Dmitry Bivol’s manager Vadim Kornilov has declared that they will be filing an official protest over the Artur Beterbiev defeat.

Beterbiev edged past Bivol via a majority decision on Saturday night to be crowned the first undisputed light heavyweight champion of the four-belt era.

Bivol’s team is filing a protest over the scoring of the Beterbiev fightGetty

The contest was extremely close with both men separated by just five punches over the 12-round distance.

But in the end, two of the judges scored it in Beterbiev’s favour by margins of 115-113 and 116-112 while the third had it as a draw at 114-114.

Considering how close the fight was, most felt the 116-112 scorecard from Pawel Kardyni was too wide – especially Kornilov.

“We’re gonna file a protest on Monday,” Bivol’s manager told BoxNation.

“I think the judge has to at least have some kind of responsibility for what he did.

“It’s becoming very destructive to the sport what they’re doing.

“These organisations (sanctioning bodies) have supervisors, the supervisors are friendly with the judges, they’re hugging the promoters, it’s beginning to look like a scheme.

“This judge has done a lot of fights and he has been good in other fights.

“It would be good if they can sit him down and have him count the punches landed.

“I want to see his 116-112 card and how he counted the landed punches from Beterbiev on Bivol and which ones he was counting to get to that scorecard…

Beterbiev is the new undisputed light-heavyweight world champion

“One of the supervisors was tapping the Top Rank guys and congratulating them before the decision was [announced].

“What is that about? What kind of buddy-buddy relationship do they have there? Where is the professionalism of the sport?”

When Bivol was asked about the scoring of the fight, he replied: “My job is to go to the ring and do everything perfect and leave with the belts, that is it.

“Don’t ask me about judges, which score I think, how many rounds I won or this and that.

“It doesn’t matter, I will move forward. Everything I have to do better than this fight [in the rematch].”

Bivol and Beterbiev are expected to run back their contest at some point next year.

Saudi boxing chief HE Turki Alalshikh has stated his intentions to stage a rematch while both boxers have welcomed another fight as well.