Trainer Andre Rozier is confident Artur Beterbiev will be too strong for Dmitry Bivol when they clash on Saturday.
Beterbiev, who holds the WBC, IBF and WBO light heavyweight titles, is on the cusp of facing Bivol, who has the WBA belt, for the undisputed 175-pound championship in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia. The Russian duo – one pure boxer with pop, one thundering puncher with boxing skills – are expected to produce a thrilling fight.
Ahead of the much-anticipated encounter, Rozier believes Beterbiev (20-0, 20 KOs) would be a tall order for Bivol (23-0, 12 KOs).
“No one beats Beterbiev,” said Rozier in an interview with Fight Hype. “The only way you’re gonna beat that man is before time catches him and holds his hand and says, ‘Come on. Come with me.’ That’s the only way. Beterbiev is a wrecking machine.”
At age 39, Beterbiev could be nearing retirement and his career has been plagued with injuries lately. The Bivol fight was initially scheduled for June and had to be postponed when Beterbiev ruptured his meniscus.
Beterbiev will be defending his unified titles for the third time by becoming the undisputed light heavyweight champion. Having added the WBO title to the WBC and IBF belts by a round two stoppage win over Joe Smith Jr. two years ago, Beterbiev beat Anthony Yarde and Callum Smith to retain his belts.
Rozier said that Beterbiev, with his impeccable KO record, has been a force to be reckoned with even when he has encountered difficult moments in the ring.
“I mean, he does so many things well,” Rozier said. “People will be like, ‘Oh, he was knocked down.’ Like, everybody in boxing has been knocked down except for Canelo [Alvarez]. That’s why it’s not gonna happen on Saturday. And you just have to say, ‘I know if I do get knocked down, I have to get back up and win,’ and that’s what he did.”
Meanwhile, Bivol has a deep resume, having defeated the aforementioned iron-chinned Alvarez, Gilberto Ramirez and Joe Smith Jr., among others. In his most recent fight, Bivol finished off Libya’s Malik Zinad in six rounds.
When asked about the quality of the matchup on Saturday, Rozier said, “I think that it’s gonna be a fantastic fight. Two very, very gifted athletes. Bivol, Beterbiev – no better fight than this.
“I mean, I just can’t wait for it because you have the consummate articulating boxer Bivol and you have the crushing pressure and tenacity of Beterbiev. What a fantastic fight. I’m glad that Turki Alalshikh put this fight together.”
Bernard Neequaye is a sports journalist with a specialty in boxing coverage. He wrote a boxing column titled “From The Ringside” in his native Ghana for years. He can be reached on X (formerly Twitter) at @BernardNeequaye, LinkedIn at Bernard Neequaye and through email at [email protected].
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