 "Artur Beterbiev vs Dmitry Bivol: Back the Russian-Canadian fighter for a late-round KO")
Boxing is known as the cruellest sport.
After the fighters, boxing is perhaps most cruel to its fans.
Year after year, admirers are subjected to what those in the pro-wrestling business call ‘squash matches’ where an established superstar or up-and-comer fights an underdog.
Though the fights aren’t fixed, the results are clearly never in doubt.
But every once so often, those who stick with the sport are rewarded with a super-fight.
Tyson Fury vs Olexander Usyk, which occurred in May for the undisputed heavyweight championship, was one such fight.
The Terence Crawford versus Errol Spence fight which occurred in July 2023 for supremacy of the welterweight division, the most glamourous in the sport, was another.
Now, Artur Beterbiev (20-0) and Dmitry Bivol (23-0), two undefeated fighters, are set to battle it out in Riyadh for the right to be called ‘the man’ at light heavyweight (175 pounds).
The winner of this fight will also be seen as an all-time great at the weight.
Let’s take a closer look at both men and how they match up:
Bivol: The technician
The Russian is regarded the most skilled and technically sound fighter at light heavyweight.
He adheres to the typical slick European style – giving his opponents different looks and angles, moving in to hit and then out not to get hit.
Impact Shorts
More ShortsOpponents find it incredibly difficult to land a series of punches on him. Which is why Bivol, though he may have been hurt a couple of times, has never touched the mat in his career.
Bivol in 2023 put on arguably the best performance of his career against Saul Canelo Alvarez.
He followed that up with a 6th round knockout of Malik Zinad in Saudi Arabia.
Though Bivol’s confidence must be sky high at the moment, he’s never faced the likes of Beterbiev.
Beterbiev: The heavy hitter
Beterbiev, the Russian-Canadian fighter, is the heaviest hitter at light heavyweight.
Going by the word of beat-up sparring partners and those who have seen him work out, Beterbiev might have the heaviest hands in the entire sport of boxing.
Which is why Beterbiev has a 100 per cent knock out rate in professional boxing.
Though opponents are rightly focussed on Beterbiev’s hands, they ought to be equally worried by his feet.
Though he doesn’t have the swiftest feet, Beterbiev is excellent at cutting off the ring and putting himself in the right place to inflict the most damage on his opponents.
He is also a skilled counter-puncher who is rarely off balance. His ring IQ is also underestimated. While he may lose the odd round, he is yet to lose control of a fight.
Remember, this is a man yet to see the final bell in any of his professional fights.
While Beterbiev has been on the floor and been badly cut in his fights, he is never deterred and is yet to be seriously hurt in the ring.
The breakdown
In many ways, this is the classic boxer-puncher (Bivol) against the aggressive swarmer (Beterbiev) match-up. The classic maxim of boxing would favour the boxer-puncher Bivol – see the Ali-Frazier trilogy or the Leonard-Duran bouts – over an extended number of matches.
There are a few other reasons to favour Bivol.
The big one is age. Bivol is 33, while Beterbiev is nearing 40.
Beterbiev’s constant injuries and the wear and tear on his body due to the vast number of amateur bouts in his career also count against him.
Father time, as fighters constantly find, remains undefeated.
Bivol is considered the more technically sound fighter as well as faster of hand and foot.
Bivol is also marginally the more active fighter – having fought in June compared to Beterbiev who fought in January – since 2022.
Which is why many including some high-profile boxing experts are favouring Bivol over Beterbiev.
And yet….
Beterbiev is a far more technically adept fighter than he is given credit for being.
Indeed, he amassed a better amateur record than Bivol.
Anyone who dismisses him as a mere puncher is mistaken.
While people complain that Beterbiev looks ‘slow’ in the ring, he has thus far caught, cornered and knocked out every opponent in the ring.
Which means his adeptness at cutting off the ring and countering the lateral movements of his opponents is on point.
Though speed kills, timing can often interrupt and destroy speed.
And Beterbiev is a master at figuring out the rhythm of his opponents and landing the ‘kill shot.’
Even better, Beterbiev never seems to really load up on his short, straight punches. Which makes his concussive power all the more terrifying.
Beterbiev’s constant pressure also seems to break the will of his opponents. Bivol also seemingly lacks the firepower to keep Beterbiev off.
There are two big questions.
Can Beterbiev do the same to Bivol? If so, can Bivol’s chin and ribs withstand the TNT in Beterbiev’s fists? And how much of a toll has time and injuries taken on Beterbiev?
The prediction
So, what’s the prediction?
Bivol gets off to a hot start in the early rounds giving Beterbiev lots of faints and lateral movements.
Beterbiev remains patient, works behind the jab and gives himself time to adjust to Bivol’s style.
Then, in the later rounds, Beterbiev begins to cut off the ring. He turns the outside boxing match into a phone booth fight and turns the heat up on Bivol.
Beterbiev eventually hurts Bivol in the body in the last quarter of the fight – and finishes the job.
Beterbiev knocks out Bivol in rounds 9-12.
When and where is Artur Beterbiev vs Dmitry Bivol fight?
The Artur Beterbiev vs Dmitry Bivol boxing fight will take place on 12 October (Saturday) at the Kingdom Arena in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia. The boxing event will start at 2 PM EDT (11:30 PM IST). The main event ring is expected around 6:30 PM EDT (4:00 AM IST on 13 October, Sunday).
How to watch Artur Beterbiev vs Dmitry Bivol boxing match?
The Artur Beterbiev vs Dmitry Bivol will be broadcast live on DAZN pay-per-view worldwide (excluding the USA and Canada). Fans in the UK can also catch the fight on TNT Sports Box Office, while Sky Sports Box Office will cover the entire undercard. In the USA, the Artur Beterbiev vs Dmitry Bivol fight will be broadcast live on ESPN+ as a non-pay-per-view event.
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