The talking is almost over for Artur Beterbiev and Dmitry Bivol, who meet in a rematch on Saturday in Riyadh.
They made their grand arrivals in Saudi Arabia today as the light heavyweight stars prepare to run back their October fight, which saw Beterbiev win a narrow contest on the scorecards.
Beterbiev, the unbeaten and undisputed champion, is 21-0 (20 KOs) and Bivol is the first man to take him to the scorecards.
“Not bad,” said Beterbiev, when asked how he was.
Then, Beterbiev was questioned about the first fight.
“We learned some different things, like we know what to improve and what to correct,” he said.
“There’s many things and many aspects I can improve myself, we will see. I think they [Team Bivol] have a different strategy or something.”
Beterbiev said he was well preserved at 40 because of his experience and because he has stayed in good shape for a long time.
Bivol, of the first encounter – which he’s watched back three or four times – said: “I saw good moments and bad moments. I just need to be better in all positions. I need to be faster, I need to be harder, smarter, everything better.”
Asked about lessons learned from last October’s battle, Bivol – 23-1 (12 KOs) – said: “Not too much learned but I learned about myself, that I don’t like to lose and I need to push myself harder.”
What will he do differently?
“It means more punches and more endurance,” said the 34-year-old challenger.
Read the full article here
