WBA light heavyweight champion Dmitry Bivol believes triple-belt unified champion Artur Beterbiev will be fully recovered from his recent knee surgery when they meet in Riyadh on October 12.
Beterbiev (20-0, 20 KOs) has put in the work to come back from knee surgery, and he will be ready for fight duty against the undefeated Bivol (23-0, 12 KOs) in their main, live on DAZN PPV at the Kingdom Arena.
One thing going in Beterbiev’s favor is that he doesn’t move much except in straight lines. So, the only thing he’ll have to worry about is getting to Bivol to cut off the ring if he chooses to stay on the run.
Beterbiev’s ability to cut off the ring will be important because Bivol will not be able to stay in the pocket and fight him due to his lack of power, weak chin and tendency to avoid punishment.
“I feel great that the fight is going to be soon, because I had a big journey in my boxing career, and now it’s going to be final,” Dmitri Bivol said. iFL TV with just 2 1/2 weeks to go before he faces Artur Beterbiev on October 12 in Riyadh.
It may not be the last trip for Bivol if he loses to Beterbiev on October 12, as he will have to continue to pursue his vision of going uncontested in a rematch if there is one. If Beterbiev vacates the titles and moves up to cruiserweight, Bivol will have to collect the belts slowly, which could take years.
“Artur Beterbiev is a very good pro fighter. He knows how to solve his problems. He can be in the best shape. That’s what I have in my head. Of course, I don’t think about him being injured or the fight being postponed. We have agreed to this date. We’re going to fight, and he’s going to be in the best shape,” says Bivol about expecting Beterbiev to recover 100% from his recent knee surgery.
The video clip of Beterbiev running in the mountains in Russia suggests that his surgically repaired knee is healthy and will be able to withstand the physical rigors of fights against Bivol.
“Of course I respect all fighters who have gone into the ring with me. I just believe I can use all my skills. I have to use it all. I have to think twice and be focused the whole fight and I can win. I believe he is the most powerful and the strongest fighter,” Bivol said when asked if he respected Beterbiev.
It would be crazy if Bivol didn’t respect Beterbiev because he’s by far the best guy he’s ever fought. Canelo Alvarez was at the top of his game when he fought Bivol in 2022, but he was small at 5’8″ and didn’t possess the size or the inside game that Beterbiev possessed.
It is hard for fans to believe that Beterbiev has a better inside game than Canelo, who is known to be an excellent fighter. However, Beterbiev throws short punches with massive power and doesn’t have to focus on throwing hoops, leaving him open to getting hit like Canelo does.
“After my fight against Canelo I was available for a rematch but he chose some other fights. Then we realized that we had to move forward. Now, I have moved forward. I have my own way. If we cross paths, I’ll give him a rematch. But now I’m only focused on October 12,” said Bivol.
The good news is that there is still a chance that Bivol can get the rematch with Canelo, but he has to defeat Beterbiev to get it. Canelo wants the chance to win the undisputed light heavyweight championship to take advantage of the risky fight against Bivol.
