Dmitry Bivol looked cowed in the presence of his master, undisputed light heavyweight champion Artur Beteriev, during last week’s Face-Off on TNT Sports Boxing. He was intimidated by his conqueror and did not show the mental fire he needed to have a chance of winning their rematch on February 22nd in Riyadh, which is in 19 days.
The pressure from Beterbiev broke Bivol mentally last time, and it’s likely to happen in the rematch but much earlier. This fight could end early if Bivol doesn’t run. He looked like a basketcase being pursued by Artur last October, and it could be much worse this time.
Bivol (23-1, 12 KOs) has talked about throwing more punches and being more aggressive in the rematch. It doesn’t seem possible. Beterbiev is stronger and much tougher than him. He’s built for war, and if Bivol does change tactics by choosing to fight this time, it will be easy for Artur.
The Fear in Bivol’s Eyes
The former WBA 175-lb champion Bivol has sounded like a troubled person rehashing what went wrong in his defeat against Beterbiev on October 12th. You can tell from looking at him that he’s been stewing on it, replaying it, and angry that he didn’t stand and fight.
Bivol looked terrified when Beterbeiv began stalking him the way he’d done to his previous opponent, Callum Smith. Through the first 5 1/2 rounds, Beterbiev had allowed Bivol to hit and run without coming after him. He looked worried about getting hit by the speed combinations that Bivol had been throwing.
Something changed in Beterbiev in the sixth when Bivol hit him with a three-punch combination to the head that got the crowd roaring. That sequence angered Beterbiev, and he just seemed to say to himself, ‘I’m taking this anymore.’
From there, Beterbiev fought like he had no respect for Bivol’s punches. He just wanted to get close enough to land his own, which he did, but it took a lot of chasing because Bivol went into survival mode.
“I think I have enough power to stop everybody in the light heavyweight division,” said Dmitry Bivol to DAZN when asked if he could knockout Artur Beterbiev.
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