Dmitry Bivol and Artur Beterbiev will fight for the undisputed light heavyweight championship tonight at the Kingdom Arena in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia. The fight is seen as the boxer versus the puncher, but it’s actually two boxer-punchers going at it to determine who is the top dog in the 175-lb division.
WBA light heavyweight champion Bivol (23-0, 12 KOs) has the speed, mobility and the youth advantage. Age may play a factor in this fight for the 39-year-old Beterbiev as he is coming off right knee surgery earlier this year. But if he performs at the level he did against Callum Smith on January 13, Bivol will be in trouble. Beterbiev didn’t look old in that fight.
Tonight’s Beterbiev-Bivol fight will be shown live on ESPN+ at 6pm ET/3pm PT.
“I like the Eddie Hearn vs. Artur Beterbiev rivalry. Hearn knows the game, and he got people interested. He got under Beterbiev’s skin a little bit, and he showed us some venom,” said commentator Todd Grisham. Top Rank Boxing.
“Did Eddie Hearn rattle him? Did he get under his skin?” said Dev Sahni of Queensberry Promotions.
Beterbiev didn’t seem angry when he asked Hearn why he was talking about him so much during the last press conference. He appeared more annoyed than anything. Hearn does this kind of stuff often, trying to upset fighters competing against his guys. He’s doing it to help them, not just to create fan interest.
“I think Beterbiev’s team was a bit haunted by the perception that it was the boxer against the fight,” said journalist Chris Mannix. “We know Bivol is a very talented boxer, but Beterbiev’s team is right. He is an elite boxer in his own right. He is a two-time Olympian. He has a lot of amateur medals.”
Fans see Beterbiev’s 20-0 record with 20 knockouts, and they naturally assume he’s a brawler, which he is. Beterbiev can box at times, but it’s a means to an end. He does this to set up his opponents for big power shots to knock them out.
“He will touch you. He will throw four- and five-push combinations with regularity. There are many boxing skills within Artur Beterbiev. At the same time, I think the 12 knockouts on Bivol’s resume is a bit misleading.
“I do think he has more power than those 12 knockouts suggest. Bivol is the type of guy who rises to the level of his competition.”
Bivol has good power, but he uses it sparingly because his focus is always on throwing quick combos and then moving away. He does not put his feet to charge on his punches. In Bivol’s last battle against Malik Zinadhe unleashed a flurry, landing 18 consecutive head shots to earn a sixth-round stoppage on June 1. Bivol had to throw a lot of punches to get the knockout.
“Both of these guys are two examples of Eastern European styles where you maximize your natural and your physical ability,” coach Andy Lee said of Bivol and Beterbiev. “What I’m looking at in the fighters is that Beterbiev can force him to go back and retreat. Can he get him on the ropes? What can he do once he gets there?”
Bivol will back off if Beterbiev comes forward because that’s how he always fights. Bivol tends to give ground when pushed by powerful punchers, as he does not want to be beaten. What will be interesting to see is what Bivol will do when he runs out of real estate and is caught by Beterbiev. Will he fight or hold?
“With Bivol, I see if he can keep his hands up. Can he punch and make Beterbiev miss and then counter?” Lee said.
