Promoter Bob Arum believes that IBF/WBC/WBO light heavyweight champion Artur Beterbiev (20-0, 20 KOs) will wear down and stop WBA champ Dmitry Bivol (23-0, 12 KOs) to register his 21st consecutive knockout victory on Saturday night in their 175-lb undisputed championship at the Kingdom Arena in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia.
Arum rates Bivol as the #2 fighter in the light heavyweight division, but he thinks that because Beterbiev is such a good puncher, he’s going to wear him down and knock him out.
That won’t make Bivol’s promoter, Eddie Hearn, happy because he’s already talking up the idea of matching him against Canelo Alvarez. If Bivol loses, Hearn will need to downsize his plans for him and focus on a lesser fight to bring him back.
Fans are evenly split on who they feel will win the Beterbiev vs. Bivol fight, as many are confused on who to pick. The media and ex-fighters seem to favor Bivol and think he’ll be able to do to Beterbiev what he did against Canelo Alvarez.
That’s a much smaller fighter than Beterbiev, who ran out of gas after three rounds and fought with his back against the ropes in their fight in 2022. Beterbiev won’t fight with his back against the ropes like Canelo did against Bivol, and he’s not going to be in a state of exhaustion after three rounds like the Mexican fighter was. That was a gimme for Bivol. Canelo was 33 at the time, but he was an old 33, looking more like a fighter in his early 40s. It’s not surprising that he’s taken on soft opposition ever since.
“Bivol is a very good fighter and probably next to Beterbiev, the next best light heavyweight. I like Beterbiev because he’s such a tremendous puncher and destroyer and he knows how to box as well. So, I like his chances in the fight, but it is a very close even-money fight,” said Bob Arum to BoxNation, previewing the Artur Beterbiev vs. Dmitry Bivol 175-lb championship for next Saturday.
Bivol could be exposed in this fight and shown to be just another fighter who was a product of matchmaking. Up until now, Bivol’s best wins are against these fighters:
– Canelo Alvarez
– Gilberto Ramirez
– Joe Smith Jr: Hurt in that fight
– Lyndon Arthur: Ditto
– Sullivan Barrera
– Craig Richards: Razor close decision
– Isaac Chilemba
“It’s one of the best because there are such viewpoints on either side, and I think the odds reflect how close that fight is. When you’re dealing with two fighters of the caliber of Beterbiev and Bivol, it makes for a very good night for boxing,” said Arum.
It’s going to be an excellent fight, and hopefully, Bivol doesn’t choose to make it dull by moving for 12 rounds. We know that Beterbiev will make it exciting because he always entertains, but Bivol is the question mark here. He’s an in-and-out runner who fights scared when dealing with pressure.
“Certainly the best I’ve ever seen, and I’ve seen them all pretty much,” said Arum when asked if a win for Beterbiev would cement him as the best light heavyweight that we’ve ever seen in the sport. “I think Beterbiev is something super special in the light heavyweight division, but again, October 12th is not going to be the end of his career. He’s probably going to fight for another couple of years.
“He stopped everyone else. Will he stop Bivol? That’s what we’ll have to see. That’s why they do the fights, but Beterbiev wears you down, and he takes you out. He’s done it [20] straight times, and I don’t see why this [21st] time wouldn’t happen on October 12th,” said Arum.
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