WBA lightweight champion Dmitry Bivol believes three-belt unified champion Artur Beterbiev will be fully recovered from his recent knee surgery when they meet on October 12 in Riyadh.
Beterbiev (20-0, 20 KOs) has been working his way back from knee surgery, and will be ready for the fight against the undefeated Bivol (23-0, 12 KOs) in his headliner, live on DAZN PPV. at the Kingdom Arena.
One thing that goes in Beterbiev’s favor is that he doesn’t move much except in straight lines. So, the only thing he has to worry about is getting to Bivol to cut the ring if he chooses to stay on the run.
Beterbiev’s ability to cut off the ring will be important because Bivol won’t be able to stay in the pocket and fight due to his lack of power, weak chin, and tendency to avoid taking punishment.
“I feel great that the fight will be soon because I had a great journey in my boxing career, and now it will be final,” said Dmitry Bivol to iFL TV it was only about 2 1/2 weeks before he faced Artur Beterbiev on October 12 in Riyadh.
It may not be the last trip for Bivol if he loses to Beterbiev on October 12 because he will have to continue to follow his vision to become undisputed in a rematch if there is one. If Beterbiev leaves the titles and moves to cruiserweight, Bivol would need to climb the belts slowly, which could take years.
“Artur Beterbiev is really a good professional fighter. He knows how to solve his problems. He could be in the best shape. That’s what I have in mind. Of course, I don’t think that he was injured or that the fight was postponed . We agreed on this date. We will fight, and he will be in the best shape,” said Bivol who expects Beterbiev to be 100% recovered from his recent knee operation.
The video clip of Beterbiev running in the mountains in Russia suggests that his surgically repaired knee is healthy and will be able to withstand the physical rigors of fighting against Bivol.
“Of course, I respect all the fighters who went into the ring with me. I just believe that I can use all my skills. I need to use everything. I have to think twice and be focused the whole fight and I can win. I believe that he is the most powerful and the strongest fighter,” Bivol said when asked if he has respect for Beterbiev.
It would be crazy if Bivol didn’t respect Beterbiev because this is by far the best guy he’s ever fought. Canelo Alvarez was at the top of his game when he fought Bivol in 2022, but he was short at 5’8″ and didn’t possess the size or inside game that Beterbiev possessed.
It’s hard for fans to believe that Beterbiev has a better inside game than Canelo, who is known to be an excellent fighter in close quarters. However, Beterbiev throws short punches with massive power and doesn’t need to focus on the rings, which leaves him open to getting hit like Canelo.
“After my fight against Canelo, I was available for a rematch, but he chose a couple of other fights. Then, we realized that we need to move forward. Now, I have moved forward. I have my way. If not let’s cross, I’ll give him a rematch. But now, I’m only focused on October 12,” said Bivol.
The good news is that there is still a chance that Bivol can get the rematch with Canelo, but he will have to defeat Beterbiev to get it. Canelo wants the opportunity to win the undisputed lightweight championship to give him the money to take the risky fight against Bivol.
