Dmitry Bivol’s promoter, Eddie Hearn, is counting on his technical skills to lead him to victory over the stronger, durable, and rugged unified light heavyweight champion Artur Beterbiev in six days from now on October 12th in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia.
What could be the real difference in this undisputed 175-lb championship fight is their experience level. IBF, WBC, and WBO light heavyweight champion Beterbiev (20-0, 20 KOs) has consistently fought better opposition than WBA champ Bivol (23-0, 12 KOs).
Bivol’s recent wins were against Malik Zinad, a fringe-level fighter, Lyndon Arthur, Gilberto Ramirez, and Canelo Alvarez. Zinad should never have been given a title shot because he was a lower-ranked fighter.
Arthur was more of a domestic-level fighter, and Ramirez, a cruiserweight, looked drained from making weight.
Beterbiev’s recent wins have come against these murderer’s row:
– Callum Smith
– Anthony Yarde
– Joe Smith Jr.
– Marcus Browne
“Skill-wise, he’s a better fighter than Artur Beterbiev, but we’ve seen time and time again that sometimes Artur can lose rounds, but he hunts you down,” said Eddie Hearn to Boxing News, giving his thoughts on the Artur Beterbiev vs. Dmitry Bivol matchup.
Hearn may be wrong about Bivol having better skills than Beterbiev. We know that Bivol has better hand speed and is a superior combination puncher, but that doesn’t necessarily make him more skilled than Beterbiev.
For Bivol to be a better-skilled guy, he would need to show more willingness to stand and exchange rather than hitting the reverse gear after throwing one or two punches, as he normally does.
“Will Dmitry be able to gain his respect? Will he be able to outbox him for the duration of the fight without getting cut off and caught up? It’s going to be a very tough task, but if anyone can beat Artur Beterbiev, it’s Dmitry Bivol.”
“I think Beterbiev’s strength and ferocity is so tough and so rugged,” said former world champion Carl Frampton. “Bivol is a bit more fleet-footed. He doesn’t punch as hard. He’s a great mover. I would probably favor Beterbiev.”
Beterbiev’s chin is superior to Bivol’s, and he’s clearly more rugged than him. Bivol avoids staying in the pocket and exchanging with his opponents for a reason. He’s been hurt before, and he doesn’t want to risk getting caught against a big puncher like Beterbiev next Saturday.
For the fans who will be purchasing the event on DAZN PPV, it’s hoped that Bivol will stay in the pocket to mix it up with Beterbiev and make it an exciting fight to watch.
“I’m team Bivol all the way. I love him too much to go against him,” said commentator Ade Oladipo. “You’ve got Bivol, who is a slick backfoot fighter who can be aggressive. You’ve got Beterbiev, who is just a wrecking machine.”
Ade had been saying that he’s Team Bivol for a while. Will see what he says if Beterbiev wins. Will he stay loyal to the Eddie Hearn-promoted Bivol, even in defeat, or will he switch sides and become Team Beterbiev, who is promoted by Bob Arum of Top Rank.
“The win against Canelo was obviously the highlight of his career, and he boxed so well that night,” said trainer Tony Sims about Bivol. “Beterbiev, he’s knocked out every opponent he’s ever faced. It’s going to be a great fight.
“I think I’m going to lean a little bit toward Beterbiev with his punching power later on in the fight, but you can’t say who is going to win. Bivol has got all the ability in the world. It’s definitely a 50-50 fight.”
Beterbiev-Bivol definitely is not a “50-50 fight,” as Sims views. This match has a clear favorite in the eyes of the oddsmakers and the fans. They view the younger, healthier Bivol as the one with the better chance of winning due to his youth and the fact that he’s not dealt with any major injuries recently. Beterbiev is coming off knee surgery to repair his meniscus tear.
