The undisputed light heavyweight championship fight between Artur Beterbiev and Dmitry Bivol is three weeks away, on October 12th, at the Kingdom Arena in Riyadh.
Beterbiev (20-0, 20 KOs), the IBF, WBC, and WBO 175-lb champion, is still seen by many fans as the underdog against WBA belt-holder Bivol (23-0, 12 KOs).
Fans believe that the 33-year-old Bivol’s youth, hand speed, and mobility give him the edge against the 39-year-old Beterbiev. Bivol will still need to change his usual combination punching approach to win this fight because he gets hit when he throws his combinations.
Beterbiev has knocked out everyone he’s faced and looked excellent with his recent wins over Callum Smith, Anthony Yarde, Joe Smith Jr., and Marcus Browne.
Keys to Victory for Beterbiev
– Catch Bivol in between combinations
– Target body
– Cut off the ring well
– Fight through clinches
Bivol is expected to use more movement in this fight against the big punching Beterbiev than he usually does because he’s not equipped to stand and brawl with a guy like this. The fighters that Bivol has been feasting on haven’t had the kind of power that Beterbiev possesses.
Bivol’s best career win came against the 5’8″ Canelo Alvarez, but he’s nowhere near the size or power of Beterbiev. Canelo moved up from 168 to challenge Bivol for his WBA title two years ago, and he didn’t have the size.
The winner of the Beterbiev vs. Bivol fight could face WBC interim champion David Benavidez next. He’s next in line to fight the winner. However, Canelo Alvarez said he wants to fight Bivol if he’s victorious over Beterbiev on October 12th.
Canelo lost to Bivol by a 12-round unanimous decision in 2022, and he wants to avenge that loss. Fighting him for the undisputed at 175 would make it more meaningful for Canelo, as it would allow him to avenge his defeat and become a two-division undisputed champion.
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