ARTUR BETERBIEV was told “you have to knock him out” by his own corner – just minutes before beating Dmitry Bivol on points.

Beterbiev slugged it out with his fellow Russian in Riyadh on Saturday night in their light-heavyweight world title showdown.

6

6

Advertisement

It looked as though Bivol was on his way to securing the belts with most viewers having him far enough ahead on their own mental scorecards.

And even Beterbiev’s team appeared to agree that their man was behind in the latter stages.

So much so that it is understood they were telling the 39-year-old veteran that he had to go for broke to stop Bivol inside the 12 rounds in order to maintain his unbeaten record and become undisputed champ.

However, Beterbiev could not secure the knockout as the final bell sounded and it came down to the judges’ scorecards.

And eyebrows were raised when it was controversially given to Beterbiev on a majority decision.

One judge had it 114-114 but the others went with 115-113 and 116-112 to Beterbiev.

Bivol’s gutted promotor Eddie Hearn let rip at the result – and cited the victor’s camp’s comments in the corner as evidence.

Hearn said: “In one of the biggest fights of our generation and in the most important fight in Dmitry Bivol‘s life you give him FOUR rounds?

CASINO SPECIAL – BEST CASINO WELCOME OFFERS

“It’s absolutely disgusting.

“You heard in the tenth round ‘you have to knock him out to win this fight’.

“They knew Artur Beterbiev lost this fight. I’m absolutely baffled and disgusted by a scorecard of 116-112.

“I don’t want to disrespect Artur Beterbiev but Dmitry Bivol should be the undisputed champion tonight and that judge should never work again.

“Four rounds in a fight of that magnitude is disgusting.”

Fans watching the fight on TV were also furious at the outcome.

One said: “Beterbiev’s corner last two rounds, ‘You have to knock him out,’ implying they know they are going to lose. And then there goes that judge with his 116-112 scorecard. It’s just indefensible.”

Another wrote: “In the ninth and tenth rounds, Arthur’s corner kept telling him ‘you have to knock him out’ – that basically means you are losing and you have to put his a** to sleep.”

A third added: “There’s no bigger Beterbiev fan than me and that was one of the worst robberies I’ve ever seen in boxing. That’s insane.”

A fourth commented: “Can’t call it a robbery when it’s close, but Bivol deserved to win. He killed the threat of Beterbiev, and schooled him in some moments. There’s a reason Beterbievs’ corner told him ‘you have to knock him out’ in the last rounds…”

And a final user fumed: “F*** BOXING. Bivol has just produced one of the best 12-round performances I’ve ever seen and won that fight easily it’s an absolute robbery. 116-112 to Beterbiev is the worst card of all time.”

Today I am lucky

Artur Beterbiev

Even Beterbiev admitted he was “lucky” to win the fight.

But he did respond to the accusations of his corner’s comments about needing a knockout.

The champ insisted that is just their standard practice for the man who had won all 20 of his previous professional bouts by knockout.

Beterbiev said: “They always say that.

“I was more focused but not more aggressive. It’s my experience and I am happy. I am a very simple boxer.

“I feel not bad. I did not good today.

“I wanted to box with more quality. I’ll be better one day. It was a little bit uncomfortable.

“Of course, it was a tough fight because Dmitry is a tough champion and he has tough skills, better than me.

“During the fight, we always try to change something. I didn’t deliver more punches, I don’t know. Today I am lucky too.”

6

6

6

Advertisement

6

Max Verstappen says he was baffled by the rumours swirling over the summer on Red Bull’s alleged use of asymmetric braking, and addressed rival Formula 1 teams trying to stir up trouble.

After a dominant start to 2024, Red Bull’s fortunes took a turn for the worse around May’s Miami Grand Prix, when McLaren brought a major upgrade package that revamped its MCL38 into a race-winning car, while Red Bull says it went down a wrong development path with its RB20.

Red Bull initially struggled to respond to its downturn in competitiveness, with its last win now dating back to Verstappen’s triumph in June’s Spanish Grand Prix, and has only just started turning the corner on its car’s handling issues in recent races.

Speculation over the source of Red Bull’s form dip mounted in the summer when the FIA tightened up its regulations around asymmetric braking, effectively closing a loophole for the 2026 regulations and retroactively applying the new phrasing to this year’s rulebook.

The FIA further confirmed the rule change had not been prompted by a current team using a system that the new wording outlawed, but that didn’t stop speculation from suggesting it was Red Bull that had been using a solution that it then had to remove from the RB20.

Speaking exclusively to Motorsport.com, Verstappen reflected on the whole episode, and the flak his world championship-winning team received, with some amusement. “People always come up with different stuff,” he said. “I find it really bizarre how they come up with some of these things, but it is what it is. It’s part of the game, but I usually just let it go.

