BoxingScene Roundtable: Staff picks for Artur Beterbiev-Dmitry Bivol

At long last, two of the best in the business – and the No. 1 and 1a in the light heavyweight division – come together to settle undisputed status in the division. On Saturday in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, Artur Beterbiev puts his three belts up against Dmitry Bivol’s one, and the winner takes all.

Let’s check in with our BoxingScene staff to find out how they see the fight developing and being decided.

Jason Langendorf: Anytime undisputed is on the line, in any division, it’s worth taking notice. But both Beterbiev and Bivol are already deservingly considered the highest caliber of champions, and their matchup of styles and the ancillary Hall of Fame argument – the winner enters – further amps the stakes of this one.

Bivol is a masterful technician, but he showed in the beatdown of Saul “Canelo” Alvarez that he also has a bit of dog in him. Beterbiev, who has the reputation of an indiscriminate destroyer of worlds, is actually more calculating and cerebral in the ring than he’s credited for.

After it’s all said and done, though, it’s the power in both hands and the relentlessness of Beterbiev that will win the day. Bivol can hold him off for a time with his excellent jab, and may even find opportunity to test his opponent’s chin. But over the rounds, Beterbiev will knock down Bivol’s defenses, find his openings and ultimately land the decisive blows before the final bell. The old guy just needs his body to hold up for 36 more minutes. I think it will. Prediction: Beterbiev by TKO10

Elliot Worsell: I hate predicting fights at the best of times – who really knows how a quality fight will play out? – but the idea of predicting the outcome of Beterbiev vs. Bivol is a stab in the dark even for boxing’s biggest know-it-alls. That is a testament to just how brilliant the fight is, of course, and how flawless the two Russians have so far been in their respective professional careers.

In fact, so good have they been, and so good is this fight, the only knock against them ahead of it has to do with age, in the case of Beterbiev, and a propensity to go the distance, in the case of Bivol. That aside, it is as hard finding a fault in these two as it is deciding which of them will win on Saturday. Because I have to, though, I’ll go for Beterbiev. Prediction: Beterbiev by decision

Eric Raskin: A lot of people are calling this a 50-50 fight. That’s ridiculous. It’s more like 51-49.

And to me, who’s the “51” and who’s the “49” has flipped. A year or so ago, I would have probably ever-so-narrowly favored Beterbiev. But the piling up of injuries for Beterbiev, the relative inactivity (this will be only his sixth fight since 2019) and the ticking of his body clock are enough to move the needle for me about two percent and make Bivol that tiniest of favorites.

Also, when all else is equal – and has all else ever been more equal in a fight than it is in Bivol vs. Beterbiev? – history says to pick the boxer. It would be a mistake, of course, to sleep on Beterbiev’s skill level; much like Gervonta Davis, he’s such a gifted knockout artist that it’s easy to lose sight of how clever he can be in the ring. But still, the edge in terms of pure skill has to go to Bivol. He’s the guy who wins if a fight never quite breaks out. Against Beterbiev, it will be his mission not to let a fight break out. Bivol was exceptionally disciplined against Saul “Canelo” Alvarez, and I expect him to be just as disciplined this Saturday.

It won’t be easy to keep Beterbiev at bay, but age, injury and rust are all Bivol’s friends in that pursuit, and I think he’ll survive a few perilous moments to win a close, but deserved, points verdict. Prediction: Bivol by decision

Kieran Mulvaney: There is more to Artur Beterbiev than his power; he is a quality boxer with good ring generalship. But he is undeniably the puncher in the matchup, and often – although not always – in puncher-versus-boxer matchups, it is the technician, all other things being equal, who emerges victorious. That’s what I think will happen here, with Beterbiev’s age and injuries catching up to him and Bivol boxing a supremely disciplined fight to earn himself a surprisingly wide unanimous decision win. Prediction: Bivol by decision

Tris Dixon: It’s almost here, finally. Saturday night, when these two are in the ring and the bell is about to sound, is when the sport is at its most magical. Forget the politics and the many other issues facing boxing and distill it to two top pound-for-pounders meeting to decide the best in the weight class.

