Day of Reckoning round-up: Dmitry Bivol enjoys routine win over Lyndon Arthur, Filip Hrgovic defeats Mark de Mori

WBA light heavyweight champion Dmitry Bivol cruised to a unanimous decision victory over Britain’s IBO world champion Lyndon Arthur at ‘Day of Reckoning’.

Bivol, who announced himself to the wider boxing world with an impressive win over Canelo Alvarez at light heavyweight, continues to wait for the chance to face fellow Russian Artur Beterbiev, who holds the other three belts at 175lbs.

He was up against Lyndon Arthur, a British fighter who briefly took the WBO interim status from Anthony Yarde.

Arthur was the clear underdog going into a fight against an experienced, undefeated contender and it was clear from the off that he was being sized up.

Bivol was last in action in 2022 when he fought Gilberto Ramirez, winning comfortably, and he kept his WBA title to fight off any worries of inactivity ahead of a bigger fight in 2024.

The 33-year-old Bivol started with confidence and competence, as he was hit fewer than 10 times in the first round by the IBO champ, and in the second he found his way around – rather than through – Arthur’s guard.

Bivol had hand surgery earlier in the year, but any concerns over his comfort were quickly dispelled as he jabbed relentlessly, and after the first five rounds he looked to have won every round so far.

By the seventh, the WBA champion had barely broken a sweat and looked comfortable between rounds, but the eighth threw up a change of pace as Arthur connected with a decent body shot, and Bivol responded with a flurry of blows.

In the 11th, Bivol forced the action and sent Arthur to the canvas with a powerful combination of shots to the body, with Arthur on the canvas for an eight count before the bell.

In the 12th, Bivol attempted to finish things for good early on and the referee looked to be waiting for one heavy punch as a reason to end things, but Arthur found a clinch and was able to resist a late flurry to take the fight the distance, before the judges gave a unanimous 120-107 victory on all scorecards. A unification fight against Beterbeiv beckons next year.

Filip Hrgovic marked the ‘Day of Reckoning’ with an easy victory over Mark de Mori earlier in the evening.

The Croatian, ranked No. 1 by the IBF and the next mandatory challenger in line for heavyweight champion Oleksandr Usyk, defeated his opponent with ease with a TKO in the first round.

Few expected the Australian to trouble Hrgovic and the referee called time on the contest inside two minutes with a long-range right hand, as his camp threw in the towel.

This stay-busy fight will keep Hrgovic sharp as he waits for the fallout from the long-awaited undisputed match-up between Usyk and WBC champion Tyson Fury, who are expected to meet in early 2024.

Earlier in the night, the former IBF cruiserweight champion Jai Opetaia, who vacated his belt in order to stopped Ellis Zorro. The Australian had been stripped of his IBF title after failing to fight the mandatory challenger, but defended his Ring magazine belt in some style with a devastating left hook in the first round.

The 31-year-old now has 14 stoppages from his 17 fights.

Arslanbek Makhmudov suffered as stoppage defeat to Agit Kabayel, the European heavyweight champion, with the 34-year-old Russian looking to announce himself to a wider audience and move up the rankings.

In the fourth round, Makhmudov had to take a nine count in the corner as Kabayel unleashed a series of heavy blows, and he forced him to take his knee again, and for a third time to force the victory.

Kabayel was rewarded for his patience and his stamina, but the bigger man’s lack of fitness will lead to questions about whether he can rebuild his career to challenge for a title once more.

Earlier in the evening, Frank Sanchez met Junior Fa in the curtain-raising bout.

Sanchez kicked off the undercard with a seventh round TKO win over Fa. After a cagey opening six rounds, Sanchez caught him with a right cross and the momentum swung decisively in his favour.

Following another brutal combination from the Cuban, he applied a finishing blow with a devastating right hand to continue his unbeaten record after 25 fights.

In the two main events, Deontay Wilder suffered a surprise defeat to fellow former world champion, New Zealand’s Joseph Parker, and Anthony Joshua battered Otto Wallin into a retirement before the start of the sixth round to round off the evening.

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