Once Artur Beterbiev’s hand was raised back in October, Dmitry Bivol’s head sank. For the first time in his career, he walked out of an arena without a win. It was also the first time in nearly a decade that he was beltless.

For the next four months, that disappointing feeling stuck with him. Although it consumed and haunted him, Bivol (24-1, 12 KOs) used it as inspiration. This past weekend, the pain of defeat was finally replaced.

In their immediate rematch, Bivol made several adjustments, one of which was his refusal to get bullied and outworked in the latter rounds. Long before he turned pro back in 2014, Bivol dreamed of becoming an undisputed champion. Accomplishing what he set out to do was an overwhelming feeling but even with all five titles draped over him, getting his lick back was something that Bivol is even more ecstatic about.

“It’s very sweet,” said Bivol to a group of reporters. “I took my belt back and it’s revenge also for me.”

Smiling isn’t something that Bivol does normally. He frowns, scowls, and walks around like someone who’s having a bad day. But, once the dust settled and things went his way this time around, he couldn’t stop himself from smiling.

For a moment, Bivol took himself back to that unhappy place. He remembers the bitter feeling of coming up short and being forced to sulk day after day, week after week, and month after month. Bivol has a difficulty explaining what it felt like. He also struggles putting into words how he dealt with that level of disappointment and rage. What he could say, however, was that his inner motivation pushed him over the winning edge.

“It was something sitting inside of me,” continued Bivol. “I wanted to win and I won.”