Russia’s Dmitry Bivol stayed composed after his shocking loss to compatriot Artur Beterbiev on Saturday night. However, his manager Vadim Kornilov is not about to sit still with the disparity in the judges’ scorecard from the fight. Even though it seemed like the former WBA light heavyweight champion had done enough to win the fight, the official results were surprising. 

After 12 rounds of back-and-forth battle, Judge Glenn Feldman scored the fight 113-115 in Beterbiev’s favor, and Judge Manuel Oliver Palomo saw the fight a 114-114 draw. However, Judge Pawel Kardyni seems to have been watching a different fight altogether, as he scored the bout 112-116 in Beterbiev’s favor. 

The boxing world immediately erupted with allegations of robbery and incompetence, as many took to social media to express their disdain. Meanwhile, Kornilov appeared in an interview with Box Nation alongside Bivol, where he explained his intentions to protest the majority decision loss, especially the scorecard from Kardyni, on Monday. 

“I think the judge has to at least have some kind of responsibility for what he did. It’s becoming very destructive to the sport what they’re doing,” Kornilov said from out of view of the camera. “These [sanctioning bodies] have supervisors, the supervisors are friendly with the judges, they’re hugging the promoters, it’s beginning to look like a scheme…”

Kornilov made serious allegations, claiming he witnessed a supervisor from one of the sanctioning bodies congratulating members of Top Rank, Beterbiev’s promoter, even before the official decision was announced. This raised concerns for Bivol’s promoter, who questioned the integrity and professionalism of those involved.

He asked, “What is that about? What kind of buddy-buddy relationship do they have there? Where is the professionalism of the sport?” While it’s yet to be seen whether this protest bears any fruit for Bivol, the statement from Kornilov caught a journalist’s attention, who quickly rallied behind the manager in his quest. 

Jake Donovan shares grim take on protest for the Dmitry Bivol vs. Artur Beterbiev decision

Reacting to the statement from Bivol’s manager, Ring Magazine’s Jake Donovan didn’t feel the protest would lead to anything. “These protests normally don’t go anywhere,” he said. “But I like the fact that Vadim at least calls for some form of judging reform by making that one official explain his card.”

It’s worth noting that despite what the fight seemed like, it was extremely close, as both men were separated by four or fewer punches in eight rounds of the full 12 rounds. Over the distance of the fight, Bivol only out-landed Beterbiev with just five punches. Regardless, Donovan continued, “This should be a regular thing with officials. Some commissions follow up; far too many do not.”

It appears the judge from Poland has found himself in quite a predicament after scoring the Dmitry Bivol vs. Artur Beterbiev fight. It’s yet to be seen whether any investigation or action is taken to modify the fight results. Until then, we would like your input on the matter.