FILE – In this Saturday, March 3, 2018 file photo, Dmitry Bivol, of Russia, looks on against Sullivan Barrera, of Cuba, during their WBA light heavyweight title boxing match in New York. Dmitry Bivol knew where he wanted to go in his boxing career straight to the top of one of the HBO cards he used to watch replays of while growing up in Russia. Now Bivol is a light heavyweight champion and on Saturday night, Nov. 24, 2018 he’ll finally be an HBO headliner. He meets former champion Jean Pascal in Atlantic City as the featured bout of HBO’s World Championship Boxing series.(AP Photo/Adam Hunger, File)
ATLANTIC CITY, N.J. — Unbeaten Dmitry Bivol retained his light heavyweight championship Saturday night with a unanimous decision victory over former champion Jean Pascal.
The Russian won by scores of 119-109 on two cards and 117-111 on the third in the bout at the Hard Rock Hotel & Casino’s Etess Arena.
Bivol (15-0, 11 KOs), who owns the WBA’s version of the 175-pound title, said he wanted to fight another of the division’s champions next and if he couldn’t would even consider dropping down for the right bout at super middleweight.
The victory over Pascal (33-6-1, 20 KOs) came in the main event of HBO’s final “World Championship Boxing” card. The network plans to stop boxing coverage after 45 years.