Boxing never seems to be that far from controversy and Bivol fans were certainly pushing the 'robbery' narrative.
Like any term, using it too loosely means you lose the impact of the word and that would certainly be the case if 'robbery' is thrown around every time your favourite fighter loses. It is no surprise that Dmitry Bivol's promoter will feel that way, while the commentating was pretty biased on the night and might have influenced some, but to suggest Dmitry Bivol had won easily seems far from the case.
Cards on the table, I actually scored the fight 116-112 to Artur Beterbiev.
It was close going into the Championship Rounds and in reality that is where the fight was going to be won or lost on my personal scorecard, but Artur Beterbiev seemed to go through the gears and Dmitry Bivol wilted a little bit.
If you think 115-113 is not a bad score, just remember 116-112 means one more Round going in favour of the victor. Those who say they could have seen 115-113 either way or even a draw means they accept there were some swing Rounds and the feeling that Bivol had been 'robbed' seems to be mainly from those in the UK rather than the States and the commentating has to have influenced that.
Boxing scorecards can be poor- in the United Kingdom there have been some shocking scores turned in over recent years, but a Majority Decision in favour of Artur Beterbiev is far from the case. You might have felt Bivol had done enough, which is fair enough, but to completely dismiss the fact that Beterbiev could have one more Round than a 'good' 115-113 scorecard is just mind-boggling.
The fight was a good one and I do think both Boxers will feel they can do better in a rematch, which makes that a natural target for the teams and the promoters. It would not be a surprise if we are to see that in the first half of 2025 and that should allow the contenders the time to line up behind Beterbiev and Bivol.
If reports are correct, David Benavidez and David Morrell are going to face each other in what should be a brilliant fight early in the next year.
And the hope if that Joshua Buatsi and Anthony Yarde can finally meet in what is a monster UK fight, but one that would also have the WBO Interim World Title on the line. The latter is returning this week to shake off the ring rust on a Boxxer run card and that brings the Buatsi fight that much closer to fruition, one that would sell the O2 Arena in London without any issues.
Adam Azim being back in action is also a positive with a big year predicted for the young fighter in 2025 and beyond, while I am looking forward to the return of Tim Tsyzu who is chasing some of the biggest names in the next year.
The main event ended in favour of Artur Beterbiev, but not in the fashion picked on these pages, although it was still a positive night for the Boxing Picks to get the numbers moving back in a positive direction.
With a little over two months left in this calendar year, there is still work to do to secure a profitable year, but it was a positive week and hopefully another one to come.
Adam Azim vs Ohara Davies
The face off with Harlem Eubank was supposed to see Adam Azim return to the ring a couple of months ago, but the contract did not quite make it over the line and instead the step up comes against Ohara Davies.
Big things are expected of Adam Azim and his team are refusing to allow him to be pushed ahead too quickly.
It was the main reason they decided to give up the European Light Welterweight Title rather than face Dalton Smith, although that fight is likely to come sooner than later. We should have Dalton Smith in the Arena for this bout, but Boxxer and Adam Azim will be not be told what to do and the focus is on the career of what looks to be a special talent.
Ultimately the question of how special will be answered as the step up in level is made and he is facing an opponent who has fought previous World Champions.
Ohara Davies was blitzed in the defeat to Ismael Barroso back in January, but his three defeats have been against solid competition. The first was a Stoppage loss to Josh Taylor, the second a Points defeat to Jack Catterall and the most recent was against Barroso, who had Rolly Romero in a lot of trouble before a controversial referee Stoppage.
He is a puncher and will be very familiar with Adam Azim- they are friends outside of the ring, although Davies has taken some offence to being selected as the next fight for the rising star.
It should give him some motivation, but it can be said that Ohara Davies has not really beaten anyone of note for a long time now. The win over Lewis Ritson put him in a position to fight Ismael Barroso, but Adam Azim is far better than Ritson and this is a significant test for Davies to show how much he has left.
You have to wonder if Ohara Davies has lost some of the punch resistance having been hurt so early against Ismael Barroso, especially as Adam Azim is pretty sharp and accurate.
The friendship should not be a major factor in the bout and Adam Azim will be looking to show he is ready to take the next step in his career. He has shown he can move through the gears pretty quickly once in the ring and the price on a first half Stoppage looks worth taking in this one.
The feeling is that Ohara Davies may want to push the pace early to try and rattle the youngster, but that could see him move onto something big and Azim can perhaps beat Josh Taylor's mark to the Stoppage against this opponent.
The undercard features some big names, but it is really an opportunity for the likes of Anthony Yarde and a couple of the female fighters to get active.
The standout looks to be involving other Light Heavyweights not named Anthony Yarde and that is the one featuring Lewis Edmondson and Dan Azeez with the vacant British Title on the line.
We know things can change very quickly in Boxing and it feels a long time ago that Dan Azeez was fighting Joshua Buatsi.
It was a bout that took place in early February, but Azeez came up short and was not at his best when returning in June and perhaps being fortunate to escape with a Draw.
He is facing an unbeaten opponent and they will be familiar with one another having faced off in the amateurs when Lewis Edmondson was able to win a Split Decision against Dan Azeez.
Lewis Edmondson is unbeaten, but he has only been involved in a single fight that has moved past the Sixth Round and this is a considerable step in terms of level.
You know someone like Dan Azeez will look to push the tempo and keep the pressure on and the veteran may have the experience to just break down Lewis Edmondson as this fight moves into the second half of the fight.
All in all, it is suprising to see Dan Azeez as the underdog in this bout and he has to be worth a small interest to come out and pressurise Lewis Edmondson for long enough to break him down. It was Dan Azeez who held this British Light Heavyweight Title before the loss to Joshua Buatsi and he can pick up the Belt again against his unbeaten opponent.
The return of Tim Tszyu is going to be very welcomed, even if he has fallen out of favour with Turki Alalshikh having failed to recover from a gruesome cut in time to take on Vergil Ortiz Jr.
The fact that Tszyu signed up to fight Ortiz Jr after the cut suffered against Sebastian Fundora tells me everything about the character of the Australian, a very likeable fighter.
Even taking on Fundora on short notice should be given a lot of respect and Tim Tsyzu could have easily asked the referee to stop the fight after suffering a cut that bled profusely almost immediately. Instead, the Champion decided to do all he can to avoid losing his unbeaten record and he deserves the chance to bring a World Title back Down Under.
It is the IBF World Title on the line and the hope is that Tim Tsyzu can get back to winning ways before targeting big names in a loaded Light Middleweight Division. Terence Crawford and Errol Spence Jr have joined the Division, while the rematch with Sebastian Fundora will be something that Tsyzu will target.
However, it is very important to not overlook the current IBF Champion, even if Bakhram Murtazaliev has perhaps not fought anyone of this level before. He is unbeaten and anyone who has watched him fight should be aware of the potential of the Champion.
Sixteen Stoppages in twenty-two wins has to be respected and there is every chance that this is going to be fan-friendly contest.
It may end up being a battle of wills and the bout should be highly competitive, although the edge has to be with Tim Tsyzu who may be slightly better at the same things that Bakhram Murtazaliev will want to do. The toughness of both cannot be underestimated and so a small interest in the former World Champion winning this one in a competitive Decision looks the call.
MY PICKS: Adam Azim to Win Between 1-6 @ 2.87 Paddy Power (1 Unit)
Dan Azeez @ 2.30 Bet Fred (1 Unit)
Tim Tsyzu to Win By Decision/Technical Decision @ 3.00 Sky Bet (1 Unit)
Boxing 2024: 30-50, + 12.44 Units (106 Units Staked, + 11.74% Yield)
