WBA light heavyweight champion Dmitry Bivol works on throwing uppercuts in preparation for his fight with IBF/WBC/WBO champion Artur Beterbiev on October 12 in Riyadh.
Power, Not just Uppercuts, is the key
Bivol (23-0, 12 KOs) needs to improve his grappling power for a close fight because that’s where his biggest fight against knockout artist Beterbiev (20-0, 20 KOs) will be contested.
What Bivol needs in addition to an uppercut is power because he is not strong enough to be counted on to win this fight if Beterbiev applies constant pressure.
We saw what Beterbiev did against former WBA super middleweight champion Callum Smith last January. He destroyed a fighter with more power and size than the Bivol and made it look easy.
This is an area of Bivol’s game that he has never improved in because he has always been a champion fighting outside, and it is too late for him to try to correct that mistake after ten years as a champion.
It will be interesting to see if Bivol, 33, can throw his uppercuts because he will be in a lot of danger if he tries to throw those shots at a puncher like Beterbiev.
Adapting Beterbiev’s Style
Bivol isn’t used to Beterbiev’s relentless, high-pressure style, and if he can’t keep up, he won’t last long in this fight on October 12.
Bivol needs to find singles partners who can emulate Beterbiev’s fighting style because he has shown no resistance to boxing or a willingness to brawl with his opponents.
Bivol was injured Lyndon Arthur last December and he looked extremely nervous for the second half of the fight, sitting out and protecting his chin after being cut early on. That fight gave an idea of how Bivol will play against Beterbiev.
He won’t want to mix it up with him because he doesn’t have the strength, the chin, or the attitude for that kind of fight.
Working those words up 😤
🎥 @bivol_d | #BeterbievBivol | #RiyadhSeason | @Turki_alalshikh pic.twitter.com/xb0zi26ahp
– DAZN Boxing (@DAZNBoxing) August 20, 2024
Casual boxing fans who aren’t familiar with Beterbiev are looking at this fight as an oddity, believing that Bivol will make it look easy by outboxing him like he did 5’8″ super middleweights Canelo Alvarez and Gilberto ‘Zurdo’ Ramirez.
Those two fights made Bivol a more recognizable fighter than Beterbiev, which many players have yet to see. For that reason, fans feel that Bivol will give Beterbiev a boxing lesson in a one-sided fight. Some of them may be very surprised.
