Artur Beterbiev at 39-years of age realized a life long ambition tonight and became undisputed world light-heavyweight champion.
It was a very good fight he had with Dmitry Bivol too, a razor close one.
Speaking at the post-fight presser Beterbiev opened up on the win:
“Host: Congratulations, you deserve it! What does this victory mean to you?
Beterbiev: Uh, for Riyadh’s season, to host such a big boxing event for extraordinary people, it’s incredible. You said you’re not a great boxer, but no, you’re one of the greatest boxers in the world! Even the guy who lost the fight—I’m sorry, I forgot his name, but anyway, with all due respect to both of them—what does this win mean to you today? You made history for yourself and for your country.
Beterbiev: To be honest, being in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, I never dreamed I would fight here, and now I’ve become the undisputed world champion here. It’s amazing. Every day we’ve been here with our team, everything has been the best—the best in the world. It’s not just words; it’s really true. I’m truly honored to become the undisputed world champion here. Thank you to the fans—from Saudi Arabia and all around the world. This is a big moment. Alhamdulillah, thank you.
Host: Your opponent wasn’t happy with his own performance. What did you make of it, and what does he need to improve if there’s a rematch?
Beterbiev: Well, we’re going to sit down and let things rest a bit. This was his first step; he’s been preparing for this fight for, let’s say, 15 weeks. We’ll review everything before we make any decisions. He knows, and I know, that we did well, but we believe we can do even better. We’re happy with all the belts, but come Monday morning, we need to find a new objective, a new challenge, and keep pushing forward. I’m not complaining about the performance or the camp—I’m just saying that I didn’t do everything we prepared for. It’s impossible to execute everything perfectly.
Beterbiev: Can I speak in Russian? [Switches to Russian briefly.]
Host: Congratulations on your victory tonight. What do you feel was the turning point in the fight? A lot of people thought Dmitry Bivol started strong. What was your strategy to turn it in your favor?
Beterbiev: You know, sometimes I need a couple of rounds to wake up, like today. It was the same thing—I needed a few rounds to get into the fight. Sometimes I wake up right away, but today it took a bit of time.
[Applause]
Interviewer: A quick question for Mark and Arthur—this is the culmination of a 10-year journey for you guys. Can you speak about your working relationship and how you feel in this moment after all these years?
Mark: We started working together about 10 years ago. It’s been a long journey. We always had small objectives; we never imagined we’d reach this point today. We took things one step at a time, from one goal to the next, and here we are. But like I said earlier, we’re not the type of team to be satisfied with this. Come Monday morning, we’ll set new goals and keep pushing. You need motivation in boxing. If you go on cruise control because you’re satisfied with the titles, that’s the beginning of the end. We don’t want that; we need to focus on new objectives and keep going.
Host: Arthur, what can you say about your team? They’ve been around you all week, supporting you.
Beterbiev: My team is great. They’re really good.
Host: Thank you, ladies and gentlemen. Congratulations to your undefeated light heavyweight champion!”
Surely a part two is on the order for 2025.
Based on the highlights and fan sentiment, and the fight, any boxing fan will surely welcome a rematch next year.
