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Unbeaten Russian star Dmitry Bivol was expected to put on a clinic against Lyndon Arthur and that’s exactly what he did, retaining the WBA light heavyweight championship via 12-round unanimous decision on Saturday. Bivol (22-0, 11 KOs) finally dropped his man in the penultimate round with a left hook to the body. Arthur took a knee, rose at the count of eight, but was saved by the bell. The champion went all out for the finish in the 12th, but Arthur gamely hung in until the end. “It was good sparring for me” said Bivol during his post-fight interview. “Lyndon used a good jab, but I’m glad I got a fight in at the end of the year. I can now continue my goal to become undisputed.” The champion pressed ominously in the opening round and Arthur spent most of the three minutes circling with his back to the ropes. The Brit landed a couple of eye-catching jabs, but the highlight of the round was a memorable three-punch salvo by Bivol. Attempting to hold his ground in the second, Arthur became more available. A rapid-fire flurry momentarily troubled the challenger and put him back in the box offensively. Bivol pursued with serious intent and there wasn’t much coming back from the Englishman. The pattern was set and anytime Arthur showed ambition, he was attacked by furious fists and put in his place. Bivol’s feet were magnificent as he consistently cut the ring off on his opponent, selecting the correct punches at the correct times. Arthur appeared dazzled by what was in front of him and had no answers other than an infrequent left hand. It wasn’t vintage Bivol by any means, but it was still several levels above what the challenger could deal with. Although Arthur absorbed sustained punishment from the opening bell, he was proving durable, and ringsiders were surprised that he reached the midway point. When Bivol trapped his man against the ropes in round seven, he released a pulverising sequence of shots to head and body for over 20 seconds. Again, Arthur absorbed all of it, found a little bit of space, and got back on the retreat. Bivol, eager to impress, was beginning to look frustrated. In the eighth, Arthur was all but lingering when Bivol suddenly retreated following a brief exchange where he shipped a right to the body. Arthur followed with a nice right, but it was small solace, and the Russian boxer-puncher was teeing off again by the end of the rounds. The problem for Bivol was that his opponent was so defensive that he had nothing to counter. The champ tried his best to open Arthur up but could not find a decisive blow to end the argument. Arthur seemed intent on lasting, not winning, so a distance fight was looking championship rounds were rolling by when Bivol mixed in the left to the body that sent Arthur to his knees, although the Manchester boxer bravely regrouped to go the distance. With Arthur dispatched, attention will now turn to the long-awaited undisputed showdown between Bivol and IBF, WBC, and WBO counterpart Artur Beterbiev. Both men faced off for the cameras in Riyadh during Fury-Ngannou fight week and the hope is that Saudi Arabia can swat politics aside with the requisite finance to make this one a reality. However, Beterbiev must first get past former WBA, WBC and Ring Magazine super middleweight champion Callum Smith in Quebec City on January 13. That could be a tough test for the 39-year-old boxer-puncher because Smith has brought his vaunted hitting power up to 175 pounds and is very confident of springing the upset on away soil. “I believe [I’ll get the winner of Beterbiev vs. Smith],” said Bivol. “Whoever wins, I want them. It’s not personal. [Saudi Arabia] wants to make great fights.“ Arthur, a former Commonwealth champion, falls to 23-2 (16 KOs).
