Former unified lightweight champion Nate Campbell says Dmitry Bivol will only last against Artur Beterbiev as long as he can soak up the punishment that he’ll be dishing out on October 12th in Riyadh.
Campbell is picking IBF, WBC, and WBO light heavyweight champion Beterbiev (20-0, 20 KOs) to win by knockout over WBA champ Bivol (23-0, 12 KOs) because of his power. Nate is going with Beterbiev as his choice until someone proves him wrong, and he doesn’t believe that Bivol is a big enough puncher to do that.
The oddsmakers still have Bivol as the favorite despite more and more fans siding with Beterbiev to win. It’s easy to see why the bettors are picking Bivol, because he’s younger at 33, not coming off a knee injury like Beterbiev, and he holds an impressive win over Canelo Alvarez.
“Beterbiev [will win]. One of my fans was trying to get him on the podcast, and he was hitting the bag in the gym. My boy said, ‘God damn, who keeps slamming the door in your gym?’ He said, ‘That is no door. That is Artur hitting the bag,’” said Nate Campbell to YSM Sports Media, talking about why he’s picking Artur Artur Beterbiev to defeat Dmitry Bivol on October 12th.
“Until you prove me different, Beterbiev. Can you punch? You can neutralize a puncher by being a bigger puncher. Tell me what guy is a bigger puncher [than Beterbiev]. Bivol can box; I know he can box. But can he punch? I could box, and I could punch.”
Bivol has decent punching power, but it’s not extraordinary. He can knock guys out, but he must land many shots over the duration of the fight. For him to do that, he puts himself at risk of getting hit. Fighting that way against Beterbiev would be too dangerous for him to get away with it.
“So, that changes the dynamic of the game when you can box and you can punch. What is the most dangerous style in boxing? [boxer-puncher]. It’s going to end when he can’t take it no more,” said Campbell about the fight lasting only as long as Bivol can soak up punishment from Beterbiev.
Bivol is likely going to make it ugly by staying on the move, jabbing, and holding Beterbiev when he gets close. He knows that he can’t afford to fight him on the inside without getting knocked out. It’s going to be a hit-and-run type of fight with Bivol.
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