WBA light heavyweight champion Dmitry Bivol ended a near two-year inactivity period with a tougher than expected win against fringe contender Craig Richards.
Although the Russian contender was highly favored, Richards didn’t fade into the shadows. Instead, he bit down on his mouthpiece and gave Bivol all he could handle. While he took big shots, he remained on his feet and at times, outboxed the long-reigning champion. In the end, however, Bivol did just enough to squeak by with a unanimous decision victory at the AO Arena in the United Kingdom.