Artur Beterbiev will quickly return after a knee injury to take on champion Dmitry Bivol in light heavyweight unification on October 12th in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia. On paper, this is an evenly-matched contest. However, the oddsmakers are leaning in the direction of the younger fighter.
Bivol’s Aversion to Pressure
Bivol, 33, has fought notable opponents in the last two years, including Canelo Alvarez, Gilberto Ramirez, Craig Richards, and Malik Zinad. In contrast, Beterbiev has been dealing with injuries that have limited him to one fight per year and kept him from being as busy as he needs to stay in the limelight.
IBF, WBC, and WBO light heavyweight champion Beterbiev (20-0, 20 KOs) has been waiting to fight WBA champ Bivol (23-0, 12 KOs) for five years since he defeated Oleksandr Gvozdyk in 2019. It’s taken this long for Beterbiev, 40, to get the fight finally, and he wouldn’t have it not for the help of His Excellency Turki Alalshikh. Without him, Beterbiev vs. Bivol wouldn’t have ever happened.
Bivol is a pure boxer who does not like to take punishment in his fights. He will be on the move, using his customary in-and-out style to prevent Beterbiev from trapping him in a brawl. It won’t work because Beterbiev is excellent at cutting off the ring and forcing his opponents to trade. He’s also good at timing his opponents and landing heavy shots in between their punches.
For this fight, Bivol will need to focus on throwing single shots if he doesn’t want to be countered by Beterbiev, and that’s going to be difficult. Bivol’s fighting style involves combination punching, and it will be difficult for him to avoid the usual four-punch combos.
The Prediction: Beterbiev by KO within 10 Rounds
Beterbiev will wear down Bivol, catch him against the ropes, and unload on him with a salvo of punches that will send him down for the count. The fight will end within ten rounds, with Beterbiev scoring a knockout.
Beterbiev’s recent knockout wins against Callum Smith, Anthony Yarde, and Joe Smith Jr. showed that he’s not losing his power as he ages.
🔛🔝🗻 @bivol_d #BeterbievBivol | @DAZNBoxing | #RiyadhSeason pic.twitter.com/2xGfagP8kh
— Matchroom Boxing (@MatchroomBoxing) August 26, 2024
Step by step… as usual 👊🏻 pic.twitter.com/tqaqXmQgR6
— Artur Beterbiev (@ABeterbiev) August 24, 2024
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