Jai Opetaia says Dmitry Bivol can beat Artur Beterbiev using movement, angles and staying at a distance on Saturday night in Riyadh. The fight will be shown live on ESPN+, which is not PPV.
(Photo credit: Leigh Dawney/Queensberry)
IBF cruiserweight champion Opetaia is a big fan of WBA lightweight champion Bivol’s fighting style, as he feels it is a style that is similar to his own.
Opetaia thinks it’s best for Bivol to stay out of the range of Beterbiev’s punches for him to win because there’s too much risk if he finds himself in front of the big three-belt champion 175-lb Beterbiev (20-0, 20 KOs).
“Bivol has to move, cut corners, and keep him at his distance,” said Jai Opetaia to Fight Hub TV about what Dmitry Bivol must do to defeat Artur Beterbiev. “Beterbiev is going to do the opposite: throw him out and try to hit him.”
Bivol likes to let go of his hands, and it will be too hard for him not to resist the attack against Beterbiev. If Bivol has had success before, he will want to keep attacking because that is his style. He is too old to change at 33.
“He has to apply intelligent pressure and find that punch. He always does. He has a knockout ratio of 100%,” Opetaia on what Beterbiev must do for him to be victorious. “He knows what he’s doing. He knows his way around the ring and how to cut people and find that punch. It’s a very exciting fight.”
If Beterbiev just waits for Bivol to attack him all night, it won’t work because he won’t have enough opportunities to land his shots to get the knockout he needs to guarantee the win. If it goes to the scorecards, Bivol’s chances of winning will be high.
“I think if it goes to the scorecards, Bivol wins, but Beterbiev is such a dangerous fighter. As long as he (Bivol) is not cut and in trouble, I think Bivol wins on points,” said Opetaia.
What Jai says is no different than almost anyone else. Bivol will have the upper hand to go the distance because he has better boxing skills, speed and throws more punches.
“I don’t know. It’s up to Turki Alalshikh, His Excellency. He pulls all the strings, and whoever wants me to fight, I’ll fight,” Opetaia said when asked if he was interested in fighting the winner of the fight Beterbiev vs. Bivol. “I’m focused on the 12th. I have a hard fight ahead of us, and then we can move forward.”
