Sergey Kovalev picks former WBA lightweight champion Dmitry Bivol to defeat undisputed champion Artur Beterbiev in their rematch in eight weeks (56 days) on February 22 in Riyadh.
Former 175lb unified champion Kovalev saw Bivol (23-1, 12 KOs) win his previous fight against Beterbiev (21-0, 20 KOs) seven rounds to five and sees him victorious in the second round. A laughing Kovalev says that once Bivol wins, a trilogy match will be set up.
Beterbiev’s new plan?
Beterbiev defeated Bivol with pressure, winning a 12-round majority decision on October 12. The scores were 115-113, 116-112 and 114-114. Bivol fought well early on, using his boxing skills to win rounds against the unusually cautious Beterbiev.
However, the fight changed completely when Beterbiev started applying pressure in the sixth, and it was no longer competitive. Bivol looked like a mouse being chased by a cat around the ring, and it was obvious that he wanted no part of the mix. After the fight, Beterbiev hinted that he will fight completely differently in the rematch.
It probably means he’ll attack right away rather than waiting until the midpoint like he did last time. Beterbiev knows now that Bivol can not handle the pressure, becomes unglued mentally, and lacks the power, the chin, or the bravery to stay in the trenches. Bivol is not built for war. He is more of the type that stays behind, working in support of the troops.
“In the last fight, I think that Bivol had seven rounds against five. Yes, I think so. 7-5, he won, and he will be more confident in the rematch and get the victory. He will have a victory, and then there it will be a third fight,” said Sergey Kovalev to Fight Hub TVgiving his thoughts on the Artur Beterbiev vs Dmitry Bivol rematch on February 22nd.
Bivol’s possible revenge tactics
It will be very difficult for Bivol to win the rematch with his fighting style because he is not equipped to stand and fight Beterbiev. What Bivol will probably do in the rematch to win a bad decision are these tactics:
– Attack when Beterbiev approaches
– Hit and run
– More movement
– Cool off late
Fans on social media believe that Bivol deserved to win the first fight, and feel that he will defeat Beterbiev in the rematch. Many of them feel it will be an easy win for Bivol, who they feel is a much better fighter than Beterbiev. There could be many angry pro-Bivol fans if he fails to do the job in the rematch because he cannot fight better than the last time.
The only thing that can improve in the second fight is Beterbiev applying pressure from the start instead of waiting until the sixth round like the last time.
