RIYADH (Reuters) – Russian-born Canadian Artur Beterbiev was crowned boxing’s undisputed light-heavyweight world champion after beating Russian rival Dmitry Bivol on a majority points decision in Saudi Arabia on Sunday.
Both were previously undefeated before the fight in Riyadh, with 33-year-old Bivol holding the WBA belt and Beterbiev, 39, the reigning WBC, WBO and IBF champion.
The headline clash at the Saudi capital’s Kingdom Arena, postponed from June after Montreal-based Beterbiev suffered a knee injury, put the four recognised major belts in the hands of one man for the first time.
The last undisputed light-heavyweight champion was American Roy Jones Jr. who beat Reggie Johnson to unify the WBA, WBC and IBF belts in 1999.
(Reporting by Alan Baldwin in London, editing by Toby Davis)
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