuses in preference for saluting his fellow Russian and conceding that perhaps his own effort had not been as punch-and-move perfect as he imagined. He departed vowing to burnish his skills yet further if required for a rematch.
Will there be one? The chorus of agreement from the two boxers was qualified: ‘Yes, if His Excellency so desires.’ In other words, show me the money.
The paymaster in question, Turki Alalshikh, responded eagerly: ‘Yes, yes, next May.’
That, in the sultry heat of the moment from the man reported to have crossed their palms with some ten million dollars each to play their parts in the spectacular sound and light opening of this winter’s Riyadh Season of sport, entertainment and culture.
But will the first edition of Beterbiev v Bivol withstand prolonged scrutiny? Won’t the colder realisation be that the long-awaited showdown between the two best 175 pounders on the planet fell just short of all the vaulting expectations?
The duel was close and the controversy was inevitable – but this didn’t justify the howls of theft
Bivol vowed to brush up for a potential rematch but there may be limited public appetite
It was a fight of the highest technical class for the brotherhood of the ring to savour but will there really be huge public appetite to watch it over again?
Personally, I was among those immersed in the elite quality and immense physical capacity of two men in their 30s. I would love to see them settle the argument once and for all. But truth be told it was not the humdinger, whizz-bang, stratospheric, seat-edge, supersonic, blow your brains out fight for the ages which we hoped would ignite a renaissance of boxing’s golden era.
The Fight Of This Year, then? Doubt it. There was no explosion of action to compare with the pyrotechnics of the opening ceremony. No searing intensity to match the flames blazing above the curtain-raising performances by the rappers presently in vogue.
There were two brave men going about their violent business better than most others in this industry. Perhaps they were burdened by the sense of importance which came with the scale of the occasion.
Beterbiev was not quite his Monster self. Bivol supplied usual artistry but – to his eventual cost – spent too many, too long intermissions between his brilliant flourishes standing back to admire his handiwork.
Little drama. Neither of them ever in distress. Scant tension in the building. The Thrilla’ in Arabia, this was not.
The detail was fascinating.
Bivol, currently the principal dancer in boxing as the working man’s ballet, light-footed it through the first three rounds in which his rapier jab dominated the notoriously slow-starting Beterbiev.
The middle rounds swung this way and that. Several could have been even but such scoring is generally frowned upon so they tended to go to the one catching the eye with a surge before the bell.
There could be no serious denying that Beterbiev’s barnstorming final rounds put him in serious contention.
Still Bivol withstood the biggest pound-for-pound puncher in the world right now to become the first man to take Beterbiev the KO merchant the full-round 12-round distance.
Bravo to both but there was only one winner. Two judges gave the nod to Beterbiev, one by 116-112, which was something of an injustice to Bivol.
One by 115-113, which mirrored my own card. The third man at ringside may have got it right as a 114-114 draw, which would have made an even stronger case for a repeat.
But are they really keen? Beterbiev, although a phenomenon specimen at 39, hinted that he might be feeling his age at last when he said: ‘I didn’t feel good and would have to be better in a rematch.’
Becoming undisputed might be his ‘ultimate achievement’ upon which to retire.
Bivol, at 33, still nurses that same ambition but is the fire still burning as brightly when he says: ‘I am faced with another decision about my future.’
Bivol withstood the world’s biggest pound-for-pound puncher but there was only one winner
Beterbiev’s barnstorming final rounds put him in serious contention for the belt
If they would only be doing it for the money, should they still do it? His Excellency’s enthusiasm as a boxing lover may also be an indicator that there is not a bottomless pit of super-fights to power his revolution of this sport. Nor are all those available of much interest to the major US pay-per-view market.
Two huge world heavyweight title rematches are in the Riyadh offing: Tyson Fury versus Oleksandr Usyk on December 21, then Anthony Joshua against Daniel Dubois on February 22. Other offerings in the oil pipeline are not of such high octane.
Alright then. If the well might temporarily run dry in May and Beterbiev and Bivol are willing, let’s get it on.