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RIYADH, Saudi Arabia — Artur Beterbiev beat Dmitry Bivol by a points decision to become the first undisputed light-heavyweight champion in the division for more than 20 years.
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The 39-year-old Beterbiev (21-0, 20 KOs) had won all 20 of his previous fights by knockout but was forced the distance by his fellow Russian rival in Riyadh in the early hours of Sunday morning in a fight that had several swings of momentum and was almost too close to call.
In the end, two judges scored it 115-113, 116-112 for Beterbiev, with a third judge scoring it as a 114-114 draw.
It was the first undisputed title fight in the division since 2002 and was the first time all four major world titles — WBO, WBA, IBF and WBC — have been up for grabs in the four-belt era.
They now all belong to Beterbiev.
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