Shawn Porter feels Artur Beterbiev has used him too much from his fights to defeat the less scrappy Dmitry Bivol this Saturday in their undisputed lightweight championship on October 12 in Riyadh.
Former welterweight champion Porter says the youth of 33-year-old Bivol (23-0, 12 KOs) is also a factor in his favor against the 39-year-old Beterbiev (20-0, 20 KOs) in his 12th round. main event at the Kingdom Arena.
WBA 175lb champion Bivol has made a habit of avoiding grueling fights as much as possible, which is why he has fewer knockouts than Beterbiev. The downside of that safety-first approach to his career is that Bivol is less popular than IBF, WBC and WBO champion Beterbiev and not talked about as much.
“I can’t take him at the moment, but if Bivol is here and lands, it’s good night, Vienna,” said trainer Joe Gallagher to Boxing newschoosing Dmitry Bivol over Artur Beterbiev.
“I’m going to choose Beterbiev, but only because he was in Vegas and he talked to someone who shared with him. He said: “Oh man, that guy. Sparring four rounds with him is like fighting 20 rounds. He’s like a monster,” said Regis Prograis. “He fought him with him and Bivol. He was like, ‘Beterbiev is a killer, an absolute monster.’ So, I’m going to lean toward Beterbiev.”
The power that Beterbiev has makes him a nightmare for anyone to break down unless he takes them easily. He’s not the guy to shine in his sparring sessions because he’s not getting anything out of them in this case.
“I can’t see past Beterbiev, but Bivol’s quality is really good. He’s technically really good,” said Paul Smith. “I just think I’ll see Beterbiev up close a couple of times. I think I’m going to side with Beterbiev. I think it’s going to end for him, but it’s not a foregone conclusion by any means.”
“I think one thing in Bivol’s favor is that Beterbiev had some injuries and he just had a big injury from which he came. That could play a little in Bivol’s favor,” said Otto Wallin.
“Bivol wins that fight. I think he has youth on his side,” Shawn Porter said. “Beterbiev has been a Mack truck running into smaller trucks and other big trucks. Those types of meets will get to you at some point.
The only fight in which Beterbiev was punished was between Marcus Browne and Anthony Yarde. He landed some shots in both fights, especially against Browne, but he still took it to get the knockout.
“The mileage that Bivol has is just different from the mileage that Beterbiev has. I think Bivol wins. We’ll see. Bivol can be touched, but is Beterbiev fast enough?”
The mileage Porter is talking about might not prevent Beterbiev from winning the fight because his power is just as lethal as it would be if he had less mileage, and he hasn’t shown any issues with his chin. If Bivol is going to take advantage of Beterbiev’s age and ring wear, he’s going to need a fight with him. To do this will be risky.
