Artur Beterbiev continues to dispute the outcome of his rematch against Dmitry Bivol, maintaining that his performance in the second encounter surpassed his showing in their initial bout.
The former undisputed light heavyweight champion has explicitly expressed his desire for a third fight, asserting his confidence that he would deliver an even more dominant performance should the rivalry be settled in a trilogy.
“I want a rubber match. If third fight happens, I will do better than both of them. I believe I won the second fight better than the first one,” Beterbiev told the Inside Ring Show.
Beterbiev originally secured the undisputed light heavyweight championship by defeating Bivol via majority decision in October 2024. However, four months later, Bivol secured redemption with a majority decision victory in their rematch, handing Beterbiev the first loss of his professional career and evening the series at one win each.
Both championship bouts were incredibly competitive, leaving fans and media analysts divided over the judging. Beterbiev has remained steadfast in his conviction that he earned the victory in the rematch, despite the official scorecards.
While a third fight has been a topic of discussion since the conclusion of the rematch, no official agreement has been reached. The resolution of this rivalry could also impact the trajectory of WBC light heavyweight champion David Benavidez, who has frequently been linked to a potential matchup against the winner of the Beterbiev-Bivol saga.
