Artur Beterbiev weighed in at 174.96 lbs in the non-ceremonial weigh-in, while WBA light heavyweight champion Dmitry Bivol scaled in at 174.12 lbs on Friday ahead of their fight this Saturday, October 12th in Riyadh.
Weights:
Artur Beterbiev – 174.96
Dmitry Bivol – 174.12
IBF, WBA, and WBC champion Beterbiev (20-0, 20 KOs) looked physically better than Bivol (23-0, 12 KOs during the final press conference on Thursday final press conference. With all the talk about Beterbiev supposedly being the bigger fighter of the two, Bivol looked depleted, not him.
Bivol is going to need all the energy he can get for him to bounce in and out all night to avoid Beterbiev’s huge punches. Although the favorite with the oddsmakers and seemingly the majority of the fans, Bivol has never fought a pressure fighter with the kind of power Beterbiev brings.
This kind of fight is alien to Bivol, who still uses the amateur style taught while growing up in Russia. That amateur style may not work against Beterbiev’s pro style. Bivol is not used to brawling, and it could go badly for him if he fades due to the pressure.
“The thing I like about Bivol is he rises to the level of his competition. Against Canelo, he looked great. Against ‘Zurdo’ Ramirez, he looked great,” said Chris Mannix on his channel, talking about his pick for Saturday, Bivol, over Beterbiev. “When he faces a top-level opponent, he raises his game.”
You can’t give Bivol too much credit for rising to the “level of his competition” against the smaller 5’8″ Canelo Alvarez and the very slow Gilberto ‘Zurdo’ Ramirez. Canelo was too small to be fighting at 175 and should have never moved up in weight to face the bigger, more mobile Bivol.
Zurdo Ramirez looked drained, making weight. He should have moved up to cruiserweight rather than take the fight against Bivol. In Ramirez’s previous fight against Dominic Boesel on May 14, 2022, he rehydrated to 203 lbs after weighing in at 174.8 lbs.
“I think he’s aware of the danger Beterbiev presents. I don’t think he’s going to take chances. I think he’s going to move in and out and throw combinations. He’s going to try and win rounds clean but not trying to take chances against a puncher of this caliber. I think it’s an 8-4 type of win for Dmitry Bivol,” said Mannix.
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