Of course, we had it with Terence Crawford-Errol Spence Jr. last year in a fight Crawford dominated. Will one fighter step up and boss this one? I’m not so sure. As we saw in yet another undisputed fight this year, between Fury and Usyk, these two will have more than one battle plan. Neither is a one-trick pony, despite Beterbiev being the banger and Bivol being the boxer. They both have the experience and attributes to adapt, too.

I’ve favored Beterbiev all the way through but am questioning whether, given the knee issue, he will have the mobility and accuracy required to win. But say each fighter is what we want, 100 percent, and without getting bogged down by hypotheticals? I’m going for Beterbiev to win the fight, and perhaps a knockdown or two will be the difference on the cards. Prediction: Beterbiev by decision

Lucas Ketelle: Everyone is going to say the same stuff about this fight, and that’s exactly why it’s so fascinating. Beterbiev? The guy is the walking embodiment of the T-1000 from Terminator 2. But don’t sleep on his ring IQ. He’s way smarter than people give him credit for and might just be the best offensive fighter we’ve seen since Gennady Golovkin. Bivol, meanwhile, is criminally underrated when it comes to power, but he’s basically the boxing equivalent of the PC game Myst. Nothing was obvious in that game. Nor is it when you fight Bivol.

Now, let’s talk about X-factors. Beterbiev is 39. Bivol is 33. Beterbiev has never fought in Saudi Arabia. Bivol has in his past two fights. Beterbiev? Constantly dealing with injuries. Bivol? Pretty much injury-free compared to Beterbiev, who seems to average an injury a year. Every single intangible seems to lean Bivol’s way, and I’m going to lean that way, too.

No matter what the general consensus is, this feels like a fight where one guy is going to dominate. Also, this could be a fight in which how you take a punch matters more than people think leading into it. Prediction: Bivol by KO

Lance Pugmire: As certain as Dmitry Bivol is confronting a destructive punching force as he never has before in Artur Beterbiev, the Russian three-belt light heavyweight champion is meeting the shrewdest, most skilled opponent he has ever met. Bivol is six years younger than Beterbiev. He is fully healthy. Beterbiev had to withdraw in May from their originally scheduled June 1 date with a ruptured meniscus, and he had been sidelined by a variety of ailments before that.

Yes, Beterbiev is a fierce fighting machine with 20 knockouts in all 20 fights – “an animal,” as his promoter, Top Rank President Todd DuBoef said – but Bivol hits back, too. Ask none other than longtime pound-for-pound elite Canelo Alvarez, who bowed to Bivol by unanimous decision two years ago.

Bivol has trained nearly all year for this, taking a June 1 replacement fight when Beterbiev went lame, and then putting himself through the rigors of desolate, rugged camps in Kyrgyzstan and Turkey to prepare for the fight of his life.

One punch can end it all. Bivol is well aware. He can take a punch and, most importantly, he is sophisticated enough to avoid them. Beterbiev will attack ruthlessly. Bivol will counter, eyeing the openings that exist when a brute aims to simplify the battle with pure violence. Thanks to his supreme fitness and strength to accommodate his punch resistance, Bivol is capable of winning this fight through these tactics. And his path eases as Beterbiev confronts the mortality of his age and injuries. He can’t match Bivol’s 12-round production, and if his sole intention is to win by KO, how will Beterbiev fare from Round 8 on?

Not very well. This is where Bivol wins the bout, implementing all the benefits of his superior cardio and youth to pile up additional rounds on the scorecards. This plan may kick in even sooner, perhaps by Round 6, and should Beterbiev age overnight, as the saying goes, Bivol will end him by Round 11. Prediction: Bivol by unanimous decision

John Evans: I haven’t wavered on this since the fight was originally made earlier this year: Beterbiev to win. Oleksandr Gvozdyk made it to Round 10, but apart from that, nobody has come close to outboxing Beterbiev over the 12-round distance, and it would be a stunning result if Bivol were to score a knockout. 

