Already on June 1, the long-awaited fight will take place not only for Russian fans, but also for world boxing. Arthur Beterbiev and Dmitry Bivol will determine the absolute world light heavyweight champion. This is a really important fight in every way: two trained, high-level boxers who deceive their opponents in different ways, although both have never lost as professionals.
Bivol accumulated 22 victories, Beterbiev – 20, and considering the level of opposition of both, this is a great achievement. Between them they already have more than 15 fights for the title. And, as is often the case, in a war of two opposing styles, experts’ opinions on the possible winner of this battle vary greatly.
Bivol and Beterbiev signed a contract for the fight:
There will be a fight between Bivol and Beterbiev! The Russians shook hands and will fight for a single belt
Most notably, Bivol’s playstyle stands out, making it very easy to take on opponents. Dmitry is very light on his feet, constantly moving and blasting his opponents with series of multiple blows. Furthermore, thanks to his speed, he manages to drastically shorten and break the distance on the wheel to minimize knocks on himself. On defense, Bivol knows how to block firmly and jump off the ropes in time, and he hasn’t been completely taken down yet. In the fight with Joe Smith there was only one incident, who shook the Russian slightly, but was saved by the gong.
In this context, Bivol seems almost a perfect boxer who is difficult to stop, but former world champion Alexander Gvozdyk thinks a little differently: “I would bet on Beterbiev. This is a good fight. I haven’t trained with Bivol, so I don’t know how he can handle Beterbiev’s power. Bivol certainly has excellent footwork, but Beterbiev knows how to take shortcuts. I think he will be able to pin Bivol against the ropes. If you look at the Bivol-Canelo fight, Canelo never had a problem putting him on the ropes.
The problem for Bivol is that Beterbiev’s power is on another level. With all due respect to Canelo’s boxing skills, he is not as strong as Beterbiev. This is where I think Bivol will have trouble unless he can use his footwork to disrupt his rhythm. I just think Beterbiev will be too strong. It’s a 50-50 fight, but if I was betting money, I’d bet on Beterbiev. Beterbiev is naturally much bigger than Bivol, I heard that Bivol is actually not that heavy. This will influence because Beterbiev will be bigger, stronger and heavier. Bivol is a great fighter, but in my personal opinion he is overrated. He’s good, but people think he’s invincible and I don’t believe that. “I don’t think Beterbiev thinks so either, it will be a very difficult fight for Bivol.”
Artur Beterbiev
Photo: Richard Pelham/Getty Images
The main mistake is to consider Beterbiev as a one-sided puncher who depends solely on the power of his punches. Of course, knockout power is a great help and it is stupid to deny its importance, but Arthur works very competently. As Gvozdyk noted, Beterbiev is excellent at taking shortcuts and reading opponents’ attempts to leave the line of scrimmage. This helps put constant pressure on opponents and, furthermore, Arthur is quite powerful for his weight, so he can pin anyone against the ropes. Including Bivola.
Former sparring partner Dan Aziz explained the difficulty of being in the ring with Beterbiev: “Do you know what it’s like to box with Beterbiev? With each round, it seems to you that the ring is getting smaller and smaller. He feels like he is somehow tightening. That’s how you feel when you box with him. He does all this through pressure and power. But it’s not just about pressure and power. It’s also about boxing skill. “I like Beterbiev.”
Not long ago, Bivol boxed Lyndon Arthur, and the Briton also notes that Beterbiev is a much more skilled boxer than he appears from the outside: “I’m not sure that Bivol has enough striking power to take down his opponent. I boxed with both. But with Beterbiev – with training gloves. I will say that he doesn’t have a one-time knockout. But he has heavy fists. You literally feel every hit. Bivol is simply very good. Beterbiev too. It is in vain to think of him as a simple carter. This is bad. Very intelligent, very consistent. He knows what he’s doing. He cuts the corners of the ring very well. He blocks punches well and counterattacks well. He is very good. And I’m looking forward to this fight.”
Lyndon’s coach says the same thing. He believes that Bivol was able to control Canelo, but this will not be possible with Beterbiev. Arthur is simply too big for Dmitry to pin down like any other opponent.
Dmitri Bivol
Photo: Richard Pelham/Getty Images
Power, ability to take shortcuts, size, hitting power: these factors work in Beterbiev’s favor. This set is enough to surpass Bivol. Maybe Dmitry can at least break Arthur’s knockout streak, but there’s a good chance Beterbiev will add a fourth belt to his collection.
Bivol’s style may simply not be enough to stop such a formidable opponent. Dmitry’s lack of power will be his problem in a fight like this, because Beterbiev will continue to press from the first round to the last and sooner or later he will get his way.
