Artur Beterbiev turned 40 years young today and heading into the title defense of his undisputed light heavyweight championship against Dmitri Bivol on February 22nd in Riyadh.
The of Bivol get a second chance due to complaints from fans and his promoter about his loss. It seemed like a fair decision. Beterbiev wanted it more, and Bivol was only interested in trying not to get knocked out. If you run like Bivol, you don’t win. It’s simple.
The Ageless Champion
Despite knee surgery for a torn meniscus in May 2024, Beterbiev (21-0, 20 KOs) looked like the younger, fresher fighter and previously undefeated WBA champion Bivol (23-1, 12 KOs) at 12 October defeated.
The scores were 115-113, 116-112 and 114-114. Fighting with only one good leg, Beterbiev chased Bivol around the ring looking like a dog chasing a scared cat. Bivol, with two healthy legs, had no fight in him.
Physically, Beterbiev looks younger than Bivol, who has appeared depleted since their last fight. You can see bags under both of 34-year-old Bivol’s eyes, and he has an old hound dog look about him.
The punishment Bivol took in battle seemed to age as he looked older. Although Bivol blocked Beterbiev’s shots with his gloves, the blows were so hard that they still did the damage.
Last time, Bivol stayed on the move for the entire second half of the fight from the sixth round when Beterbiev started applying pressure on him. Once it started, Bivol was no longer in the fight. He was just trying to survive.
Beterbiev held back in the first five rounds, pinning Bivol and throwing one combination to win the action. The fight changed hands when Beterbiev went into attack mode starting in the sixth. Bivol didn’t have the firepower, chin or bravery to stand and fight. It was disappointing because he didn’t even try to make it exciting. It was pure run and hold from Bivol.
Break Bivol
If Beterbiev chooses to attack immediately in the rematch, it will be an exploit because Bivol doesn’t have the punching power or the chin to fight him. Additionally, he is less willing to trade power shots than other fighters in the light heavyweight division. Bivol hates being hit, and he is afraid of being nailed by Beterbiev.
It will be interesting to see if Bivol’s promoter, Eddie Hearn, starts complaining again if he loses by decision. Hopefully he will take the high road and show some class.
“It’s going to be hard to separate them. I just don’t know if the last fight was tough for either of them, and I don’t know if Beterbiev’s age,” Callum Smith tells iFL TVquestioned whether Artur Beterbiev’s age had caught up with him going into his February 22 rematch with Dmitri Bivol.
“We keep saying he’s going to start looking his age, but I don’t know in that fight if it took a bit out of him. The longer the time goes on, you should lean towards Bivol to be a little fresher. I think Bivol, but I think it’s going to be very tight again. I will finish my job (against Joshua Buatsi) and then watch the main event. Hopefully I get a shot at the winner,” Smith said.
.@ABeterbiev turns 40 years old today 🎂🎈#BeterbievBivol2 | #Riyadh Season | Feb 22, live on DAZN | @Turki_alalshikh pic.twitter.com/5e6J5lR9cG
— DAZN Boxing (@DAZNBoxing) January 21, 2025