Although Bivol is a tremendous talent and the best opponent that Beterbiev has faced, he will need to box a perfect fight to win. Beterbiev’s boxing ability is being dramatically underrated – and he doesn’t need to be perfect. He just needs to create moments. Maybe age and injury will finally catch up with the 39-year-old, but he seems like too rational a man to step into a dangerous fight in a depleted condition. Bivol will play his part in a tremendous fight. If he wins, it will be one of the great victories. Prediction: Beterbiev by KO

Bernard Neequaye: I expect a very tactical and technical fight between two Russian boxing greats on Saturday. Both Artur Beterbiev and Dmitry Bivol come into the fight with exceptional qualities that will be tested during the fight – Bivol’s technical mastery and Beterbiev’s power.

Beterbiev goes into the fight as one of the fiercest punchers in the sport today, and Bivol must try and deal with that if he wants to win the undisputed light heavyweight championship. If he can’t take the punches, he loses. On the other hand, if Beterbiev can’t sufficiently match Bivol’s boxing skill, he might never catch up with his rival. This much-anticipated fight promises to be a thriller, and I’m really looking forward to seeing both fighters come to the party.

Even though it is very difficult to predict who wins on Saturday, I believe Bivol has what it takes to triumph if he’s able to deal with Beterbiev’s hard-hitting punches. Prediction: Bivol by decision

Declan Warrington: As irresistible as the combination of Beterbiev’s ferocity and cultured edges is capable of being, the serious knee injury he suffered that delayed this fight, combined with his 39 years, makes Bivol narrowly likelier to win the most competitive and appealing of matchups. Bivol possesses the variety, intelligence and discipline to produce the masterclass that will be essential if he is going to resist Beterbiev for 12 rounds and earn a decision. He will not only have to be better than ever before, he will also have to be more hurtful, by punishing Beterbiev to keep him at bay.

Dan Azeez, one of Beterbiev’s former sparring partners, perhaps put it best when he said if they had been matched over 15 rounds, Beterbiev would be certain to win but that over 12 Bivol can succeed. Prediction: Bivol by decision

Owen Lewis: The framing of “boxer vs. puncher” certainly helps market this fight, but I wonder if it’s the wrong way to understand it. Artur Beterbiev is not Deontay Wilder, a fighter content to lose rounds until he finds a singular knockout shot. He’s usually up on the cards when he finds the inevitable stoppage, and even when he isn’t – like against Oleksandr Gvozdyk or Anthony Yarde – he has still won his share of rounds.

I don’t think Bivol is necessarily guaranteed a win if he simply avoids getting stopped. Much is made of his jab, but he will be at a one-inch reach disadvantage against Beterbiev, who outjabbed the rangier Callum Smith in January. And we don’t really know how Bivol will react if and when he gets hurt, which you have to imagine he will be at some point. Bivol’s chin is a question, as is his ability to make Beterbiev respect his power, given that his KO rate is under 50 percent. The knee is a concern, but Beterbiev delivering a knockout has become the most reliable thing in boxing, so I’ll rely on it here. Prediction: Beterbiev by KO

Manouk Akopyan: Artur Beterbiev has been trusted like a Rolex throughout his career. With regular maintenance and repair along the way, he has ticked and picked apart every rival he has ever faced by knockout. But on Dmitry Bivol’s watch, Beterbiev will suffer a rude awakening and realize he’s winding down when he meets the undefeated opponent no one beats: Father Time.

Beterbiev, three months away from turning 40, is somewhat limping into the fight. He has suffered a rash of injuries throughout his career. Four out of his last six fights – including this one, due to a ruptured meniscus requiring surgery in May – have been postponed due to his series of health issues.

Will the bulldozing Beterbiev appear to age overnight against the slick-boxing and fleet-footed Bivol? I say yes, because Beterbiev’s fellow Russian counterpart is in a category of his own and can’t be compared to the high level of opposition he has previously crushed.

It’s a razor-thin fight on paper, and rightfully so. I’m anticipating a tense tussle in the first half turning into a one-sided affair in the second as Bivol leverages his lateral movement and boxes the brakes off Beterbiev. Bivol winning by decision seems like a safe pick, but I wouldn’t be surprised to see Bivol rise to the occasion as he did against Canelo Alvarez, only this time by knocking out the knockout artist for yet another career-defining win. Prediction: Bivol by KO