Supporters of Dmitry Bivol have unleashed a barrage of repugnant comments towards his former partner following his victory over Artur Beterbiev for the light-heavyweight world championship. Bivol exacted revenge on Beterbiev with a triumphant showing in their rematch staged in Saudi Arabia on Saturday evening.
Beterbiev had snatched a contentious win in their inaugural encounter last October, but relinquished his crown as Bivol put on a masterclass in Riyadh. The judges were divided, one scoring the match a tie, while the remaining two saw it 116-112 and 115-113 in Bivol’s favour, crowning the Russian as the unquestioned titleholder across the WBA, WBC, WBO, and IBF in the light-heavyweight class.
However, it was Bivol’s detractors who made a beeline for his ex-wife Ekaterina’s Instagram, taunting her with his success. Ekaterina and Dmitry’s divorce was not only highly publicised but also bitterly contested in 2023, during which she levelled accusations of abuse and domineering behaviour at the boxer during their union.
Her act of siding with Beterbiev in the previous bout and reveling in Bivol’s loss did not sit well with his fans. She purportedly antagonised them by posting: “Karma caught up with this a**hole. Artur, I’m happy for you. Now, my work is in court.”
Furthermore, she is said to have expressed: “F***, honestly, that’s what you deserve. You got scared. Karma reached Bivol. Go f*** yourself. No, honestly, go f*** yourself. I was right.”
After Bivol’s rematch victory, his ex-wife Ekaterina faced a barrage of abuse online from his fans. Commenters invaded her social media with critical messages like, “Change the last name, you’re spoiling the last name of the champion,” and “God, what a thrill to come here after the fight, I was looking forward to it more than the fight itself! ” Another commenter heralded, “Justice exists”.
The couple, who were together for a decade and have two sons, Miron and Nikon, have been embroiled in controversy as Ekaterina has accused Bivol of domestic abuse, pushing her towards abortion, and neglecting his financial duties to their children, which he has denied.
Meanwhile, a triumphant Bivol reflected on his victory: “I’m so happy. I went through a lot the last few years. I lost and I felt a little bit easier, I didn’t have as much pressure like last time. I just wanted to work from the first round until the end of the 12th. I did enough.”
He added, “I was better, I was pushing myself more, I was more confident, I was lighter, I just wanted to win so much today. I just told myself he could start from the beginning to destroy me and disturb me, it was hard to keep him distanced over the first four rounds. I was tired but he was tired also. I had to punch more.”