It was a fight everyone wanted to see. It was a fight that lived up to its hype. But it seems it has now become the fight that has divided fans along clear lines. For a change, it was a first for him, but over two grueling rounds, Artur Beterbiev handed over Dmitry Bivol his first career defeat. The clash for the light heavyweight division’s undisputed title took place at Riyadh’s Kingdom Arena on October 12.

Thankfully most agree—it was a tightly contested battle. As the fight progressed, it increasingly became clear that Beterbiev, a perennial late starter, was not going to have his way as he usually does. Nevertheless, until the championship rounds, it seemed that the match could go either way. But this is boxing—there can only be one winner, and on Saturday night, it was Artur Beterbiev. The scorecards left a bitter taste, especially for those who believed Bivol had done enough to achieve what many had predicted would be a near-impossible win. So how to ensure such mishaps, if there were any, do not recur? Some time ago, coach Kenny Ellis shared a bold proposal through his Instagram stories.

Kenny Ellis: Time to challenge the assessor!

Gervonta Davis‘ longtime trainer minced no words. Calling out the final decision of the three judges as ‘terrible’, in no uncertain terms he stated that Dmitry Bivol had won the fight. Sheer disappointment reflected in his message as he asked, “Is it any honest people left?”

Then came the shocker. Check this out: “Boxing judges should be drug tested before and after championship fights, just like the fighters.” Okay, fighters and athletes do need to clear voluntary and mandatory tests for banned substances. But for those who review their performance? Now that must have raised quite a few eyebrows, for sure.

Nevertheless, Coach Ellis may not be the first person to have raised questions about the judges’ decisions. Fans might recall how an outcry followed when super featherweight champion O’Shaquie Foster lost his title defense in the most controversial manner to Robson Conceicao. Finally, the WBC stepped in and ordered a rematch scheduled to take place on November 2.

But keeping aside the judges’ decision, as former world champion and International Boxing Hall of Famer Carl Froch shared on his podcast, even if one contends with the 114-114 draw and 115-113 score favoring Beterbiev, the score of 116-112, again for Beterbiev, might come across a bit off the mark.

Missed the point, please.

Froch reasoned logically that Bivol might have lost the last few rounds. Staying true to his style, Beterbiev started gaining ground, especially during the championship rounds. It became increasingly clear that Bivol had started to exhaust his energy reserves. But still 116-112? Froch observed, “116 112 um against Bivol, which I thought was a bit wide.”

According to Froch, it would mean that out of the 12, Dmitry Bivol had conceded four rounds to Artur Beterbiev. However, from what he and many others observed, it was far removed from that case. He added, “That’s out of order, I think in my opinion,” further stressing, “The wrong man got his hand held. I think the best case you could make for Beterbiev in that fight would have been a draw.”

Reportedly, both Beterbiev and Bivol appear agreeable to a rematch. If that’s the case, then it should happen soon, especially considering the fact that by January, the new undisputed champion will turn forty years old. So fans might get a chance to see who eventually emerges as a clear winner.

Maybe not the drug tests, as Coach Ellis emphasized, but do you think an assessment for judges is the need of the hour?