On October 12th, WBA and IBO World Light Heavyweight champion Dmitriy Bivol will meet WBC, WBO, and IBF World Light Heavyweight champion Artur Beterbiev in a unification match. They were to meet months ago, but an injury in training by Beterbiev postponed it.
Beterbiev having stopped all of his twenty opponents, 20-0, obviously is the heavier puncher of the two with 20 stoppages. At 39 he is six years older than Bivol.
Beterbiev’s amateur record is not quite known. It’s been reported at 102-13 and 295-5. He has lost in both the 2008 and 2012 Olympics.
Bivol’s record in the amateurs is 268-15 and never competed in the Olympics but has won two Russian National championships in 2012 and 2014.
Bivol turned professional, stopping eleven of his first thirteen opponents. He then won nine straight by decision before stopping his last opponent, Malik Zinad, 22-0, in June.
In 2012 Bivol was “Fighter of the Year” defeating then unified super middleweight champion Saul ‘Canelo’ Alvarez, 57-1-2, in May and former WBO super middleweight champion Gilberto ‘Zurdo’ Ramirez, 44-0, in November. Quite an accomplishment.
All of Bivol’s opponent had winning records. Beterbiev’s opponents had sixteen with and four without winning records. Bivol has faced the better opponents overall.
This is a natural match-up of a puncher in Beterbiev and a boxer in Bivol pertaining to their records. Beterbiev was born in Russia and resides in Montreal, Canada. Bivol’s nationality is Russian, though born in Kyrgyzstan and resides in Indio, California.
This writer is looking forward to this match and is leaning toward the younger Bivol by decision. Beterbiev coming off an injury is a major factor.
I wonder if Bivol’s punching power is underrated. Being his opponents in the second half of his career are much better than Beterbiev’s may have something to do with it. What do you readers and fans think?
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