He became the undisputed light heavyweight champion after a majority decision victory over Dmitry Bivol in Saudi Arabia last weekend.
It was a very close fight with many highly contested rounds, but in the end the judges gave the victory to Beterbiev, with scores of 114-114, 115-113 and 116-112.
Although some spectators considered the verdict fair, many boxing figures felt Bivol should have won, including Ryan Garcia, Shakur Stevenson and Eddie Hearn.
There was some criticism of the 116-112 result, leading to calls for Beterbiev to have an immediate rematch against Bivol.
With that in mind, iFL TV asked the newly crowned undisputed champion if he would accept a rematch, and he made it clear that it is the most likely option.
“Yes, I think so, yes.”
He was then asked how it feels to finally be the undisputed champion in the 175-pound category.
“It’s not bad, it’s a good feeling. I’ve spent over 30 years in this sport. To be in this sport and not be a bad boxer is good.”
His trainer John Scully has also given his backing for him to return to racing with Bivol next.
“We wouldn’t need to go to cruiserweight. No disrespect, but I don’t even know any cruiserweight champions who do. So the fights with Benavidez and Buatsi, I think they would be great light heavyweight fights. But I think everyone would say today that they need to do a rematch. I think everyone would say that.”
The loss to Beterbiev was the first time Bivol had been defeated as a professional, having been undefeated in his 23 fights prior to that.
One man he has previously faced and beaten was Canelo Alvarez, and Bivol has now revealed who he feels hits harder between Beterbiev and the Mexican superstar.
