Be patient.

When discussing a fighter who had knocked out every opponent he had fought before his most recent encounter, it’s not the first term that springs to mind.

Patience has been the hallmark of Artur Beterbiev’s 175-pound title reign. Throughout his seven-year stint as champion, he never wavered in his belief that the day would come when he would have every piece of pertinent light heavyweight hardware.

On October 12, he finally reached that moment when he defeated Dmitry Bivol to capture the RING title and unify the 175-pound class.

“This dream has always been with me, since I first won the IBF belt,” Beterbiev said to The Ring. “I never wavered in my belief that this day would arrive.

“Now that it happened a few days ago, I’m overjoyed.”

His triumphant and modest demeanor was apparent upon hearing his name called as the winner of the majority decision at Kingdom Arena in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia. For the first time in his career, Beterbiev (21-0, 20 knockouts) went the entire distance. He had always avoided going to the scorecards, but he knew that one day this day would come.

It was anticipated that Beterbiev will have to employ some new techniques against Bivol (23-1, 12 KOs). Unbeaten, they are widely considered as the world’s top two light heavyweight fighters and among the greatest in the sport, pound for pound.

Even though he has frequently done so over his protracted reign, Beterbiev never anticipates crushing his opponents. No matter who he fights at or around light heavyweight, he will always be the fighter with greater physical strength. Bivol was thought to be the superior pure boxer on paper and did have a size advantage.

Whether that last bit is still relevant after twelve championship rounds is still up for discussion. Beterbiev at least provided a lot of information about his potential response in the event that his opponent refused to give up.

Beterbiev stated, “I was happy that this fight went twelve rounds.” “Because I have to demonstrate that I simply don’t go looking for the win.” Every argument is always the same. It is acceptable if it occurs.

“If not, we proved that we can win by boxing well for twelve rounds as well.”

Beterbiev’s greatest victory of his illustrious but unsatisfactory career came after having to box—and fight—throughout all twelve rounds.

Bivol managed to take the lead right away. Moreover, after nine rounds, he led on all three scorecards.

The counsel from Beterbiev’s corner before the eleventh round began has received a lot of attention. Well-known head trainer Marc Ramsay told his pupil that a knockout was required to win.

There is always a sense of urgency in any world-class corner. Hall of Famer and multiple Trainer of the Year winner Freddie Roach frequently orders his ward to “put ’em on his ass” prior to the championship round. In a crunch, the majority of expert trainers know how to extract the maximum performance from their fighter.

That’s what happened in the corner of Beterbiev. The 39-year-old intimidating Russian, who is a world-class fighter, answered back in kind.

Beterbiev said, “I wasn’t thinking about the scores, but I didn’t think I was losing.” “I was more preoccupied with the battle. In the final few rounds, I exerted my maximum effort. Sincerely, you ought to always have sufficient energy to complete the fight in those two or three rounds. It is crucial that your energy levels drop after the battle.

“Those final rounds are when you give it your all. When my corner instructed me to win, I followed through. I always need a knockout, they say. I understood that to mean finishing the struggle with all of my energies. After the twelfth round, you won’t require that much energy. It’s essential to winning the battle.

Interestingly, Beterbiev’s first title victory was the closest he ever got to going the distance as a professional.

In their November 2017 IBF light heavyweight title battle in Fresno, California, Enrico Koelling was completely outclassed. But when the final round’s bell rang, the German competitor finally saw the light.

Beterbiev was aware that his rival was not there to win the title at stake, but rather to survive. With just 37 seconds remaining in the match, he put an end to that with two knockdowns that forced the stoppage.

After more than ten months off while Beterbiev recovered from shoulder surgery, the match itself signaled the end of the break. The Russian Olympian from 2008 and 2012 just engaged in his 12th professional bout while competing for his first significant championship after more than four years in the business.

A worldwide pandemic, sicknesses, and injuries would all further slow his progress. Since he first won the IBF title, Beterbiev has only engaged in nine fights.

The secret was to always make an impression when he arrived in the ring. In their October 2019 lineal/WBC/IBF unification contest, he did it against Oleksandr Gvozdyk, the then undefeated lineal/WBC champ. Before stopping Gvozdyk in the tenth round, Beterbiev was behind on two of the three scorecards following nine rounds.

He would not play again for another 17 months, but it was his best hour as a professional. His IBF-ordered required championship defense was delayed by the pandemic and several other issues, to the point where an opponent had to be switched. Finally, in March 2021, he started working again. Beterbiev added the WBO belt to his collection two fights later.

After three fights, Beterbiev emerged as the unchallenged champion of the light heavyweight class, dominating the newest hotspot in boxing.

“Unfortunately, sports injuries are a common occurrence. Beterbiev pointed out that delays are a part of the sport. “There’s a purpose behind everything that comes our way.

Ultimately, it resulted in an excellent outcome. I never stopped working out and waiting for this chance to come for my career.

Beterbiev’s recovery from a knee injury and subsequent surgery caused a four-month delay to even this point. Even then, he was scheduled to confront Bivol in June, a confrontation that most believed would never happen before 2024.

The advent of Turki Alalshikh and the Riyadh Season group, who have made significant investments in the sport, altered this dynamic. Furthermore, the team has worked hard to get championship matches at the greatest possible level.

For the past 22 years and counting, the light heavyweight category is still fragmented in the absence of this present movement.

Soon after his victory that changed his career, Beterbiev was able to fully accept his faith and move forward in life thanks to it.

Indeed, it added a little extra specialness to this moment. Saudi Arabian culture is heavily influenced by Islam, according to devoted Muslim Beterbiev. But wherever I am in the world, I stay committed to my beliefs.

“Winning here made it a little different, but the objective was always to win the undisputed championship wherever this fight was held.”

As befitting the situation, the path to undisputed came against a rival who bided their time until precisely this moment. Just one week before Beterbiev’s reign as the IBF light heavyweight champion began, Bivol was promoted to the full WBA light heavyweight champion.

Beterbiev asserted, “[Bivol and I] fighting for everything was always meant to work out like this.” “I always knew that this day would arrive. I am appreciative of those who made it possible as well as His Excellency (Alalshikh). My entire professional journey has led to here. It was always meant to be.

“My ability to achieve my dream in the ring came from my faith that this day would come.”