Dmitry Bivol will face the greatest fighter of his career in his light heavyweight division[ited championship fight against unified champ Artur Beterbiev in 19 days on October 12th in Riyadh. Beterbiev might have too much power for Bivol, who likes to throw combinations and leaves himself open. Getting countered by Beterbiev will be bad for Bivol.
WBA champion Bivol (23-0, 12 KOs) is known for his movement and boxing skills, which he’s used to defeat the likes of Canelo Alvarez and Gilberto Ramirez. He’s not faced anyone like IBF, WBC and WBO champion Beterbiev (20-0, 20 KOs), though.
Bivol hasn’t fought anyone like Beterbiev, and we don’t know if he’ll be able to use his in-and-out attacking style effectively against this kind of puncher.
Canelo, a natural middleweight in size, was too small to fight at light heavyweight against Bivol in 2022. Zurdo Ramirez was slow and limited in his fight against Bivol in November 2022. Bivol might not be as good as some fans had thought, and Beterbiev may expose that.
“When I think of what is a machine? It’s Beterbiev more than any other boxer in recent years,” said Ade Oladipo on his YouTube channel, talking about unified light heavyweight champion Artur Beterbiev ahead of his fight against Dmitry Bivol on October 12th.
“Some thought Callum Smith was going to go to Canada and take the titles from him. Beterbiev destroyed him. That’s when I thought this guy is the real deal. Then there’s Dmitry Bivol. I think he’s poetry in motion.
“You have someone [Beterbiev] that will tear you down, and you have a person who is a moving poem. “Bivol does not have that outstanding technique of Beterbiev,” said Ade.
Beterbiev’s best wins:
– Oleksandr Gvozdyk
– Callum Smith
– Callum Johnson
– Marcus Browne
– Anthony Yarde
– Joe Smith Jr.
Bivol’s best wins include beating Joe Smith Jr., Canelo, and Gilberto Ramirez. His resume is similar to Beterbiev’s but not as good.
“Bivol shut down Canelo. You can’t sleep on that performance. This was Canelo who was in the lead in that fight that was running. “
“At the time I didn’t think it was unusual, but apparently it was. When I look back, he hit me in the arms and knocked me down,” said Callum Johnson speaking to Secondsout about his fight with Artur Beterbiev in 2018.
“Will his age affect him? At some point, it will happen. Will the knee surgery affect him?” Johnson asked about Beterbiev.
Beterbiev’s recent knee surgery puts a question mark over whether he will be able to handle the pressure of facing a game changer like Bivol. Not just a movement. Bivol may choose to lean on Beterbiev during the bend to get his knees down and weaken him.
Does Bivol rule on October 12? 👑#BeterbievBivol | #RiyadhSeason | Oct 12, live on DAZN | @Turki_alalshikh pic.twitter.com/Q7tQgrDX4o
– DAZN Boxing (@DAZNBoxing) September 23, 2024
