Lyndon Arthur picks Artur Beterbiev to defeat Dmitri Bivol on Saturday night if he hasn’t aged overnight since his last fight. He says he expected Beterbiev to get to Bivol at some point in the fight.
Light heavyweight contender Lyndon fought WBA champion Bivol (23-0, 12 KOs) in Riyadh on December 23 last year and lost a wide unanimous decision over 12 rounds. He also sparred with Beterbiev (20-0, 20 KOs) in the past, and he could see the difference in power between them.
Lyndon says Bivol didn’t hit as hard as he thought he would going into their competition. He lost the fight against Bivol with the scores of 120-107, 120-107 and 120-107. In the seventh round, Lyndon hurt Bivol with a left to the body, causing him to retire. For the rest of the fight, Bivol seemed to fight less aggressively after that round.
Lyndon, 33, says he thinks it would hurt if Beterbiev hit him with 10-oz gloves, because with either hand because he hits too hard.
“When I was there with Bivol, I thought, ‘He’s not hitting as hard as I thought he would,'” Lyndon Arthur said. Pro Boxing Fans about his fight against Dmitri Bivol last year on December 23. “I was able to defend a lot more shots than I thought.
“I’ve been with both of them. I spared Beterbiev. It’s not the same as a fight, but the punches he throws to be able to take them with 10-ounce gloves versus the pace he brings to them and the resilience he brings in the ring, it’s going to be tough for Bivol to keep him down.
“He definitely hits hard with 10-ounce gloves with both hands, and it’s going to hurt to get hit with 10-ounce gloves,” Lyndon said of Beterbiev.
It’s a shame that Lyndon never fought Beterbiev because it would have given him more room to compare him to Bivol. Now he can only pass by sparring with Beterbiev while wearing bigger gloves and headgear.
“Bivol, it’s his combination of hitting, his distance and the way he gets in range. Before you know it, he’s there. Beterbiev, it’s his relentlessness and his ability to come forward. He is very good at boxing. Because he knocks everyone out, everyone thinks he is a forward fighter, but he was in the Russian team in the amateurs for a long time.”
Bivol stabs and quickly moves forward to throw two shots and then retreats. Bivol almost always throws two punches and then retreats. It’s predictableand that might be one of the reasons why Lyndon Bivol’s tendencies were able to pick up during their fight. It was always the same: stab, move forward, use the left-right combo and retreat. There is no variation whatsoever.
“He had a long amateur career. He saw many styles. He is very good at boxing. Yes,” Lyndon said when asked if Beterbiev would defeat Bivol. “But Bivol can knock his head off for 12 rounds. It can happen.”
When people watch Beterbiev, they see him attacking with power shots and hitting his opponents with relentless pressure. He doesn’t look like he’s boxing. He throws power shots and tries to cut it down. But he boxes, jabs and sets up his shots like a skilled boxer.
Casual fans don’t see it, but they don’t know the sport well enough to see his skills. Even hardcore fans too lazy to watch Beterbiev’s entire fights to form an opinion, they can’t see what he’s doing.
“As long as Beterbiev has something left in the tank and hasn’t aged overnight. If he doesn’t show his age, I believe Beterbiev will get him,” says Lyndon.
Fans’ only question mark about Beterbiev is whether his surgically repaired right knee is 100% ready for the fight. He had surgery last May to repair a torn meniscus in his knee, and there is not much time for him to rehabilitate it.
