Dmitry Bivol’s promoter, Eddie Hearn, is counting on his technical skills to lead him to victory over the strongest, most durable and rugged unified lightweight champion Artur Beterbiev six days from now on October 12 in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia.
What could be the real difference in this undisputed 175lb championship fight is his experience level. Beterbiev (20-0, 20 KOs) the IBF, WBC and WBO light heavyweight champion has always fought better opposition than WBA champion 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 she was an inferior fighter.
Arthur was more of a domestic-level fighter, and Ramirez, a cruiserweight, seemed tired of making weight.
Beterbiev’s recent wins have come against the likes of these killers:
– 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 Artur can lose sometimes, but he chases you,” said Eddie Hearn to Boxing newsgiving his thoughts on the Artur Beterbiev vs Dmitry Bivol matchup.
Hearn may be wrong that Bivol has better skills than Beterbiev. We know that Bivol has faster hand speed and is a superior combination puncher, but that is not necessarily more skillful than Beterbiev.
For Bivol to be a more skilled guy, he would need to show more willingness to stay and trade instead of hitting reverse gear after throwing a punch or two, like he normally does.
“Will Dmitry be able to earn his respect? Will he be able to outbox him for the duration of the fight without being cut and hit? It will 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 little more floaty. He doesn’t punch as hard. He’s a big mover. I’ll probably favor Beterbiev.”
Beterbiev’s chin is superior to Bivol’s, and he is clearly more robust than him. Bivol avoids staying in the pocket and trading 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 fans who will be buying the event on DAZN PPV, hopefully Bivol stays in the pocket to mix it up with Beterbiev and make for an exciting fight to watch.
“I’m Bivol’s team all the way. I love him too much to go against him,” said commentator Ade Oladipo. “You have Bivol, who is a slick backfoot fighter who can be aggressive. You have Beterbiev, who is just a wrecking machine.
Ade had said that he is Team Bivol for a while. Will see what it says if Beterbiev wins. Will he remain loyal to Bivol, promoted by Eddie Hearn, even in defeat, or will he switch sides and become Team Beterbiev, promoted by Top Rank’s Bob Arum.
“The win against Canelo was obviously the highlight of his career, and he boxed so well that night,” said trainer Tony Sims on 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 towards Beterbiev with his punching power later in the fight, but you can’t tell who’s going to win. Bivol has all the ability in the world. It’s definitely a 50-50 fight.”
Beterbiev-Bivol is certainly not a “50-50 fight,” as Sims sees it. This match has a clear favorite in the eyes of the oddsmakers and the fans. They consider the younger and healthier Bivol as the one with the best chance of winning due to his youth and the fact that he hasn’t dealt with any major injuries recently. Beterbiev is coming off knee surgery to repair his meniscus tear.
