Artur Beterbiev is focused on Dmitry Bivol, not David Benavidez

Former light heavyweight contender John Scully, an intrinsic part of Artur Beterbiev’s team, believes that an impressive win for his fighter over Dmitry Bivol on Saturday would see the Russian lock in a spot at the International Boxing Hall of Fame.

Beterbiev, the unbeaten and undisputed king at 175lbs, captured Bivol’s WBA title last year, winning a close decision in their first fight, and Scully believes that a decisive win – and certainly a stoppage victory – could land Beterbiev a plaque in Canastota.

“I would think if that was to happen, he would be a lock already for the Hall of Fame,” Scully told BoxingScene. “I would have to assume, and you’d have to say, even though he hasn’t had a ton of fights, you’d have to say he’s one of the top five greatest light heavyweights ever. 

“I’ve always thought [Oleksandr] Gvozdyk was his best win [before Bivol]. That was in my eyes. Callum [Smith] was right up there, Joe Smith considering his stature beating Bernard [Hopkins], his power and all that, that was a great win, especially considering the manner in which he beat Joe. [Anthony] Yarde was a good win. Marcus Browne was a good win. He’s had very solid wins.”

Scully, as true a boxing man as you will find anywhere, is full of confidence ahead of the rematch and the coach – who works alongside Marc Ramsay – wonders whether Bivol has had time to fully recover from their initial skilled yet bruising first encounter.

On his social media platforms, Scully had identified that Bivol still seemed to carry marks around his left eye from last year’s bout. 

“For sure, it was noticeable last month when Artur and Bivol met at the press conference and you could see his eye was damaged, so that kind of tissue damage that doesn’t go away overnight. I would imagine, once Artur starts catching him with the right, it’s going to be a problem for him.”

In 1998, at cruiserweight, Chris Eubank and Carl Thompson fought an unforgettable war for the WBO title and when they boxed again three months later, Eubank’s eye did not appear fully healed. It quickly started to swell and the fight was stopped with Eubank’s eye slammed shut.

The first encounter was close and could have been scored either way. As a consequence, Scully thinks Bivol might now be stuck between styles as he tries to prove a point in the rematch, having been beaten for the first time.

“Well, I was thinking, he obviously can’t decide to be super-aggressive and bang with Artur, that would be foolish, and I don’t think he can move more because if he moves more it will look like he’s running,” Scully explained. “I would think he would have to try and blend the two styles together better but he doesn’t seem to be the guy that wants to trade big shots for an extended period. But I don’t think he can box more because it won’t be a good look, so I’m not sure what he’s going to be able to do.”

Having had 12 rounds in the opposite corner, Scully now says his team is more confident of a repeat outcome than they were even going into the first fight. They know what they are up against and have seen what Bivol has to offer. 

“You come off the first fight and Artur was just coming off [knee] surgery. That’s tough for anybody, and I’m sure maybe subconsciously he was thinking about it. This fight, I think he [Beterbiev] definitely understands what he needs to do to win in a more decisive fashion and he seems intent on doing that. We actually just had a really nice talk about it yesterday and he’s on board and on the right page with what he needs to do.” 

Beterbiev has said this week that he is well preserved at 40 because he has lived the life, stayed in shape and maintained his discipline, and Scully has seen a similar myopic outlook before. 

“100 per cent, same way like Bernard Hopkins did,” said Scully. “They have very different styles but they have the same mentality as far as Bernard is a Muslim as well, and Bernard is known for not eating fired foods and drinking soda and things like that. I think there’s something to be said for that mentality.”

In boxing, as boxing goes, inevitably there is always speculation at what might come next. There has already been plenty of talk about a trilogy fight should Bivol settle the score, while others salivate at the prospect of Beterbiev being paired with David Benavidez – who is expected to make an appearance in Saudi Arabia this weekend.

While that fight clearly excites Scully, it’s nowhere near the agenda for him or Beterbiev.

“I’ve been with Artur nine years this month and in all that time I’ve never every heard him talk about any other fighter other than the one he’s fighting. Never,” said Scully. “I never heard him mention any other fighter’s name, no matter what people were talking about, he was always talking about only who he was fighting and that has not changed at all.

“Obviously that’s a massive fight. It’s a huge fight in the whole boxing game, but also any fan, if you can say, ‘Okay, we can make any fight what fight do you want to make,’ and if you put that fight on the table, and let people really think about what kind of fight it will be, I would have to think that would be the No. 1 fight in boxing, I mean realistically maybe even more than this one, actually, style-wise.”

Tris Dixon covered his first amateur boxing fight in 1996. The former editor of Boxing News, he has written for a number of international publications and newspapers, including GQ and Men’s Health, and is a board member for the Ringside Charitable Trust and the Ring of Brotherhood. He has been a broadcaster for TNT Sports and hosts the popular “Boxing Life Stories” podcast. Dixon is a British Boxing Hall of Famer, an International Boxing Hall of Fame elector, is on The Ring ratings panel and is the author of five boxing books, including “Damage: The Untold Story of Brain Trauma in Boxing” (shortlisted for the William Hill Sportsbook of the Year), “Warrior: A Champion’s Search for His Identity” (shortlisted for the Sunday Times International Sportsbook of the Year) and “The Road to Nowhere: A Journey Through Boxing’s Wastelands.” You can reach him @trisdixon on X and Instagram.