Dmitry Bivol’s promoter, Eddie Hearn, sees the victory already being in the bag for the WBA light heavyweight champion against Artur Beterbiev this Saturday night in Riyadh. Hearn feels Bivol (23-0, 12 KOs) will 100% outbox IBF, WBC, and WBO 175-lb champion Beterbiev (20-0, 20 KOs) and go home with the four belts as the undisputed champ. ESPN+ will show the Beterbiev-Bivol clash, starting at 6 p.m. ET/3 p.m. PT.
(Photo credit: Leigh Dawney/Queensberry Promotions)
Hearn sounds too confident about Bivol’s chances in the fight, sounding like he believes he’s invincible. If this were a battle Hearn was leading his troops into, he might be directing Bivol into a massacre on Saturday.
Unfortunately, things might not go Bivol’s way because he’s facing his best opponent by far in his ten-year career, and he might crumble under Beterbiev’s pressure.
If Bivol gets knocked out on Saturday, it’s going to be a long way back to the top because he’d have to sift his way through a minefield filled with dangerous fighters like Joshua Buatsi, David Morrell, David Benavidez, and Anthony Yarde. Those are not the type of fighters you want to face when you’re about to turn 34, lack power, and are coming off a knockout loss to Beterbiev.
The crowd was on Bivol’s side during the weigh-in, but that’s not surprising. He’s Hearn’s fighter, and he’s been praising him nonstop. Many British fans traveled to Saudi Arabia to watch the fight, and they seem to be siding with Hearn’s guy, Bivol.
They believe that Bivol can win by decision or knockout, whereas Beterbiev can only win by knockout. That may not be the case. Beterbiev has quite good boxing skills, and he went further in his amateur career than Bivol and has done more as a pro.
Bivol has only won one belt, and the big reason is that his management has not matched him against Beterbiev until now. Some feel that Bivol intentionally waited until Beterbiev was 39 to finally face him to increase his chances of winning.
“The main event, Bivol-Beterbiev. In my mind, Bivol outboxes this guy, but it’s going to be very difficult. It’s a pure 50-50 fight,” said Eddie Hearn to Boxing News.
“This is a generational great fight. It’s the best fight in the light heavyweight division for decades. Two ice-cold competitors, and for me, this is a chance for Dmitry Bivol to achieve a life-long dream,” said Hearn about the Beterbiev vs. Bivol fight.
“He already slayed the pound-for-pound king in Canelo Alvarez. This is a bigger fight; this is a bigger night. This is what he wants more than anything. I believe Dmitry Bivol will be the undisputed world champion tomorrow night,” said Hearn.
Hearn’s frequent mention of Canelo Alvarez is irrelevant to this fight because he’s not a light heavyweight and was nowhere near as powerful or as talented as Beterbiev. Canelo, 5’8″, lacked the size and the inside game that Beterbiev possesses. If he had possessed those things, he might have beaten Bivol in their fight in May 2022, and this fight on Saturday wouldn’t have happened.
“I’m chilled, but I’m focused also,” said Bivol to TNT Sports Boxing. “I just need to be focused for Saturday. I got used to it. I’ve been in this field since I remember myself since I was six years old. I’m fighting; I’m in this mood. I have to sleep,” said Bivol when asked if it’s hard for him to deal with the pressure.
“Most of it is the same. I respect my opponents very well. For this fight, I was reaching my limit for preparation. I was working hard,” said Bivol.
Both fighters have prepared to their upper limit for Saturday’s contest. It’s going to come down to whether Bivol’s chin can hold up under the power of Beterbiev for 12 rounds without him falling apart.
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