WBA light heavyweight champion Dmitry Bivol is working on throwing uppercuts in preparation for his fight against IBF/WBC/WBO champion Artur Beterbiev on October 12th in Riyadh.
Power, Not Just Uppercuts, is Key
Bivol (23-0, 12 KOs) needs to develop his punching power for a close-range battle because that’s where most of his fight against the knockout artist Beterbiev (20-0, 20 KOs) will be contested.
What Bivol needs more than an uppercut is punching power because he’s not powerful enough to be counted on to win this fight if Beterbiev applies nonstop pressure.
We saw what Beterbiev did against former WBA super middleweight champion Callum Smith last January. He destroyed a fighter with far more power and size than Bivol and made it look easy.
That’s an area of Bivol’s game that he’s never developed because he’s always been a fighter who fought on the outside, and it’s late in the game for him to be trying to fix that flaw after ten years as a pro.
It will be interesting to see if Bivol, 33, can throw any of his uppercuts because he will be at great risk when he attempts to throw those shots against a puncher like Beterbiev.
Adapting to Beterbiev’s Style
Bivol isn’t accustomed to Beterbiev’s nonstop, high-pressure style, and if he cannot keep up, he won’t last long in this fight on October 12th.
Bivol must find sparring partners who can mimic Beterbiev’s fighting style because he has not shown punch resistance or the willingness to brawl with his opponents.
Bivol was hurt by Lyndon Arthur last December and looked extremely timid the entire second half of the fight, staying outside and protecting his chin after being clipped early. That fight gave a glimpse of how Bivol will perform against Beterbiev.
He’s not going to want to mix it up with him because he doesn’t possess the power, chin, or temperament for that kind of fighting.
Working those uppercuts 😤
🎥 @bivol_d | #BeterbievBivol | #RiyadhSeason | @Turki_alalshikh pic.twitter.com/xb0zi26ahp
— DAZN Boxing (@DAZNBoxing) August 20, 2024
Casual boxing fans unfamiliar with Beterbiev view this fight as a mismatch, believing that Bivol will make it look easy by outboxing him like he did the 5’8″ super middleweight Canelo Alvarez and Gilberto ‘Zurdo’ Ramirez.
Those two fights have made Bivol the more recognizable fighter than Beterbiev, who many casuals haven’t seen. For that reason, fans feel Bivol will give Beterbiev a boxing lesson in a one-sided fight. Some of them could be in for a big surprise.
