Dmitry Bivol (23-1, 12 KOs) could permanently damage his career by taking an immediate rematch with undisputed light heavyweight champion Artur Beterbiev (21-0, 20 KOs) after losing a 12-round majority decision last Saturday night in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia.
Bivol and his promoter, Eddie Hearn, believe they can win the rematch, but there’s a good chance he’ll lose again to Beterbiev, this time by knockout.
A Second Defeat Could Ruin Bivol
That could ruin Bivol mentally, destroying his self-confidence, which has already taken a hit after his loss to Beterbiev last weekend. Bivol has got to suspect after that defeat that he can’t fight at the highest level at 175.
The reality is that Bivol was exposed by Beterbiev and showed that he couldn’t stand his ground in the second half of the fight. He was forced to flee after taking bad punishment in rounds 7, 8, 10, and 11.
Coming back from a damaging KO defeat against Beterbiev will be much harder to do because Bivol’s stock will drop.
Dangerous Predators at 175:
To come back from another defeat against Beterbiev would require that Bivol beat these quality contenders:
– Joshua Buatsi
– David Morrell
– Wily Hutchinson
– David Benavidez
– Anthony Yarde
– Oleksandr Gvozdyk
It’s questionable whether the Bivol can beat any of those fighters now, but it will be much less so after a devasting knockout against Beterbiev.
Options for Bivol After Another Loss
Bivol can move down to 168 to try and reinvent himself in a relatively weak division. There’s Canelo Alvarez and not much else in this weight class apart from him and Osleys Iglesias. If Bivol moves down to super middleweight, he has a good chance of capturing a belt, and making good money.
“It could have gone either way, but what happened happened. Nobody won or lost the fight by four points. So, that’s ridiculous, which is why I say we need an immediate rematch,” said Roy Jones Jr. to Fighthype about there needing to be a rematch between Artur Beterbiev and Dmitry Bivol.
“Both guys did a lot to change. Beterbiev showed me more than he ever has before about being a boxer. He can actually box. I was surprised. Bivol was a very good defender, which we knew. He was a good counter-puncher, which we knew. He jumped out to an early lead, I thought, but we never know.
“Beterbiev did finish the fight strong or stronger. That’s why, in my point of view, the fight should be a draw, and let’s get a rematch,” said Roy.
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