Artur Beterbiev-Dmitry Bivol is as attractive as Tyson Fury-Oleksandr Usyk and Terence Crawford-Errol Spence. This is one of the fights that fans have been salivating over for a very long time.
There are certain fights in certain weight classes that you look at and think, “This is what needs to happen,” and wonder why they haven’t happened – but they do. There was a time, with Beterbiev consistently fighting in the Top Rank rankings and Bivol in Matchroom, that this would not have happened, but the Riyadh Season investment means that we are dealing with a top-level fight here.
The Fury-Usyk fight was great and we have every reason to hope that it will be the same. But even if it doesn’t happen, it’s critical that it happens and hopefully at the right time. There’s a chance the fight would have come at an even better time if it had been scheduled 12 months earlier, but it’s still a great time – everyone agrees these are two of the best lightweight heavyweights in the world. Some of the greatest fights of the state-of-the-art era did happen, but they happened many years later, and they should have and were less compelling because of that – Crawford-Spence being one of them. Beterbiev-Bivol also has the clash of styles and undisputed title-fighting qualities of Fury-Usyk, which adds to his appeal.
One of my frustrations in the super middleweight division, where Saul “Canelo” Alvarez-David Benavidez has yet to emerge, is that the wheels aren’t turning like they should. If the Beterbiev-Bivola fight happens before it is long overdue, the careers of Joshua Buatsi, Ben Whittaker and other lightweight heavyweights should be given the opportunity they have fought for and deserve. It’s the peak of an era – the end of a generational cycle – and almost as importantly, the face of the 175-pound division could change.
Such a fight – between two Russians – could be even more attractive if it were staged in Russia or in a hotbed like Las Vegas, but we have seen this kind of events before, such as the Thrilla in Manila between Muhammad Ali and Joe Frazier and Mike Tyson-Buster Douglas in Tokyo, Japan. Does anyone really wonder about the tranquil atmosphere at Tyson-Douglas, as if it were close to the main part of the story? The atmosphere faded into the background, behind the great fight itself and its course. Beterbiev-Bivol’s scheduled appearance in Riyad, Saudi Arabia, is nothing modern.
Bivol is a player who is closer to the top. He’s a very good fighter. He has an incredible ability to control and understand range, and knows not only how to make opponents pay for obstruction and range misjudgment, but also how to make them misjudge range – which really complements his hit-and-run style. Not only is he excellent at making adjustments, but he is also excellent at making his opponents pay and to the point that when they have to reach forward and lose position, they no longer want to hit back.
If anything, Bivol’s bad streak is underrated. He punishes his opponents severely and pockets them. Canelo went the distance with him in 2022, but from the middle of the match he had him in his pocket and stopped trying to win. Canelo fought Bivol like Edgar Berlanga fought him in September to go the distance without too much punishment.
On Saturday, it will not be enough for Bivol to be as consistent a player. Keeping Beterbiev out of range won’t be enough – he’ll have to hurt him consistently. Even if he does this, it will not deprive Beterbiev of his winning mentality, who will constantly try to win – he will have to be piercing, busy and reactive. But he understands it. Both players clearly understand what they need to do to win. It will be a high-level fight.
Beterbiev’s power is more perilous than any other busy fighter. Pound for pound, it’s the biggest blow in the world. Even if he’s a little past his peak, he believes in that power and will cut off the ring to put Bivol in a position where he makes a mistake and Beterbiev can get the large shot he wants.
His fundamentals are great and he knows how to make his opponents work much harder than him. The combination of his powers and basic abilities stresses out his opponents because they know they can get hurt, so they tire themselves by moving more often. When opponents do this, he can shorten the ring without as much effort, which unlike many other pressure fighters, he knows how to do. He won’t exaggerate either. Beterbiev was like Gennady Golovkin – so intimidating that opponents didn’t want to fight him.
That’s why their styles clash so well. Bivol can be a cat-and-mouse fighter who makes his opponents chase him and pay for it – whether he makes Beterbiev pay enough to get Beterbiev fired, or whether Beterbiev cuts the ring well enough to catch him, makes him Will he feel uncomfortable and in pain? Chances are we will see both of these fights, so it will be a great fight.
The winner of this fight will be remembered as the fighter who gave his best performance ever on Saturday. I’ve changed my mind more than once about who would win, but the closer I get to victory, the more I’m leaning towards Bivol.
Of course, I wouldn’t be shocked if Beterbiev got a knockout, but I think Bivol wins by stoppage. Sending it by post is not enough; he’ll have to beat him up to stop him.
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