Max Verstappen, Red Bull Racing

Photo by: Lionel Ng / Motorsport Images

“I’ve been in F1 for 10 years now and I’m not wasting time on all those stories. I mean, I barely read anything about F1 anyway. Of course, sometimes I see something or someone else tells me: “Did you see what this and that person said?’ But I always say people can think what they want, I’m not going to waste my energy on that. So, I don’t really care about what other people say.”

Red Bull also caught flak from rival teams over its form dip and its off-track power struggles, which prompted McLaren CEO Zak Brown to say that Red Bull had been “destabilised”. He later described the team as a “pretty toxic” environment.

“People that say all sorts of stuff should just focus on their own team,” Verstappen replied when the subject was brought up. “That’s nothing specifically against Zak Brown, by the way, it applies to everyone. People just need to focus on themselves, and that’s what I’m doing as well.”

The Red Bull – McLaren rivalry has now also ignited on track, with McLaren overtaking Red Bull in the constructors’ championship and Lando Norris challenging Verstappen for the drivers’ title, including a collision between the pair in Austria. But the Dutchman doesn’t think things will get as tense as they were during a fraught 2021 title clash with Lewis Hamilton and Mercedes.

“Yes, because right now we still have four teams at the front, while back then you just had the same two people up front,” he explained. “Of course, 2021 was my first world championship, so that was very different already. I think I’m a bit more relaxed about it now.

“Of course, I want to win and of course, I’m going to do my best to defend that [52-point] lead. But the feeling is very different from 2021.”

England: Kildunne; Westcombe-Evans, Rowland, Heard, Breach; Aitchison, Hunt; Botterman, Cokayne, Muir, Aldcroft, Galligan, Feaunati, M Packer (capt), Matthews.

Replacements: Atkin-Davies, Carson, Bern, Ward, Talling, L Packer, Harrison, Scarratt.

Sin-bins: Kildunne (44), Westcombe-Evans (58)

Canada: Schell; Hogan-Rochester, Seumanutafa, Tessier (capt), Farries; Gallagher, Pelletier; Hunt, Tuttosi, Menin, Holtkamp, Royer, Buisa, Forteza, Senft.

Replacements: Cline, Kassil, Ellis, Beukeboom, Omokhuale, Apps, Corrigan, Bermudez.

Uruguay boss Marcelo Bielsa says his “authority was affected” when Luis Suarez criticised his coaching style.

Suarez, who retired from international football in September, said earlier this month Bielsa had “divided the whole group” and some players were considering quitting.

In an interview with Latin American broadcaster DSports, Uruguay’s all-time leading scorer also asked “the fans not to take it out on the players when things go wrong” because “the players will reach a limit and they will explode” under the Argentine’s working conditions.

“As for how the situation affected me, I don’t ignore what happened, and I know that my authority was affected in some way,” said Bielsa after Saturday’s defeat by Peru.

Uruguay lost 1-0 in the Fifa World Cup qualifier, but remain third in the overall standings, behind Argentina and Colombia, with 15 points from nine games.

“What happened during the week does not condition or explain how we played, nor do I think it has had an effect because it was a week with a lot of effervescence,” added the former Leeds United boss.

“It didn’t alter the conviction with which the match was prepared and the way the group and the coaching staff worked. The preparation was the same as always.”

Suarez had also criticised the treatment of midfielder Agustin Canobbio, who was forced to train as a ball boy and a spare man during the 2024 Copa America, and staff not being allowed to greet or eat with the team.

Bielsa was sacked by Leeds in February 2022 but became known for his intense training sessions and meticulous level of detail during his time at the Elland Road club.

He was appointed Uruguay boss in May 2023 to build a strong team for the 2026 World Cup.

Uruguay face Ecuador next on Tuesday at the Estadio Centenario.

Continue reading with advertising …

… or with a subscription

Visit motorsport.com as usual with advertising and tracking. You can revoke your consent at any time via the data protection page.¹

Use motorsport.com without any advertising banners, personalized tracking and commercials for a small fee.

Accept and continue

More information about advertising and tracking in our Data protection notice, the List of our partners and in Data protection information center.

Already a subscriber?

Log in here

FRAZER CLARKE will undergo an operation to repair his jaw and cheekbone.

Clarke, 33, suffered a brutal first-round knockout at the hands of Fabio Wardley in the Saudi Arabia rematch last night.

2

2

Advertisement

A huge hit from Wardley crashed into Clarke’s jaw, seemingly putting it out of place, while there was a sizeable dent in the side of his head.

Big Fraze was tended to by medics inside the ring once it was waved off by the referee and he was rushed to hospital.

Frank Warren later confirmed the beaten fighter had suffered a suspected fractured cheekbone, explaining the dent in his head.

And now it has been announced he will have surgery to fix the damage to his face.

THIS IS A DEVELOPING STORY..

The Sun is your go to destination for the best football, boxing and MMA news, real-life stories, jaw-dropping pictures and must-see video.Like us on Facebook at https://www.facebook.com/TheSunFootball and follow us from our main Twitter account at @TheSunFootball.