Artur Beterbiev weighed in at 174.96 lbs at the non-ceremonial weigh-in, while WBA light heavyweight champion Dmitry Bivol stepped up to 174.12 lbs on Friday ahead of his fight this Saturday, October 12 in Riyadh.
Weights:
Artur Beterbiev – 174.96
Dmitri Bivol – 174.12
The IBF, WBA and WBC champion, Beterbiev (20-0, 20 KOs) looked physically better than Bivol (23-0, 12 KOs) during Thursday’s final press conference in the final press conference. With all the discussions that Beterbiev is arguably the greatest fighter). of the two, Bivol seemed impoverished, not he.
Bivol will need all the energy he can get for him to jump up and out all night to avoid Beterbiev’s huge punches. Although he is the favorite with the oddsmakers and apparently the majority of fans, Bivol has never fought a pressure fighter with the kind of power that Beterbiev brings.
This type of fighting is foreign to Bivol, who still uses the amateur style he was taught while growing up in Russia. That amateur style can’t work against Beterbiev’s pro style. Bivol is not used to brawling, and it could go badly for him if he fades due to the pressure.
“What I like about Bivol is that he rises to the level of his competition. Against Canelo, he looked great. Against ‘Zurdo’ Ramirez, he looked great,” said Chris Mannix on his channeltalking about his choice for Saturday, Bivol, over Beterbiev. “When he faces a top-level opponent, he raises his game.”
You can’t give Bivol too much credit for reaching the “level of his competition” against the smaller 5’8″ Canelo Alvarez and the slow Gilberto ‘Zurdo’ Ramirez. Canelo was too small to be fighting at 175 and would never have moved in weight to face the larger and more mobile Bivol.
Zurdo Ramirez looked drained, putting on weight. He should have moved up to cruiserweight instead of fighting Bivol. In Ramirez’s previous fight against Dominic Boesel on May 14, 2022, he rehydrated to 203 lbs after weighing in at 174.8 lbs.
“I think he’s aware of the danger that Beterbiev presents. I don’t think he’s going to take chances. I think he’s going to move in and out and throw combinations. He’s going to try to win clean rounds, but not try to take chances against “to a puncher of this caliber. I think it’s kind of an 8-4 win for Dmitry Bivol,” said Mannix.
